Joe McPhee, Joe Giardullo, Michael Bisio, Dominic Duval, No Greater Love, 1999

A lengthy, freely expressed, chamber jazz outing by two reeds and two basses could end up being a snore-inducing bore in the wrong hands. A muddy tangle. When the four musicians are Joe McPhee (soprano), Joe Giardullo (bass clarinet and soprano), Michael Bisio (bass) and Dominic Duval (bass), the results are not going to be anything like that. This you know if you know these players. Plus in 1999 this was a working aggregate, so they were not getting together for the first time. That is on the CD No Greater Love (CIMP 209), which I happen to be listening to lately as part of my extra-curricular enjoyment.

It's the Joe McPhee Bluette of the era, at Cadence studios in upstate New York to record an album of music of the spiritual-soul side of things. They did that. It came out as In the Spirit (CIMP 199). They in the course of making that album recorded more than they had intended, including music that was outside the concept of that album.

The other, spontaneous expressions, one spiritual, one standard and sequences of rather brilliant collective improvisations, were captured and put out as the album at hand.

Here we have inspired music making by four masters of the improvisatory arts. All four come through with improvisations worthy of their reputation. In the course of the session advantage was taken of the various combinations possible--reed solo, reed duet, reed and bass duet, one or more basses alone, all four, etc.

There is subtlety and there is excitement, structure and spontaneous freedom, tradition and innovation, things we have come to expect from the four artists and are in full abundance here. The expectations one has when two of jazz's most accomplished bassists and two of the most original and creative reedists pair together are met fully on this disk.

One for the ages? A remarkable gathering in any event.

Cheryl Pyle, Sound Sculptures

Cheryl Pyle's new album Sound Sculptures (self-released) pulls together where she is as an artist--flautist, bassist, composer, poetess.

It's twelve pieces of pure Cheryl. Her compositions are chamber jazz in the best sense of the term. Like Giuffre she maps out musical motifs in bare-boned contexts--often her flute and electric bass in combination--and builds improvisations around the thematic material. She has a beautiful tone on flute and an ear for phrasings that have new music elements as well as those of "jazz." Some tribal bedrock can be felt too in the twists and turns of some of the riffs.

Max Ridgway joins her on guitar for several tracks for good result. And she overdubs two or more flutes at times for rich harmonies. And sometimes her flute has some electronic enhancements. That works too. Her poetry, one example here with electronic flute compositional framing, is soulful and full of feeling.

This is music. Cheryl Pyle music. Expect something else and you wont get it. It takes a few listens to find your balance because this is not a typical "jazz" album. But once you do, you have the experience of entering an original world that has some marvelous flute playing, some conceptual uniqueness and compositional frameworks that stand out. Give it a listen! The mp3 link to purchase from Cheryl is .. http://www.cherylpyle.blogspot.com/

The Nice Guy Trio, Sidewalks and Alleys/Waking Music

The Nice Guy Trio may well be populated by nice guys. I don't know them personally. But I do know that the Nice Guy Trio makes nice music. Trumpeter Darren Johnston founded the Nice Guy Trio in 2008 with Bob Reich on accordion and Daniel Fabricant on bass. On what I believe is their second album, Sidewalks and Alleys/Waking Music (PFR Porto Franco 032), the trio plays two suite-like compositions: Reich's "Sidewalks and Alleys" and Johnston's "Waking Music" (which of course explains the title of the CD). They are joined by a string quartet in a very appealing set of music. Sometimes I am reminded of the Turtle Island String Quartet in how the music lays out. Not surprising given that Mark Summer is the cellist here, who is member of that quartet. But this is the trio's concept, and it plays out for the duration of the album. They have natural affinities with Turtle Island in how they look at musical structure. There are forms, structures that come into play during solos, there are compositional aspects and there are solos per se. The affinities are found in how these elements come to bear on the total matrix of sound.

