TIM ARMACOST - Time Being
Whirlwind Recordings WR4701
Tim Armacost - tenor saxophone; Robert Hurst -bass; Jeff “Tain” Watts -drums
with David Kikoski - piano
Armacost is, in the words of his publicist, a ‘marquee player’ - he’s spent the last ten years building a formidable reputation in New York and beyond, operating in the zone populated by such heavyweights as Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, Roy Hargrove and Maria Schnieder. His last UK visit was as part of the New York Standards Quartet, which indicates where he stands regarding the tradition. This record sees him in company with former Marsalis associates Watts and Hurst, but this is no exercise in straight-ahead bop nostalgia. Instead, the inspiration came from an idea that he had of a performance of Ornette’s ‘Lonely Woman’ (included here) where all the participants interpreted the tempo in their own way, converging and diverging at will.
This may sound like a recipe for indulgent chaos, and perhaps it might be in lesser hands, but this resulting album is simply a triumphant tour de force of skill, courage and imaginationthat should mark Armacost as one of the foremost exponents of the evolving music. ‘Alawain’ sets the page - a fiercely virtuosic bass introduction is joined by an explosive, boiling groove from Watts, over which Armacost takes flight, displaying the full breadth of his resources. His tone is full and clear, crisp and precise, his phrasing sometimes urgent, sometimes declamatory, but always with a quality of relaxed assurance that marks out greatness. There are echoes of Rollins, Coltrane, and of course Coleman as well, in performances that reach back into the riches of the past but have all the passion and fire of a living art. All the players seem to be inspired to commanding heights by each other’s company in the freedom of the trio format; the divergent time signatures never obstruct the flow of the music (though ‘Sculpture 2; Tempus Funkit’ pushes the idea closer to the limit of easy listenability) and instead breathe new life into the conception, and all the players respond to the challenge with grace and aplomb. Kikoski is artfully deployed; his single, plangent chord, chiming in at the climax of ‘Sculpture 1 Phase Shift’ , is one of the simplest but most exciting piano moments for many a year.
There are nods to past inspirations in versions of Monk’s ‘Teo’ - which brings out the New York bop credentials of all the players to very satisfying effect and points up links between Armacost and the under-acknowledged Charlie Rouse in their blend of off-centre melody and relaxed but punchy phrasing - and in Coleman’s ‘Lonely Woman’, here re-imagined to include a witty dialogue between sax and bass. ‘Time Being’ and ‘One And Four’ bring in a more reflective mood with no loss of power or presence. This is an exciting, imaginative album, both rooted in the history of the music and forward-looking, and deserves to be recognised as a powerful re-invigoration of a noble tradition.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Whirlwind Recordings WR4701
Tim Armacost - tenor saxophone; Robert Hurst -bass; Jeff “Tain” Watts -drums
with David Kikoski - piano
Armacost is, in the words of his publicist, a ‘marquee player’ - he’s spent the last ten years building a formidable reputation in New York and beyond, operating in the zone populated by such heavyweights as Tom Harrell, Randy Brecker, Roy Hargrove and Maria Schnieder. His last UK visit was as part of the New York Standards Quartet, which indicates where he stands regarding the tradition. This record sees him in company with former Marsalis associates Watts and Hurst, but this is no exercise in straight-ahead bop nostalgia. Instead, the inspiration came from an idea that he had of a performance of Ornette’s ‘Lonely Woman’ (included here) where all the participants interpreted the tempo in their own way, converging and diverging at will.
This may sound like a recipe for indulgent chaos, and perhaps it might be in lesser hands, but this resulting album is simply a triumphant tour de force of skill, courage and imaginationthat should mark Armacost as one of the foremost exponents of the evolving music. ‘Alawain’ sets the page - a fiercely virtuosic bass introduction is joined by an explosive, boiling groove from Watts, over which Armacost takes flight, displaying the full breadth of his resources. His tone is full and clear, crisp and precise, his phrasing sometimes urgent, sometimes declamatory, but always with a quality of relaxed assurance that marks out greatness. There are echoes of Rollins, Coltrane, and of course Coleman as well, in performances that reach back into the riches of the past but have all the passion and fire of a living art. All the players seem to be inspired to commanding heights by each other’s company in the freedom of the trio format; the divergent time signatures never obstruct the flow of the music (though ‘Sculpture 2; Tempus Funkit’ pushes the idea closer to the limit of easy listenability) and instead breathe new life into the conception, and all the players respond to the challenge with grace and aplomb. Kikoski is artfully deployed; his single, plangent chord, chiming in at the climax of ‘Sculpture 1 Phase Shift’ , is one of the simplest but most exciting piano moments for many a year.
There are nods to past inspirations in versions of Monk’s ‘Teo’ - which brings out the New York bop credentials of all the players to very satisfying effect and points up links between Armacost and the under-acknowledged Charlie Rouse in their blend of off-centre melody and relaxed but punchy phrasing - and in Coleman’s ‘Lonely Woman’, here re-imagined to include a witty dialogue between sax and bass. ‘Time Being’ and ‘One And Four’ bring in a more reflective mood with no loss of power or presence. This is an exciting, imaginative album, both rooted in the history of the music and forward-looking, and deserves to be recognised as a powerful re-invigoration of a noble tradition.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
