SAMUEL BLASER QUARTET - Spring Rain
Whirlwind Recordings WR4670
Samuel Baser (trombone) Russ Lossing (piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Minimoog) Drew Gress (bass) Gerald Cleaver (drums)
Recorded in Hoboken, New Jersey and Berlin 2014
This striking Whirlwind debut by Swiss trombonist, Samuel Blaser, celebrates the post 1960’s avant-garde music of Jimmy Giuffre that resulted in the highly original trio recordings he made for Columbia Records entitled “ Fusion”, “Thesis” and “Free Fall” that were largely overlooked at the time but in the case of the first two were subsequently released by ECM in 1992 to huge critical acclaim. The quiet chamber jazz introspection wrought by Giuffre, was at the time overwhelmed by the more strident expressionism of Coltrane, Coleman, Cecil Taylor and it is very satisfying that, to those of us who admired what jazz writer Richard Williams described as Giuffre’s `quiet intensity` is being re-examined and re-valued by contemporary musicians, like Blazer, who recognise its integrity and its virtues.
This disc at hand revisits those recordings , absorbs their ethos, invests them with new ideas and voicings and presents them in a way that is both respectful of their original aims but startling in re-interpretation and creative enhancement : the only possible tribute worthy of Giuffre being one that recognises the potential inherent in his musical vision. That potential is fully explored in this recital, resulting in music that is grounded in the Giuffre aesthetic but incorporates many elements that lay outside the scope of his ambition. So, where are the connections and the divergences?
In repertoire terms the play-list includes several pieces from the original discs: three from Giuffre and two from Carla Bley , whose then husband Paul was a member of the Giuffre trio, the remaining seven being attributed to Blazer which whilst having compositional form also serve as vehicles for collective improvisation, providing a soundstage upon which individual voices converse and dispute. In terms of instrumentation the difference is quite radical producing an effect which veers away from the cool , cerebral lines of Giuffre’s clarinet , replacing them with Blaser’s vocalised, multiphonic effects laden trombone which traces a lineage from New Orleans tailgate, via Tricky Sam Nanton to Albert Mangelsdorf and the vaudevillian wit of contemporary players like Ray Anderson.
As in the original Giuffre recordings the piano plays an important role but whilst the resourceful Lossing emulates Paul Bley’s episodic percussiveness and ethereal chords, playing both keys and strings, he adds a contemporary electronic element at times achieving a hard rock fusion on his Wurlitzer. Where the music departs most radically from the original conception is in the use of drums. Giuffre had a thing about drummers and tried to free his music from the constraints imposed by a regular propulsive beat , not that his music lacked momentum, it was just that he preferred to imply the pulse, sharing it amongst various instruments. When he did use drums as in his early Capitol disc `Tangents in Jazz` their role was melodic and improvisational rather than simply metronomic. In this recording Cleaver applies his virtuosic dexterity a similar way without wholly divesting himself of the conventional timekeeping function and makes a massive contribution to the success of the overall project.
Structurally the music makes much use of contrapuntal and canonic devices, frequently shifting gear and juxtaposing melodic statements with atonal passages and interweaving improvisational lines of commentary from each player before opening out into eloquent solo statements. The pieces themselves offer plenty of diversity and jazz substance whilst taking in elements of contemporary classical music, making for a truly exciting fusion of styles that will hold your attention and reward repeated playing. `Spring Rain` can’t fail to be one of this year’s most celebrated five star releases.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Whirlwind Recordings WR4670
Samuel Baser (trombone) Russ Lossing (piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Minimoog) Drew Gress (bass) Gerald Cleaver (drums)
Recorded in Hoboken, New Jersey and Berlin 2014
This striking Whirlwind debut by Swiss trombonist, Samuel Blaser, celebrates the post 1960’s avant-garde music of Jimmy Giuffre that resulted in the highly original trio recordings he made for Columbia Records entitled “ Fusion”, “Thesis” and “Free Fall” that were largely overlooked at the time but in the case of the first two were subsequently released by ECM in 1992 to huge critical acclaim. The quiet chamber jazz introspection wrought by Giuffre, was at the time overwhelmed by the more strident expressionism of Coltrane, Coleman, Cecil Taylor and it is very satisfying that, to those of us who admired what jazz writer Richard Williams described as Giuffre’s `quiet intensity` is being re-examined and re-valued by contemporary musicians, like Blazer, who recognise its integrity and its virtues.
This disc at hand revisits those recordings , absorbs their ethos, invests them with new ideas and voicings and presents them in a way that is both respectful of their original aims but startling in re-interpretation and creative enhancement : the only possible tribute worthy of Giuffre being one that recognises the potential inherent in his musical vision. That potential is fully explored in this recital, resulting in music that is grounded in the Giuffre aesthetic but incorporates many elements that lay outside the scope of his ambition. So, where are the connections and the divergences?
In repertoire terms the play-list includes several pieces from the original discs: three from Giuffre and two from Carla Bley , whose then husband Paul was a member of the Giuffre trio, the remaining seven being attributed to Blazer which whilst having compositional form also serve as vehicles for collective improvisation, providing a soundstage upon which individual voices converse and dispute. In terms of instrumentation the difference is quite radical producing an effect which veers away from the cool , cerebral lines of Giuffre’s clarinet , replacing them with Blaser’s vocalised, multiphonic effects laden trombone which traces a lineage from New Orleans tailgate, via Tricky Sam Nanton to Albert Mangelsdorf and the vaudevillian wit of contemporary players like Ray Anderson.
As in the original Giuffre recordings the piano plays an important role but whilst the resourceful Lossing emulates Paul Bley’s episodic percussiveness and ethereal chords, playing both keys and strings, he adds a contemporary electronic element at times achieving a hard rock fusion on his Wurlitzer. Where the music departs most radically from the original conception is in the use of drums. Giuffre had a thing about drummers and tried to free his music from the constraints imposed by a regular propulsive beat , not that his music lacked momentum, it was just that he preferred to imply the pulse, sharing it amongst various instruments. When he did use drums as in his early Capitol disc `Tangents in Jazz` their role was melodic and improvisational rather than simply metronomic. In this recording Cleaver applies his virtuosic dexterity a similar way without wholly divesting himself of the conventional timekeeping function and makes a massive contribution to the success of the overall project.
Structurally the music makes much use of contrapuntal and canonic devices, frequently shifting gear and juxtaposing melodic statements with atonal passages and interweaving improvisational lines of commentary from each player before opening out into eloquent solo statements. The pieces themselves offer plenty of diversity and jazz substance whilst taking in elements of contemporary classical music, making for a truly exciting fusion of styles that will hold your attention and reward repeated playing. `Spring Rain` can’t fail to be one of this year’s most celebrated five star releases.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
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