LESTER BOWIE

The Distance
Michael Formanek Ensemble Kolossus (ECM)
by Stuart Broomer
Michael Formanek is best known as a bassist, whether
leading his own quartet with saxophonist Tim Berne or
in cooperative groups like Thumbscrew with guitarist
Mary Halvorson and drummer Tomas Fujiwara.
However, he also has a significant interest in large
ensembles and large-scale composition. His duties at
the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore include
directing the Peabody Jazz Orchestra and he has
performed his Open Book there, a composition for
symphony orchestra and jazz soloists.
The Distance brings this side to the fore, introducing
his Ensemble Kolossus, an 18-member group that
follows the traditional big band model of five reeds,
four trumpets and four trombones then complements
it with the strings and percussion of Halvorson,
Fujiwara and Formanek as well as pianist Kris Davis
and Patricia Brennan on marimba, lending an orchestral
breadth to the traditional notion of a rhythm section.
To devote himself to his role as bassist, Formanek
enlists another bassist, Mark Helias, to act as conductor.
The scale of the band is no greater than the scale of
the work. The CD begins with the brief title piece, an
aptly named work that is filled with space, matching
June 14th
Mike Longo Trio annual
Oscar Peterson
Celebration
June 21st
Bill Garfield Band
June 28th
Rosemary George
Ensemble
New York Baha’i Center
53 E. 11th Street
(between University Place and Broadway)
Shows: 8:00 & 9:30 PM
Gen Adm: $15 Students $10
212-222-5159
bahainyc.org/nyc-bahai-center/jazz-night
airy held notes with a mysterious and dissonant
melody and a moody, reflective solo by tenor
saxophonist Brian Settles. Then follows an “Exoskeleton
Prelude”: it’s initially a similarly impressionistic piece,
which builds from deeply resonant unaccompanied
bass, through lyrical orchestration to the improvising
trio of Formanek, Davis and Fujiwara and increasingly
tense and anticipatory lines from the brass.
These two works serve almost as meditations,
preparing the listener for what’s to come, the eightpart
“Exoskeleton”, a work that is sometimes intense,
sometimes relaxed, exploring in myriad ways the
title’s notion of reversal, mixing compositional styles
and traditions while providing solo spots for a
wonderful collection of improvisers, ultimately turning
increasingly to collective improvisation. The brassy
punctuations of “Impenetrable” may suggest
something from Anthony Braxton’s Creative Orchestra
Music 1976 while “Beneath the Shell” owes a certain
debt to the slippery sounds and harmonies of Olivier
Messiaen’s Turangalîla; there are more than passing
allusions to Charles Mingus’ methodology while
“Echoes” may not sound out of place in a Maria
Schneider performance. “@heart” and “Without
Regrets” are highlighted by the transformative
individual contributions of trombonist Ben Gerstein
and Halvorson, respectively.
With Part 6, the happily titled “Shucking while
Jiving”, group improvisation becomes a key component,
both with and without composed components, initially
with a brawling ensemble of Settles, Berne on baritone
saxophone, trombonist Jacob Garchik and bass
trombonist Jeff Nelson. “A Reptile Dysfunction”
includes a bright, chirping maze of marimba, drums,
piano and Oscar Noriega’s clarinet while the concluding
“Metamorphic” has an improvised passage by the full
orchestra, a standout solo by trumpeter Dave Ballou
and dense, composed conclusion appropriate to the
work’s breadth and ambition.
This is a remarkable debut for Formanek as
orchestra leader and composer. He has put together a
work in which the compositions and the band fuse
multiple voices into a singular entity.
For more information, visit ecmrecords.com. Formanek is at
The Jazz Gallery Jun. 10th-11th with Mary Halvorson,
Urban Meadow Jun. 12th with Tomas Fujiwara as part of
Red Hook Jazz Festival and Ibeam Brooklyn Jun. 17th-18th
with Devin Gray. See Calendar.
Behind the Vibration
Rez Abbasi & Junction (Cuneiform)
by Ken Micallef
Back in fusion’s heyday Frank Zappa was quoted as
saying, “Jazz isn’t dead—it just smells funny.” Rez
Abbasi’s latest release could be called a fusion record,
but it’s also a serious jazz recording and it thankfully
has no odor.
Of late, Abbasi has changed hats more often than
the Queen of England. 2014’s Intents & Purposes turned
‘70s fusion on its ear, Abbasi reimagining classics from
Weather Report, Return To Forever, The Headhunters,
The Eleventh House and others with an entirely
acoustic palette. Prior to that Abbasi investigated all
manner of contemporary electric improvisation.
Behind the Vibration peeks into a different fusion era,
one without definitive roads to its destination.
Joined by Mark Shim on tenor and MIDI windcontroller,
Ben Stivers on gritty Hammond B3, Rhodes
and additional keyboards and rising drum star Kenny
Grohowski, Abbasi rips his liquid D’Angelico semihollow
body guitar through material recalling Allan
Holdsworth’s Secrets, Bill Connors’ Step It and even
further back to The Headhunters and, if stretching the
reference, Brand X. Abbasi and Co. perform his
originals with feet planted in fusion’s past while
carving out a brave new future. The rhythmic burn can
be credited to 25-year-old Grohowski, who pours his
influences—including Vinnie Colaiuta, Chris Dave and
Jon Christensen—through a uniquely kinetic vision.
Abbasi’s tunes fly and soar, sail around corners and
bang upside your head. For all its acetylene burn,
Abbasi’s band is graceful and the melodies sustainable
and engaging.
“Holy Butter” opens with an itchy unison guitar
and wind-controller melody juggled over a displaced
groove. Hammond B3 steam and lyrical guitar drive
the humid pulse of “Groundswell”, followed by the
intimate ballad “Inner Context”, which recalls a lost
gem from John McLaughlin’s Extrapolation.
“Uncommon Sense” begins slowly, then lifts off into
metric-modulation hyperspace. The cerebral chiming
of “New Rituals” slips and slides, glowing like
shooting stars, saxophone and guitar tracing its
circuitous melody over multi-rhythmic groove. Closer
“Matter Falls” rages like an electric shark, splitting
waves, surfing whitewater, sleek in its mission as king
of the sea. Similarly, Behind the Vibration cuts a swift
course through contemporary jazz with style and
substance.
For more information, visit cuneiformrecords.com. This project
is at Greenwich House Music School Jun. 11th and Urban
Meadow Jun. 12th as part of Red Hook Jazz Fest. See Calendar.
20 JUNE 2016 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD