MARK MASTERS ENSEMBLE - Masters & Baron Meet Blanton
& Webster
Capri Records: CAPRI 74166-2
Kirsten Edkins, Jerry Pinter (tenor and soprano saxophones) Danny House (alto saxophone and clarinet) Adam Schroeder (baritone saxophone) Scott Englebright, Les Lovitt , Ron Stout (trumpets) Les Benedict, Dave Woodley, Art Baron (trombones) Bruce Lett (bass) Mark Ferber (drums) Mark Masters (arrangements) with special guest Tim Hagans (trumpet).
Recorded October 7th & 8th 2019, Glendale, California.
Mark Masters , who hails from Southern California, is an arranger and past president of The American Jazz Institute under whose auspices he leads an ensemble of gifted musicians in the realisation of newly crafted interpretations of classic legacy material. Past projects have revisited and refurbished the music of Mingus and Mulligan, Clifford Brown, Lee Konitz, the composer Alex Wilder and even Steely Dan. These enterprises are more than tributes, though by their very nature they honour the subjects selected, but a means of investing great music of the past with contemporary touches that revitalise and enhance their unique and enduring qualities.
This latest release is his second take on the music of Duke Ellington, the former being a look at the music of Duke’s saxophonists. This time his subject is the repertoire of the fabled Webster – Blanton band of 1940/1941 and to help him achieve an air of authenticity he has on board a real live Ellingtonian in the person of Art Baron, the last trombonist to be personally engaged by Ellington. He plays with plunger mute effects throughout anchoring the music to its period and contrasting with the more contemporary elements represented to great effect by Master’s other guest performer, the trumpeter Tim Hagans.
The sax line up share the task of representing Ben Webster whilst the role of Blanton, the reputed father of modern bass playing, predictably falls to Bruce Lett and a magnificent job he makes of it , incorporating elements of the virtuosity present in playing of all those who followed Blanton and benefitted from his innovation: his playing behind Baron’s trombone solo in the exquisite version of Strayhorn’s `A Flower is a Lovesome Thing` is absolutely masterful.
Notwithstanding his re-workings of the material and the incorporation of novel instrumental voicings and textures Masters retains the essence of the Ellington sound whilst making us feel we are hearing familiar pieces like `Take the A Train` for the first time. It’s a bit like walking into your local BMW showroom, your attention arrested by the sleek lines of the latest model but recognising the trademark kidney shaped grill is a reminder of its historic provenance. Another important feature that renders the music fresh and new is the generous amount of solo space Master’s gives his instrumentalists to sketch in their individualities, particularly Hagans whose modernistic flourishes and cadenzas may be quite un Ellington like but thrive and scintillate within the arranger’s fluid musical environment.
Some people may question the value of this type of enterprise but my personal feeling is that whereas tribute bands serve a useful role in curating the work of past masters they can ossify that which they aim to celebrate. This way, just as Gil Evans did with his re-arrangements of `Great Jazz Standards` the music lives and breathes anew and with this work and his impressive back catalogue, Mark Masters can surely stake a claim to a place in that pantheon of musical visionaries that includes Evans and others like George Russell, Gunther Schuller and Russ Garcia .
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
& Webster
Capri Records: CAPRI 74166-2
Kirsten Edkins, Jerry Pinter (tenor and soprano saxophones) Danny House (alto saxophone and clarinet) Adam Schroeder (baritone saxophone) Scott Englebright, Les Lovitt , Ron Stout (trumpets) Les Benedict, Dave Woodley, Art Baron (trombones) Bruce Lett (bass) Mark Ferber (drums) Mark Masters (arrangements) with special guest Tim Hagans (trumpet).
Recorded October 7th & 8th 2019, Glendale, California.
Mark Masters , who hails from Southern California, is an arranger and past president of The American Jazz Institute under whose auspices he leads an ensemble of gifted musicians in the realisation of newly crafted interpretations of classic legacy material. Past projects have revisited and refurbished the music of Mingus and Mulligan, Clifford Brown, Lee Konitz, the composer Alex Wilder and even Steely Dan. These enterprises are more than tributes, though by their very nature they honour the subjects selected, but a means of investing great music of the past with contemporary touches that revitalise and enhance their unique and enduring qualities.
This latest release is his second take on the music of Duke Ellington, the former being a look at the music of Duke’s saxophonists. This time his subject is the repertoire of the fabled Webster – Blanton band of 1940/1941 and to help him achieve an air of authenticity he has on board a real live Ellingtonian in the person of Art Baron, the last trombonist to be personally engaged by Ellington. He plays with plunger mute effects throughout anchoring the music to its period and contrasting with the more contemporary elements represented to great effect by Master’s other guest performer, the trumpeter Tim Hagans.
The sax line up share the task of representing Ben Webster whilst the role of Blanton, the reputed father of modern bass playing, predictably falls to Bruce Lett and a magnificent job he makes of it , incorporating elements of the virtuosity present in playing of all those who followed Blanton and benefitted from his innovation: his playing behind Baron’s trombone solo in the exquisite version of Strayhorn’s `A Flower is a Lovesome Thing` is absolutely masterful.
Notwithstanding his re-workings of the material and the incorporation of novel instrumental voicings and textures Masters retains the essence of the Ellington sound whilst making us feel we are hearing familiar pieces like `Take the A Train` for the first time. It’s a bit like walking into your local BMW showroom, your attention arrested by the sleek lines of the latest model but recognising the trademark kidney shaped grill is a reminder of its historic provenance. Another important feature that renders the music fresh and new is the generous amount of solo space Master’s gives his instrumentalists to sketch in their individualities, particularly Hagans whose modernistic flourishes and cadenzas may be quite un Ellington like but thrive and scintillate within the arranger’s fluid musical environment.
Some people may question the value of this type of enterprise but my personal feeling is that whereas tribute bands serve a useful role in curating the work of past masters they can ossify that which they aim to celebrate. This way, just as Gil Evans did with his re-arrangements of `Great Jazz Standards` the music lives and breathes anew and with this work and his impressive back catalogue, Mark Masters can surely stake a claim to a place in that pantheon of musical visionaries that includes Evans and others like George Russell, Gunther Schuller and Russ Garcia .
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
