DAVID WEISS & POINT OF DEPARTURE - Wake Up Call
Ropeadope, 2017
David Weiss: trumpet, Fender Rhodes (1&5); Myron Walden: tenor saxophone (1, 5-9); JD Allen: tenor saxophone (2-4); Nir Felder: guitar (solos on 3&4); Ben Eunson: guitar (solos on tracks 1, 5, 7 &9); Travis Reuter: guitar (tracks 1, 5-9, solos on 6&8) Matt Clohesy: bass; Kush Abadey: drums
Trumpeter David Weiss’ band Point of Departure seeks to explore lesser known gems of music that came about in the mid to late 60’s post bop zeitgeist by composers like Wayne Shorter, trumpeter Charles Moore, Andrew Hill, pianist Kenny Cox and others. The goal is to look at the concepts these musicians investigated with a fresh lens featuring a group of some of the finest young players on the scene right now. “Wake Up Call” is the group’s first for Ropeadope, and represents a few key changes in the line up and instrumentation which evolve the sound from the band’s previous releases, the incendiary live albums “Snuck In” and “Snuck Out” (Sunnyside) and studio sessions from the day before the live albums on “Venture Inward” (Posi Tone).
Weiss has chosen two lineups for “Wake Up Call”. The first extends the band’s sound into new territory featuring Myron Walden on tenor saxophone, guitarists Ben Eunson and Travis Reuter, holdover bassist Matt Clohesy from the previous incarnation, and new drummer, the phenomenal Kush Abadey, (known for his work with Wallace Roney) replaces Jamire Williams. The previous iteration of PoD sans Williams is featured as well with initial guitarist Nir Felder and tenor saxophonist JD Allen, to tie up some loose ends in that edition’s sound although the evolution effects them as well. What has allowed the sound of Point of Departure to grow is the presence of two guitars, which Weiss found compelling in his work with Tabou Combo, the Haitian Kompa ensemble, and opening the repertoire to include music from Mahavishnu Orchestra and Brazilian group Grupo Um expanding the palette to include funk and rock inspired grooves in addition to the signature, smoldering go for broke swing and solos. The two guitars, which are played by alternating combinations of Reuter, Felder and Eunson create ethereal, synth like beds that serve to enhance the atmosphere. The slowly winding guitars on John McLaughlin’s “Sanctuary” rise like a goddess from a body of water, with Weiss’ Fender Rhodes a nearly imperceptible part of the overall timbre. Elsewhere they create exciting density vamping behind Weiss’ heat seeking solo on “Multidirection”, and overall texture, such as on Wayne Shorter’s “Two Faced” from Miles Davis’ “Water Babies” (Columbia, 1976). Throughout, a very African nature is reflected by one guitar picking single notes, while the other plays chords on Shorter’s mysterious line. Abadey also provides a particular spark to the piece as well with Tony Williams like swiss triplets splattered underneath the melody portions, and searing activity behind the solos. JD Allen’s Shorter esque tone slowly builds to a bubbling peak, a quality that all the solos on the album demonstrate.
The current lineup with guitarists Eunson, Reuter, Clohesy and Abadey is featured on the final five tracks, in an unbroken suite which mirror the band’s live approach. The searing interpretation of Joe Henderson’s “Gazelle” finds Weiss in highly inventive form, and Walden peeling the paint off the walls. The two Tony Williams compositions are a nice touch from two eras of the legendary drummer’s career with a fresh groove driven look at “Pee Wee” from the Miles Davis quintet book, and “The Mystic Knights of the Sea” which Williams played in the pioneering jazz-rock group Lifetime.
“Wake Up Call” is a superb new chapter in the ongoing saga of David Weiss and Point of Departure. The two guitars, and lyrical solos from all three guitarists help add a sharper jazz-rock focus to the ensemble, and the expanded repertoire continues to shed light on an underrated period of jazz history. The explorations of the material refine the band’s approach to a very unique and specific language, subtly pushing at the boundaries of acoustic jazz and moving it forward. Though still early, “Wake Up Call” is a strong contender for year end best of lists.