This might have been called Third Stream Music a few years ago. It combines strong compositional elements with space for solos; the string quartet shapes the overall sound in ways that suggest classical elements. It is a Baltic-Mediterranean-and-beyond flavor that is prominent to varying degrees throughout. Johnston as a trumpet improviser has his very own way and gets space to do that during the course of the two very interesting compositions. But Reich and Fabricant get their spots as well, as do the string players. The three-way interaction, the trio with the quartet and everybody together make for lively music.

This is a trio with an original sound. The string quartet's presence and the "Sidewalks" and "Waking" compositions put them even more into their own league. It's stunning music, very well played and rather ravishing in impact. Yes!

The Bebop Trio Takes A Tradition and Makes it Personal

You hear a name like the Bebop Trio and you think, "Oh, OK, I think I know what this one is going to sound like." In the case at hand, you'd probably be wrong. The trio's self-titled debut (Creative Nation Music 018) is not at all the business-as-usual rehashed bebop bag. It has an unusual instrumentation: Lefteris Kordis on piano, Alec Spiegelman, clarinet, and Thor Thorvaldsson on the drums. They alternate spontaneous improvisations with unusual treatment of some terrific and mostly neglected classics: Powell's "Celia," Shearing's "Conception," Hope's "Boa," Ellington's "Zurzday," Nichols's "Change of Season," and Tristano's "317 East 32nd."

Comparisons are inevitable with clarinetist Don Byron's Ivey Divey, an album that featured Byron, Jason Moran and Jack DeJohnette in a program of Lester Young associated music. There IS some relation between the two. But the Bebop Trio hold their own because they are saying something of their own.

What is so interesting about this group is how they combine freely articulated improvisations with bop styles and even swing. They do it very creatively. Some of the early-mid Giuffre trios come to mind, for the obvious presence of Spiegelman's limpid clarinet, the open spacious sort of approach, and also Kordis's sometimes apparent similarity to Paul Bley in his freely rubato reworking of bop. But again, there is enough different that you only recognize the lineage.

Thorvaldsson's drumming is open, creative and both rhythmically and coloristically distinct. He plays an important role in getting an uninhibited rhythmic asymmetry into the mix. Then there's the interplay between the three, which is fabulous. Both Kordis and Spiegelman have something definite to say on their instruments and they benefit greatly from the open-ended format.

The treatment of the classic bop pieces works seamlessly into the free improvisations that frame them.

This is exceptional music, a true breath of new life. These are players that need to be heard. You can help that along by listening. I think you'll be very glad you did.

Plunge: Contemporary Chamber Jazz with Deep Roots

The world of contemporary improvisation in New Orleans has some bright lights. For example there is trombonist Jeff Albert and his group. I have covered some of his recent music in various reviews. There are others.

Another most promising gathering is the trio known as Plunge (Immersion) whose new album Dancing On Thin Ice currently spins on my player. This is a drummer-less trio. It's Mark McGrain on trombone, Tim Green on various saxophones, and James Singleton on the upright bass. Now when I think of such a grouping the early Jimmy Giuffre trios come to mind. Giuffre pioneered a form of chamber jazz in the '50s that gave arranged and improvisational weight to each instrument, could swing and be subtle at the same time.

In some ways Plunge is a direct descendant of that pioneering ensemble. But McGrain, Green and Singleton are fully contemporary at the same time. The emphasis is on varied and contrasting compositional frameworks, well arranged, for the players to hang improvisational structures onto. There are bluesy numbers, those that walk along, riff vehicles, ballads and some free-er moments. Each player makes a strong contribution. James Singleton is a very solid pivot point much of the time but he also shares in the melodic exchanges in nice ways. Mark McGrain and Tim Green are firmly rooted players, accomplished and vibrantly communicative.

Dancing On Thin Ice gives you a program of music with one foot in tradition and the other foot stepping outwards. It's enjoyable music, something quite accessible to anyone who appreciates well thought-out yet spontaneously direct chamber jazz. Recommended.