Recorded November 2, 2008 at Firehouse 12, New Haven, CT
Many years before I started this blog, I already had a kind of bookkeeping file of all my records, with pretty much the same evaluation system, also with a star notation. Of the seven albums that I have of alto saxophonist Rob Brown as a leader (and I know he released more than that), all of them have a four star rating, which demonstrates that, over the years, he not only managed to keep the same high quality of the performances itself, but also that he is sufficiently creative to keep things interesting and new to listeners. On this nice album, recorded live a the Firehouse in November of last year, Brown is accompanied by Daniel Levin on cello and Satoshi Takeishi on drums, the same band that released the great "Sounds" in 2007. Just like on that album, the music is very open, slow, disciplined and almost meditative at moments. The first piece "Quick Be Nimble" starts with an Ornette Coleman-like theme, and with the same stop-and-go kind of feeling, but then it shifts into a more impressionistic mode, letting go of all rhythm and melody, for some beautiful sound coloring, and a nice cello solo, then switching back to the theme, gentle and soft. The second composition is a real treat, with a plucked intro by Levin, the percussion slowly joining with nice bell-like sounds, and a beautiful melody by Brown, lightly dancing, joyful and sweet, but then the tune gets boppish in the middle, gathering tempo and volume, only to get slower again at the end. "On A Lark" is more in the free idiom, sounding totally improvised, but according to the liner notes it was composed. The last piece, "Stray(horn)", is a tribute to Billy Strayhorn (or what did you think?), played with possibly the slowest tempo possible, with alto phrasings by Brown that could fit the jazz of the fifties, but then never for long, because his true art lies of course in free expression and emotional expressivity, restrained yet intense, clear in tone yet powerful too, lamenting and singing at the same time. Brown is a great aloist, no doubt about it. He's a great composer too. And in Levin and Takeishi he found the perfect soulmates to deliver his delicate and free musical vision. The only thing lacking is the audience, where is it? (review courtesy of steff, freejazz-stef blogspot)
Alto saxophonist and composer Rob Brown moved the New York City in the mid 1980's and slowly began developing an impressive reputation in progressive jazz circles, playing with the likes of Cecil Taylor, Butch Morris and a long stretch in William Parker's extraordinary quartet. Brown's music is a very nice modernizing of the progressive alto saxophone tradition of Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy and Jackie McLean, building a deep, original and thoroughly modern view of jazz. On this album (I guess it's recorded live, but I don't hear any applause) he is joined by Daniel Levin on cello, Satoshi Takeishi on drums and percussion. Brown's pinched and citrus saxophone tone and Levin's sawing cello make for an alluring sound. "Quick Be Nimble" is a medium tempo opener, getting a wide open Ornette-ish feel with the musicians probing and exploring. "Walkabout" has a plucked cello opening around slow percussion with metallic gongs and when the alto enters, it makes for an interesting and mysterious sound. The pace increases when Brown steps up with a deep free-bopping sound, making for intense jazz improvisation with a virile and potent sound featuring deep pulsing cello and metallic percussion. "On a Lark" has the trio improvising freely with bowed cello and rattling percussion. Spontaneously creating music like walking on a high wire, Brown's alto steps out far a piercing solo which has window shattering tartness before returning to the melodic statement. "Stray(horn)" finishes the album with a slowly developing spacious bowed bass. Brown gets nice bluesy feel on his solo, and there is a lonely unaccompanied bowed cello feature. This was a very good album of progressive and exploratory jazz. Listening to this album, it is easy to understand why he is playing so often at the Vision Festival both as a leader and as a sideman. He has a original and exciting conception of jazz and his music makes for compelling listening. (review courtesy of tim, jazzandblues blogspot)
Utwory:
1. Quick be nimble 2. Walkabout 3. On a lark 4. Stray(horn)
Wykonawcy:
Rob Brown - alto saxophone Daniel Levin - cello Satoshi Takeishi - percussion
