Tracklist:
1. Exordium / Salt  21:24
2. Sweat the Grub / On the Floor  18:46
3. Razorlip  9:58
4. Lungfish  7:50
5. Sometimes  6:10
6. Backfire  9:51

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Lineup:
Jeb Bishop - trombone
Russ Johnson - trumpet
Jason Roebke - bass
Frank Rosaly - drums

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Recorded:

live at the “soft re-opening” of the Hungry Brain, Chicago, on September 20, 2015

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What the critics say:

“Re-Collect” is out on “Not Two Records”. Album was recorded by “Jeb Bishop Flex Quartet”. The ensemble has a bright and innovative sound, all compositions are played in especially expressive and dynamic mood. Suggestion, driving playing manner, passionate and unique style, creativity, luminous and dramatic culminations which calm down to silent and relaxing pieces – these are the main elements of this quartet’s music. Four great jazz improvisers are playing together – it’s Jeb Bishop (trombone), Russ Johnson (trumpet), Jason Roebke (bass) and Frank Rosaly (drums). Each musician has his own and individual sound. They’re the central figures of avant-garde jazz scene for many years now – enchanting playing manner, inventive point of view and excellent virtuosity are the reasons why these musicians are so famous on avant-garde jazz scene. Musicians are making interesting projects, the collaborations with other jazz stars and the concert tours all over the world. All the music is completely based on avant-garde and experimental jazz and an organic combo of different experimental jazz’s streams.

 

“Re-Collect” is a real burst of energy, drive and expression. The compositions have a huge stylistic variety. Music is the mix of experimental jazz’s innovations, expressive, nervous and complicated modern jazz styles and experimental, contemporary academical music and academic avant-garde. Innovations and modern ideas related to experimental jazz are mixed up together with return to the roots of 1960’s avant-garde jazz. The musicians don’t stick up to the rules and conventions, but successfully manage to integrate effective, very well-known, classical and expressive ways of playing to their own conceptions, innovative ideas and modern point of view. Sound experiments are used everywhere – it’s especially heard in instrumental section, melody line and background. The compositions are based on open form and free collective improvisations – that makes an effort t ospontaneous, surprising and driving sound. An interesting, multi-layered and polyphonic musical pattern is formed. It’s based on sharp, aggressive and bright harmony line, dynamic and explosive rhythmic section, gorgeous illustrative background and fantastic melody line. All the layers are highly contrasting, but still are gently brought all together. The musicians are using their wide musical knowledge, impressive virtuosity, excellent playing technique and inventive point of view to create bright, interesting and original sound. The melody section is based on trumpet and trombone tunes. Growling, hot, thrilling, passionate and frantic trumpet by Russ Johnson is the main source for energy, brightness and drive which is brought in to the compositions. Flying transcendental passages, expressive remarkable and luminous melodies, dramatic frantic and wild culminations, roaring blow outs, breaking sessions, terrific and impressive riffs, animated glissando, special effects, sonoristic experiments and all kinds of playing techniques are joined together. That makes an effort to driving, wild and expressive melody line and dictates the main mood of the compositions. Cracking, heavy and solid trombone is highly contrasting to the trumpet and demonstrates the other side of the melody line. Jeb Bishop is the master of his art – his deep, solemn and relaxing pieces are meeting cracking, sparkling, thrilling, extremely loud riffs, wild blowing culminations and solid repetitive bass line which’s formed by using monotonic tunes and rhythms. Trombone’s improvisations are bright, heavy, driving and effective. Lyrical subtle bass by Jason Roebke also iss the source for new colors and tunes. Deep, subtle, relaxing, calm and meditative pieces written in minimalistic mood, stable bass line are directly corresponding to dynamic, thrilling bursts, striking culminations, frantic and vibrant riffs, breaking sessions and suggestive melodies. All these elements are gently joined together by illustrating them with special effects, coloristics and sonoristic experiments. That finally makes an effort to suggestive, hypnotising and inspiring sound. Drums section is universal and dynamic. Here Frank Rosaly joins together expressive bebop, aggressive hard bop, calm and relaxing cool, modern and extravagant contemporary jazz, stable beats, minimalistic repetitive series, sonoristic experiments which finally grow out to the culminations – frantic, breaking, stormy, extremely powerful and driving sessions and impressive free improvisations. The music of this album has an impressive melody line, effective and colorful instrumental section, great and independent rhythmic section and colorful background. All that makes a driving and expressive sound.

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(review courtesy of © Avantscene)

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*****

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Re-Collect (Not Two MW 990; Poland) Featuring: Jeb Bishop - trombone & compositions, Russ Johnson - trumpet, Jason Roebke - bass and Frank Rosaly - drums. Since moving to Boston a few years back, former-Chicago trombonist, Jeb Bishop, has kept busy playing with Jeff Parker, Mars Williams and Pandelis Karayorgis. This is Mr. Bishop’s second disc on the Not Two label, this one featuring a Chicago based rhythm team, Jason Roebke & Frank Rosaly. These two players have worked together on occasion, backing Jason Adasiewicz and Fred Lonberg-Holm. I recall when Russ Johnson was based in NY and kept pretty busy (on some 3 dozen discs). He has since moved and is now teaching elsewhere. Mr. Bishop wrote all the music here, which is consistently engaging and diverse. On “Exordium/Salt”, the piece starts soft and free yet soon the trombone & trumpet frontline are playing those great written lines. The quartet is tight and has that exuberant, uplifting vibe, which unfolds slowly as the quartet work their way through several themes with freer transitions. “Sweat the Grub/On the Floor” goes back & forth between an uptempo swing and more restrained ballad like grace which is held together by Mr. Roebke’s bass, speeding up & slowing down organically. The solos by Russ Johnson’s trumpet and Mr. Bishop’s trombone are consistently inspired, the interplay between both horns & the rhythm team dynamic. Each the six pieces here are long (73 minutes in total) and go through several sections. What’s great about this disc is that each member of the quartet is well-chosen and all get chances to stretch out, take a number of solid solos with engaging interplay throughout this entire disc. 

 

(review courtesy of © Bruce Lee Gallanter, DMG)

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*****

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One of the stalwart progressive trombonists for the last three decades, Jeb Bishop’s latest release hits all the right notes.  Touches of Ornette and Mingus, with nods back to jazz history, but always also forward thinking at the same time. Some may find this a bit chaotic, but in fact it’s quite orderly and deliberate.  And it never gets scary with extended techniques or melodic chaos.  Jason Roebke, an important bassist on the free scene, is integral to the structure of this album, his off-kilter walks and avant-grooves providing an excellent matrix—together with the steady cleverness of drummer Frank Rosaly—in and out of which the front line weaves.  Besides Bishop’s bold, deep, and gently growling trombone, there is Russ Johnson on trumpet, whose command is excellent, with a clean tone, stunning intervallic leaps and some throwback elements (fitting in with the thrust of the band) (note his work on 5 & 6). A tempered but exploratory album of very high caliber.
 

(review courtesy of © Carl Pearson, WFHB Bloomington, IN  USA)