MARK TURNER / JASON PALMER / JOE MARTIN / JONATHAN PINSON - Return From The Stars
ECM 384 2871
Mark Turner (tenor saxophone); Jason Palmer (trumpet); Joe Martin (double bass); Jonathan Pinson (drums)
Recorded November 2019
For more than two decades, tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, has marked himself out as one of the most original voices on his instrument. His sound is deep and sonorous in the lower register, liquid in the middle and he has a command of the altissimo register that is to die for. So much so, that one is so carried away by the invention of his solos, and his range over the horn so effortless that the instrument is almost forgotten as the listener is drawn deep in to the music and becomes at one with his sound.
This remarkable tone on the saxophone, along with his gifts as an improviser has been a constant whether playing standards, his own compositions or the music of others, and made his an instantly recognisable voice. His work as sideman over the years has often mean that recordings under his own name are few and far between but all are very special. This is also true of his work for ECM, and this is his first quartet album since 2014’s Lathe of Heaven, and a most welcome release it is too.
Presenting a new quartet, retaining only the services of bassist Joe Martin from the Lathe of Heaven line-up, Turner has also composed all the material all of which he has said is written with these particular layers in mind. The compositions are beautifully structured, and the saxophonist has been careful in his scoring to allow scope for the interpretive nature of the players to dictate the overall form. The written parts are predominantly for the horns with only a few pointers and time changes within sections. This leaves the bass and drums to roam freely, and out of this the solos evolve out of the individual's ability o find their way into the music.
This way of working, far from feeling a little loose and very open, has the effect of focussing the attention. 'Lincoln Heights', for example, has a complex unison part for the horns which is followed throughout. A detailed exploration of the piece that is sympathetically supported by bass and drums before Joe Martin steps forward into the spotlight with an excellent solo, accompanied of course by the neatly arranged horns.
This rapport with his frontline partner, Jason Palmer, is given another fine outing on 'Return From The Stars' which is takes its title from Stanisław Lem’s science fiction novel where both trumpeter and saxophonist break free from the written passages to exchange phrases in a dialogue that is perfectly executed and coherent. Phrases frequently overlap conversationally without interrupting the flow of the lines and buoyed up by the rhythm section.
'It's Not Alright With Me' is another cleverly composed piece. The unison of the frontline is once again compelling and the long elongated unfurling of the themes bring a quiet energy to the the saxophonist's solo that emerges from it. Unhurried by the insistence of the commentary from drummer Jonathan Pinson, Turner digs deep in a fine solo that is immediately picked up by Palmer with relaxation of the emotional heat built up by the tenor.
'Unacceptable' is a big number in terms of the concentrated energy from the quartet. Another marvellous composition from Turner that develops from a simple opening phrase to the, by now familiar, more complex horn lines that interweave intuitively. Once again, the saxophonist solos first, cajoled and encouraged by Pinson's drumming and superbly anchored by Joe Martin's basslines. As the saxophonist concludes his solo, the opening statement re-emerges to be gathered up by the frontline in a brief exploratory dialogue before a carefully constructed outing from Palmer.
What is remarkable about the session is how the music flows so effortlessly given that Turner has quite specific designs for each of the tunes. As if aware of this, the quartet are given their head and a chance to cut loose on 'Nigeria II', and this flexing of muscles rather than pushing the music in another direction helps to refocus the energy back to the more formally composed pieces.
Return From The Stars marks another new chapter in Turner's music, and it this willingness to move on and permit his music to develop his music over an extended period of time that inevitably results in such satisfying as albums as this one. Fulfilling all his promise from his early recordings with Warner in the 1990's, I cannot help but feel that there is much more to come from this most resourceful musician.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
ECM 384 2871
Mark Turner (tenor saxophone); Jason Palmer (trumpet); Joe Martin (double bass); Jonathan Pinson (drums)
Recorded November 2019
For more than two decades, tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, has marked himself out as one of the most original voices on his instrument. His sound is deep and sonorous in the lower register, liquid in the middle and he has a command of the altissimo register that is to die for. So much so, that one is so carried away by the invention of his solos, and his range over the horn so effortless that the instrument is almost forgotten as the listener is drawn deep in to the music and becomes at one with his sound.
This remarkable tone on the saxophone, along with his gifts as an improviser has been a constant whether playing standards, his own compositions or the music of others, and made his an instantly recognisable voice. His work as sideman over the years has often mean that recordings under his own name are few and far between but all are very special. This is also true of his work for ECM, and this is his first quartet album since 2014’s Lathe of Heaven, and a most welcome release it is too.
Presenting a new quartet, retaining only the services of bassist Joe Martin from the Lathe of Heaven line-up, Turner has also composed all the material all of which he has said is written with these particular layers in mind. The compositions are beautifully structured, and the saxophonist has been careful in his scoring to allow scope for the interpretive nature of the players to dictate the overall form. The written parts are predominantly for the horns with only a few pointers and time changes within sections. This leaves the bass and drums to roam freely, and out of this the solos evolve out of the individual's ability o find their way into the music.
This way of working, far from feeling a little loose and very open, has the effect of focussing the attention. 'Lincoln Heights', for example, has a complex unison part for the horns which is followed throughout. A detailed exploration of the piece that is sympathetically supported by bass and drums before Joe Martin steps forward into the spotlight with an excellent solo, accompanied of course by the neatly arranged horns.
This rapport with his frontline partner, Jason Palmer, is given another fine outing on 'Return From The Stars' which is takes its title from Stanisław Lem’s science fiction novel where both trumpeter and saxophonist break free from the written passages to exchange phrases in a dialogue that is perfectly executed and coherent. Phrases frequently overlap conversationally without interrupting the flow of the lines and buoyed up by the rhythm section.
'It's Not Alright With Me' is another cleverly composed piece. The unison of the frontline is once again compelling and the long elongated unfurling of the themes bring a quiet energy to the the saxophonist's solo that emerges from it. Unhurried by the insistence of the commentary from drummer Jonathan Pinson, Turner digs deep in a fine solo that is immediately picked up by Palmer with relaxation of the emotional heat built up by the tenor.
'Unacceptable' is a big number in terms of the concentrated energy from the quartet. Another marvellous composition from Turner that develops from a simple opening phrase to the, by now familiar, more complex horn lines that interweave intuitively. Once again, the saxophonist solos first, cajoled and encouraged by Pinson's drumming and superbly anchored by Joe Martin's basslines. As the saxophonist concludes his solo, the opening statement re-emerges to be gathered up by the frontline in a brief exploratory dialogue before a carefully constructed outing from Palmer.
What is remarkable about the session is how the music flows so effortlessly given that Turner has quite specific designs for each of the tunes. As if aware of this, the quartet are given their head and a chance to cut loose on 'Nigeria II', and this flexing of muscles rather than pushing the music in another direction helps to refocus the energy back to the more formally composed pieces.
Return From The Stars marks another new chapter in Turner's music, and it this willingness to move on and permit his music to develop his music over an extended period of time that inevitably results in such satisfying as albums as this one. Fulfilling all his promise from his early recordings with Warner in the 1990's, I cannot help but feel that there is much more to come from this most resourceful musician.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
