Players - Downbeat

Blindfold Test
“It’s easy to get absorbed in your own world and not have the time or
desire to hear other things, because it can confuse your own progression,”
tenor saxophonist–flutist Lew Tabackin, 70, mused after sitting for the
“Blindfold Test.” “A lot of this music was remarkable. I hope nobody was
offended by anything I said—it’s hard not to be honest at my age.”
Chris Byars
“A.T.” (from Photos In Black, White And Gray, Smalls, 2007) Byars, tenor
saxophone; Ari Roland, bass; Andy Watson, drums.
That was a Herbie Nichols kind of tune. The tenor player reminds me of a
slightly more abstract Charlie Rouse—I should probably know who it is,
but I don’t. The time feel and sound were nice, the theme and improvisations
were well-integrated, and the drummer seemed to play the form. A
successful attempt at a tenor saxophone trio. 4 stars.
Adam Rudolph/Sam Rivers/Harris Eisenstadt
“Susurration” (from Vista, Meta, 2004) Rudolph, hand drums, percussion;
Rivers, flute; Eisenstadt, drums.
Some sort of ethnic flute. The player utilized the instrument’s basic limitations
and made a lot happen. The flute and the drum go well together; they
are probably the two earliest instruments. Wind blowing through a reed is
basically a flute, and it created a sound before man existed. Drums probably
came shortly after. I enjoy the way the piece developed. It sustained
interest, which is difficult in this sort of piece. 4 stars.
Wayne Escoffery
“Noon Night” (from Hopes And Dreams, Savant, 2008) Escoffery, tenor
saxophone; Joe Locke, vibraphone; Hans Glawischnig, bass; Lewis Nash, drums.
Nice composition, well put together, well played. Not exactly the kind of
music I prefer to listen to, but a credible job. The bass player had a nice
attack on the solo. When I hear a tenor, I expect to hear more in the middle
of the instrument. When tenors get in the high register—unless it’s
Stan Getz or somebody who perfected it—it can get a little whiny, and
doesn’t project the character of the tenor saxophone. 3 1 /2 stars. (after) I did
a gig with him once. I might have guessed if he’d played normally.
Von Freeman
“Blue Pres” (from The Great Divide, Premonition, 2004) Freeman, tenor
saxophone; Richard Wyands, piano; John Webber, bass; Jimmy Cobb, drums.
At first, the intonation unnerved me a bit. Playing a subtone in the lower
register is an interesting proposition, because you need a certain amount of
breath support to keep the pitch in the right place and there’s not as definite
a center to the sound—but there are ways to support it. At the end, it
cooled itself out, or maybe I just got used to it. All in all, the performance
was heartfelt and excellent. 4 stars.
Bill McHenry
“Roses” (from Roses, Sunnyside, 2007) McHenry, tenor saxophone; Ben
Monder, guitar; Reid Anderson, bass; Paul Motian, drums.
I have mixed feelings about this. I was impressed by the first third—how
good the communication was among the players, a real collective improvisation,
and the way the intensity built. But when it got into the more
intense reality, I started to hear too many not-too-interesting patterns popping
up. I’d rather hear one note or two notes than the same pattern played
a few times. All in all, though, a good attempt. 4 stars.
Stephen Riley
“Lady Bird” (from Easy To Remember, SteepleChase, 2007) Riley, tenor
saxophone; Neal Caine, bass; Jason Marsalis, drums.
Stephen Riley. The vehicle is “Lady Bird,” an old standby, nice changes,
used to be a jam session tune. He uses such diverse elements—a bit of
Paul Gonsalves, some Warne Marsh thrown in there, all kinds of stuff.
90 DOWNBEAT April 2009
Lew
Tabackin
By Ted Panken
Stephen is an impressive player, with his own approach, his own sound
and the conviction to keep it that way; he shows that it’s possible to create
something unique at this time. The trio sounds fine. If there’s any criticism,
maybe it goes on a little too long. 5 stars.
Dimitri Vassilakis
“The Drum Think” (from Parallel Lines, Candid, 2007) Vassilakis, tenor
saxophone; Jeff Watts, drums.
It got a little redundant, went on too long. Lots of chops, remarkable technical
abilities, but I would like to hear a couple of strong, beautiful melodic
statements, something powerful. I can enjoy it on a certain level, but if
you’re going to do this music, it should sustain itself and tell a narrative.
It’s stuff we used to do 40 years ago. It’s much more fun to play than to
listen to. It could be a European player. Once all the Europeans wanted to
play like Americans and sometimes overdid it. Now you hear some good
players from America sound European, eliminating the sense of swing and
bebop sensibility, which is the central character of American jazz. I miss
that in the development of players. 3 stars.
Antonio Sanchez
“Did You Get It?” (from Migration, Cam Jazz, 2007) David Sánchez, Chris Potter,
tenor saxophone; Scott Colley, bass; Antonio Sanchez, drums.
Two fantastic tenor players. They obviously know each other quite well.
They played basically the same conception. A lot of the better younger
players tend to play too many eighth notes. They could have used a little
space once in a while, but I won’t quibble about that. Fluid, remarkable
playing. The rhythm section was great, too. 5 stars. DB
The “Blindfold Test” is a listening test that challenges the featured artist to discuss and identify
the music and musicians who performed on selected recordings. The artist is then asked
to rate each tune using a 5-star system. No information is given to the artist prior to the test.
JACK VARTOOGIAN/FRONTROWPHOTOS