EXPANSIONS / DAVE LIEBMAN GROUP - Earth
Whaling City Sound
Dave Liebman - soprano sax; Matt Vashlishan - reeds; Bobby Avey - piano; Tony Marino - bass; Alex Ritz - drums
Soprano sax specialist, patrician educator and author of several books on jazz theory and practice, veteran of Miles and Elvin Jones’ bands and well-respected bandleader and recording artist in his own right, Dave Liebman is an artist who doesn’t believe in standing still. This album is the latest in a decades-long project to “musically depict manifestations of the four natural elements”, and to this end Liebman has surrounded his fluid, biting-toned soprano with an array of electronic instruments and signal processors to create a kind of electro-free-fusion. His credentials as a major compositional force in the music are evident in the startlingly original, carefully wrought theme that’s stated in unison at the end of ‘Earth Theme’, which comes after a protracted free-time textural exploration with all manner of harmonisers and modulation effects being freely applied to sporano, keyboards, bass guitar and miscellaneous unidentifiable reeds alike.
The album’s compositions are created according to an intervallic scheme of Liebman’s own devising, and there’s no denying the power of his artistic imagination or the rigour of his theoretical framework but unfortunately the preponderance of outré electronic squelches, bleeps, squeaks and wibbles have a cumulatively comic effect that unintentionally undermines the seriousness of the intent. ‘Grand Canyon/Mt Everest’ dials back the textural experimentation in favour of a hushed sense of space that is genuinely evocative, and ‘Concrete Jungle’ shows how fast and tight the band can swing - ‘Galaxy’ is a kind of utterly demented 16th note funk that defies categorisation, showcasing the extraordinary polyrhythmic talents of drummer Alex Ritz. The band are awesomely accomplished, and there’s a powerful musical intelligence throughout that leaves a lasting impression: this certainly sounds like nothing else currently on offer.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Whaling City Sound
Dave Liebman - soprano sax; Matt Vashlishan - reeds; Bobby Avey - piano; Tony Marino - bass; Alex Ritz - drums
Soprano sax specialist, patrician educator and author of several books on jazz theory and practice, veteran of Miles and Elvin Jones’ bands and well-respected bandleader and recording artist in his own right, Dave Liebman is an artist who doesn’t believe in standing still. This album is the latest in a decades-long project to “musically depict manifestations of the four natural elements”, and to this end Liebman has surrounded his fluid, biting-toned soprano with an array of electronic instruments and signal processors to create a kind of electro-free-fusion. His credentials as a major compositional force in the music are evident in the startlingly original, carefully wrought theme that’s stated in unison at the end of ‘Earth Theme’, which comes after a protracted free-time textural exploration with all manner of harmonisers and modulation effects being freely applied to sporano, keyboards, bass guitar and miscellaneous unidentifiable reeds alike.
The album’s compositions are created according to an intervallic scheme of Liebman’s own devising, and there’s no denying the power of his artistic imagination or the rigour of his theoretical framework but unfortunately the preponderance of outré electronic squelches, bleeps, squeaks and wibbles have a cumulatively comic effect that unintentionally undermines the seriousness of the intent. ‘Grand Canyon/Mt Everest’ dials back the textural experimentation in favour of a hushed sense of space that is genuinely evocative, and ‘Concrete Jungle’ shows how fast and tight the band can swing - ‘Galaxy’ is a kind of utterly demented 16th note funk that defies categorisation, showcasing the extraordinary polyrhythmic talents of drummer Alex Ritz. The band are awesomely accomplished, and there’s a powerful musical intelligence throughout that leaves a lasting impression: this certainly sounds like nothing else currently on offer.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
