L.A. Times, Sep. 9, 2001
Spotlight Rhythm-Section Stalwarts Step
Into the Limelight by Don Heckman
They're
the guys who are usually grouped under a single title:
the rhythm section. The guys who receive critical praise
in phrases beginning with "The rhythm section propelled
the rhythm forward in high gear ..." etc.
Not
much in the way of individual personality there. Of
course, the pianists have an easy escape route. They can
do solo albums and performances, relying on what is,
after all, an orchestral-like array of sounds in a
single instrument; or they can lead the ubiquitous piano
trio (actually nothing more than a sneaky way to
describe a rhythm section).
Guitarists have
similar ways out, aided by the rock 'n' roll decades
giving their instrument plenty of charismatic sexiness.
But it's tougher for bassists to step into the spotlight
- Charlie Haden's high visibility notwithstanding - and
drummers seem to vary from slam-and-bang leadership to
providing the understated spark that sets the music in
motion.
Drummer Roy Haynes has taken the latter
route for most of his illustrious career. In "Birds of a
Feather: A Tribute To Charlie Parker" (* * *, Dreyfus
Jazz), he reaches back to his earliest days in jazz,
fronting the all-star quintet of trumpeter Roy Hargrove,
alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, bassist Dave Holland and
pianist Dave Kikoski. Haynes' youthful demeanor and
skillful drumming make it hard to believe he was a
member of Parker's quintet from 1949 to 1952, and that
he played with Lester Young before that. But, at 75, he
continues to be one of the most vital and influential
drummers in jazz.
The temptation in a tribute to
Parker would have been to simulate some of the classic
bop items of the '40s and '50s. Although Haynes has
included such familiar items as "Ah Leu Cha", "Moose the
Mooch" and "Yardbird Suite", the interpretations -
undoubtedly aided by producer-trumpeter-arranger Don
Sickler - frame the music in settings ranging from
quintet bebop to Coltranesque modality on "My Heart
Belongs to Daddy" and a '60s-era Miles Davis-styled
rendering of "Now's the Time". Urged forward by Haynes'
seminal drumming, the soloing is universally compelling,
with Holland an additionally powerful force, both as a
soloist and as a symbiotic rhythmic partner.
Guitarist Mike Stern has always been an imaginative
player, but his flights of fancy have generally taken
place in the electric land of contemporary jazz fusion.
In "Voices" (* * * 1/2, Atlantic Records), however, he
moves into far more expansive territory. Working with
the brilliant Cameroonian bassist-singer Richard Bona,
vocalist Elisabeth Kontomanou and Armenian
singer-instrumentalist Arto Tuncboyaciyan - as well as
such jazz stalwarts as Michael Brecker, Vinny Coliauta
and Lincoln Goines - Stern has assembled a collection of
performances that rank among his finest recorded
efforts.
The numbers in which Bona is front and
center have a predictably African rhythmic coloration,
with his sweet-toned voice adding - especially on pieces
such as "One World" - a poignantly appealing quality. In
contrast, Kontomanou's low, dark-timbred vocal quality
adds intriguing touches of mystery, especially in her
voice-guitar pairing with Stern on "What Might Have
Been". Throughout the shifting rhythms and globally
reaching styles, Stern manages the difficult task of
remaining in touch with his own style, seamlessly
integrating his often blues-tinged lines into an
extremely colorful musical tapestry. (Stern appears Oct.
2-7 at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood.)
Bassist Avishai Cohen, who has recently been heard
prominently with Chick Corea's acoustic trio, deals with
the bassist-in-the-background problem in decisive
fashion on "Unity" (* * * 1/2, Stretch/Concord Records):
He moves to the piano.
As it turns out, the
decision was not especially difficult because Cohen
started his career as a pianist. He found, from the
piano chair, that he had "more control over the creation
of space and percussion in the music ... more
involvement in the live impact of the harmonic
compositions".
Cohen would probably be the first
to note that his level of piano proficiency won't offer
significant competition for Corea. But in this
collection of his emotionally charged originals, he does
use the piano as the central source from which his music
flows - a source that opens and closes around the
instrumental tributaries of his players. Cohen calls his
group the International Vamp Band, and many of the
pieces do, indeed, rely effectively on the repetitious,
largely modal patterns that musicians describe as
"vamps".
But the key part of the name is
"international", because this is a truly global jazz
collective. Cohen, trombonist-vocalist Avi Lebovich and
bassist Yagil Baras are from Israel; trumpeter Diego
Urcola is from Argentina; saxophonist Yosvany Terry is
from Cuba; and drummer Antonio Sanchez is from Mexico.
What they have to offer is a transcendent example of the
capacity of music in general, and jazz in particular, to
reach beyond geographical and political boundaries. When
Cohen asserts his belief that music "serves a crucial
role in uniting people and breaking down barriers," he
offers the perfect description for what the
International Vamp Band's maiden recording effort is all
about.
Pianist Jacky Terrasson and vibraphonist
Stefon Harris were top-level performers so early in
their careers that neither has actually spent much time
serving as backup rhythm-section players. On "Kindred"
(* * * 1/2, Blue Note), however, they have taken on an
even more difficult task - that of challenging each
other's high-level skills in a competitive musical
partnership, accompanied by bassist Tarus Mateen and
Terreon Gully or Idris Muhammad on drums.
Both
Terrasson and Harris pass the test brilliantly. The way
they deal with each other offers an intriguing contrast
to what is perhaps the most familiar piano-vibes
encounter - the work of John Lewis and Milt Jackson in
the Modern Jazz Quartet.
The polarity between
Terrasson and Harris takes a different slant, however,
with Terrasson (unlike Lewis) playing the more
emotionally aggressive, rhythmically dynamic role, and
Harris (in contrast to Jackson) offering thoughtful,
hard-swinging but introspective qualities.
That
inverse association aside, Terrasson and Harris clearly
stimulate each other and bring out the best in their
individual playing. They enhance those qualities with a
program that places some familiar material in offbeat
but revelatory settings.
"My Foolish Heart", for
example, is gradually assembled in reconstructed bits
and pieces; "Summertime" is harmonized in reference to a
contrasting melodic line; "Body and Soul" - in
strikingly unusual fashion - becomes the source of a
brisk, up-tempo rendering; their duet on "What Is This
Thing Called Love?" offers the familiar theme in
pointillistic fashion. It's not exactly the sort of
playing that drifts into the background - especially
during the racetrack romp through "Tank's Tune" - but
it's precisely what to expect when two world-class
players get together in an improvisational exchange.
Don Heckman Writes Frequently About Jazz for The
Times
Copyright 2001 Los Angeles Times
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2006 Los Angeles Times
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