MARK TURNER QUARTET – Lathe of Heaven
ECM 378 0663
Mark Tuner (tenor saxophone); Avishai Cohen (trumpet); Joe Martin (double bass); Marcus Gilmore (drums)
Recorded June 2013
Mark Turner is somewhat of an enigma. As one of the most sought after musicians of his generation, his career on record has mainly been on the work of others; and after appearances on ECM with the Billy Hart Quartet, and the collective trio Fly with Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard, Turner makes his debut as leader for the label, and indeed his first album as a leader since 2001.
The intervening years have seen him fully embrace his role as a sideman in other people’s projects, and he is philosophical about his perceived lack of presence in pushing himself forward, content for much of the time to bring his considerable instrumental prowess to the service of the music of others. In doing so he has honed his technique to the point where he can say everything he wants through the tenor saxophone, and rarely sees the need to double on any other instrument.
Always striving to be his own man, Turner does cannot be readily identified with any ot eh big guns of the tenor saxophone, and unfashionably perhaps eschews the influence of Rollins or Coltrane, choosing instead to develop his playing along a path not dissimilar to that of Warne Marsh; and it therefore comes as no surprise that he is happy operating in a setting without a chordal instrument.
In doing so he has placed the emphasis very much on melody, often playing long and extended lines that still leave plenty of space for communication and collaboration with other members of the quartet. In trumpeter, Avishai Cohen he has found a kindred spirit and perfect foil for his sweeping yet lithe saxophone lines.
In a set of all original material, the saxophonist has provided compact yet muscular themes for his colleagues to work from, and that each member of the quartet is listening intently to the others is immediately apparent. Each composition is rigid enough to stand alone, and the duration of each allows a thorough investigation. Three of the six titles exceed the ten minute mark, yet none outstay their welcome. Most albums will have one big number, but Turner has at least two in ‘Year of The Rabbit’ with its unison theme statement giving way to fine solo statements from both horns, to the extended version of ‘Sonnet For Stevie’ that was heard earlier this year on the Billy hart Quartet album, One Is The Other.
With the release of this fine debut as leader for ECM, and in tandem with his work in Fly, let us hope that Turner has now found a permanent home with the imprint, and is more forthcoming with recordings under his own name.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
ECM 378 0663
Mark Tuner (tenor saxophone); Avishai Cohen (trumpet); Joe Martin (double bass); Marcus Gilmore (drums)
Recorded June 2013
Mark Turner is somewhat of an enigma. As one of the most sought after musicians of his generation, his career on record has mainly been on the work of others; and after appearances on ECM with the Billy Hart Quartet, and the collective trio Fly with Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard, Turner makes his debut as leader for the label, and indeed his first album as a leader since 2001.
The intervening years have seen him fully embrace his role as a sideman in other people’s projects, and he is philosophical about his perceived lack of presence in pushing himself forward, content for much of the time to bring his considerable instrumental prowess to the service of the music of others. In doing so he has honed his technique to the point where he can say everything he wants through the tenor saxophone, and rarely sees the need to double on any other instrument.
Always striving to be his own man, Turner does cannot be readily identified with any ot eh big guns of the tenor saxophone, and unfashionably perhaps eschews the influence of Rollins or Coltrane, choosing instead to develop his playing along a path not dissimilar to that of Warne Marsh; and it therefore comes as no surprise that he is happy operating in a setting without a chordal instrument.
In doing so he has placed the emphasis very much on melody, often playing long and extended lines that still leave plenty of space for communication and collaboration with other members of the quartet. In trumpeter, Avishai Cohen he has found a kindred spirit and perfect foil for his sweeping yet lithe saxophone lines.
In a set of all original material, the saxophonist has provided compact yet muscular themes for his colleagues to work from, and that each member of the quartet is listening intently to the others is immediately apparent. Each composition is rigid enough to stand alone, and the duration of each allows a thorough investigation. Three of the six titles exceed the ten minute mark, yet none outstay their welcome. Most albums will have one big number, but Turner has at least two in ‘Year of The Rabbit’ with its unison theme statement giving way to fine solo statements from both horns, to the extended version of ‘Sonnet For Stevie’ that was heard earlier this year on the Billy hart Quartet album, One Is The Other.
With the release of this fine debut as leader for ECM, and in tandem with his work in Fly, let us hope that Turner has now found a permanent home with the imprint, and is more forthcoming with recordings under his own name.
Reviewed by Nick Lea