Reviewed by C J Shearn
Ropeadope, 2017
David Weiss: trumpet, Fender Rhodes (1&5); Myron Walden: tenor saxophone (1, 5-9); JD Allen: tenor saxophone (2-4); Nir Felder: guitar (solos on 3&4); Ben Eunson: guitar (solos on tracks 1, 5, 7 &9); Travis Reuter: guitar (tracks 1, 5-9, solos on 6&8) Matt Clohesy: bass; Kush Abadey: drums
Trumpeter David Weiss’ band Point of Departure seeks to explore lesser known gems of music that came about in the mid to late 60’s post bop zeitgeist by composers like Wayne Shorter, trumpeter Charles Moore, Andrew Hill, pianist Kenny Cox and others. The goal is to look at the concepts these musicians investigated with a fresh lens featuring a group of some of the finest young players on the scene right now. “Wake Up Call” is the group’s first for Ropeadope, and represents a few key changes in the line up and instrumentation which evolve the sound from the band’s previous releases, the incendiary live albums “Snuck In” and “Snuck Out” (Sunnyside) and studio sessions from the day before the live albums on “Venture Inward” (Posi Tone).
Weiss has chosen two lineups for “Wake Up Call”. The first extends the band’s sound into new territory featuring Myron Walden on tenor saxophone, guitarists Ben Eunson and Travis Reuter, holdover bassist Matt Clohesy from the previous incarnation, and new drummer, the phenomenal Kush Abadey, (known for his work with Wallace Roney) replaces Jamire Williams. The previous iteration of PoD sans Williams is featured as well with initial guitarist Nir Felder and tenor saxophonist JD Allen, to tie up some loose ends in that edition’s sound although the evolution effects them as well. What has allowed the sound of Point of Departure to grow is the presence of two guitars, which Weiss found compelling in his work with Tabou Combo, the Haitian Kompa ensemble, and opening the repertoire to include music from Mahavishnu Orchestra and Brazilian group Grupo Um expanding the palette to include funk and rock inspired grooves in addition to the signature, smoldering go for broke swing and solos. The two guitars, which are played by alternating combinations of Reuter, Felder and Eunson create ethereal, synth like beds that serve to enhance the atmosphere. The slowly winding guitars on John McLaughlin’s “Sanctuary” rise like a goddess from a body of water, with Weiss’ Fender Rhodes a nearly imperceptible part of the overall timbre. Elsewhere they create exciting density vamping behind Weiss’ heat seeking solo on “Multidirection”, and overall texture, such as on Wayne Shorter’s “Two Faced” from Miles Davis’ “Water Babies” (Columbia, 1976). Throughout, a very African nature is reflected by one guitar picking single notes, while the other plays chords on Shorter’s mysterious line. Abadey also provides a particular spark to the piece as well with Tony Williams like swiss triplets splattered underneath the melody portions, and searing activity behind the solos. JD Allen’s Shorter esque tone slowly builds to a bubbling peak, a quality that all the solos on the album demonstrate.
The current lineup with guitarists Eunson, Reuter, Clohesy and Abadey is featured on the final five tracks, in an unbroken suite which mirror the band’s live approach. The searing interpretation of Joe Henderson’s “Gazelle” finds Weiss in highly inventive form, and Walden peeling the paint off the walls. The two Tony Williams compositions are a nice touch from two eras of the legendary drummer’s career with a fresh groove driven look at “Pee Wee” from the Miles Davis quintet book, and “The Mystic Knights of the Sea” which Williams played in the pioneering jazz-rock group Lifetime.
“Wake Up Call” is a superb new chapter in the ongoing saga of David Weiss and Point of Departure. The two guitars, and lyrical solos from all three guitarists help add a sharper jazz-rock focus to the ensemble, and the expanded repertoire continues to shed light on an underrated period of jazz history. The explorations of the material refine the band’s approach to a very unique and specific language, subtly pushing at the boundaries of acoustic jazz and moving it forward. Though still early, “Wake Up Call” is a strong contender for year end best of lists.
Reviewed by C J Shearn
