Byard Lancaster Quartet, Ancestral Link Hotel, 2005

It's only been a couple of months since Philly-based saxophonist Byard Lancaster left this earth. We will not forget him. He walked tall when he was with us, a continuinly innovative force for the new jazz, with deep roots.

And that's the Byard you hear to good advantage on his 2005 outing Ancestral Link Hotel (CIMP 340). It's a date that sports a lineup especially conducive for showcasing Byard the improvisor and multi-reed man. In addition to an Afro-flute and some "small instruments" he holds forth on soprano, alto and tenor sax. He is the sole horn on the date. Joining him are two acoustic bassists, Ed Crockett and Bert Harris, and the drum support of Harold E. Smith.

Byard seems intent on covering the roots that came together to help form his musical identity. And he does so with grace, fire and Lancastrian style.

So we get a nicely Afro-tribal hommage on "Ancestral Link Hotel", an Ayleresque gospel revival that gets him speaking in tongues on "Holy Buddy," the down and gritty "Slow Blues in G," some hard bop and beyond classics in "Milestones" and "Killer Joe", a free scorcher in "Searching" and lastly, a beautifully wrought unaccompanied soprano sax closer with "You Decide."

It's a portrait of a fine jazz artist on a fine session with a fine band. There is truly no timely way to leave this earth, ultimately, but there are surely timely things to leave behind for those who remain. Ancestral Link Hotel is an appropriate testament to Byard Lancaster, the beautiful soul, the expressive master of music. RIP.

Gato Libre, Forever, with Natsuki Tamura and Satoko Fujii

When jazz doesn't seem like most jazz, is it still jazz? The answer that comes to mind is "Who Cares, Talk About Something that Matters!" The truth is, "jazz musicians" make MUSIC. That is their primary concern. Whether or not what they do at any point sounds like jazz is supposed to sound or not should not overly concern us.

Turning to the new CD by Gato Libre, Forever (Libra 104-030), we find music that relates to the above. It's trumpetist Natsuki Tamura and his running partner Satoko Fujii (for this occasion on accordion), along with Kazuhiko Tsumura (guitar) and Norikatsu Koreyasu (acoustic bass). They engage a series of compositions by Natsuki that sound rather folk-like (not necessarily specifically Japanese folk, but folk in a wider sense) and sometimes with a touch of minimalist mesmeric repetition.

Now it's not that there isn't improvisation involved on these performances. There is. And what of it there is is quite fitting and interesting. There is not as much of it as on a typical "blowing date," and the emphasis is on the music as music so to say. It doesn't come across as readily identifiable "jazz," free, avant, or otherwise.

But it does come across as ensemble music of interest. It's an unusual sort of folksy sound that grows on you as you listen repeatedly. And it is well done. So hurrah for it. I am glad Maestro Tamura gave us this to enjoy!

Platform 1 Takes Off, with Ken Vandermark and Steve Swell

Platform 1? The name of a very lively "free jazz" quintet. Platform 1 Takes Off (Clean Feed 255) is the name of what I take to be their first CD as a unit.

It's Magnus Broo on trumpet, Steve Swell on trombone, Ken Vandermark on tenor and clarinet, Michael Vatcher, drums, and Joe Williamson on bass. All but Vatcher contribute compositions for the outing, and they have a memorable head blast off quality.

The rhythm section is loose and first-rate. The front line gives us extroverted improvisational joy and collective madness of the best sort. Swell and Vandermark come though as expected with their well-developed artistry. Magnus Broo holds his own among them.

It's a beautifully performed set of modern, cutting edge avant improv. Those who know these folks from past haunts will not be disappointed; those coming to this music for the first time, with a little patience, will find themselves digging in and digging the sounds, I certainly think. Yes!

Mark Masters Ensemble, American Jazz Institute Presents Ellington Saxophone Encounters

Duke. We return to his music time and again to refresh ourselves at the fountain of brilliance. Of course there is the enormous body of recordings he left us. But there is also the furtherence of his compositions through present-day creations, re-creations and re-arrangements, live and in recorded form. There have been ups and down in this latter aspect of Ellingtonia in the past decades. Not everything done of course is brilliant, classic, or even necessary, and yet all homage to the master does him credit on one or more levels. So be it. While tributes to the Duke are commonplace, tributes to the music of his sidemen decidedly are not.

Happily today we have a modern encounter of the latter sort, both unusual and strongly musical in its final form. It is a collaboration between bandleader-arranger-composer Mark Masters and baritone master Gary Smulyan. The music is not that of Ellington per se but some worthy compositions by some of the seminal members of his sax/reed section over the years: Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Ben Webster and Harry Carney.

Masters arranged the numbers for what turns out to be a rather stellar cast of musicians: a sax section of Gary Smulyan, Pete Christlieb, Gary Foster, Don Shelton and Gene Cipriano, plus a great rhythm section: Bill Cunliffe, Tom Warrington and Joe LaBarbara.

Gary Smulyan in the principal soloist throughout and gives us another look at his essential baritonisms. But other soloists enter the fray with success as well. It's a repertoire of pieces both quite familiar ("Jeep's Blues," "Rockin' in Rhythm") and those less so.

Everything sparkles in the sax-rich arrangements and the musicians pull together to give you a full program of great sounds. This is something different and special in its own way. It will certainly be appreciated by all Ellingtonians out there. Good show.

Ezra Weiss, Our Path to This Moment

Big band music by ambitious composer-arrangers wil never die. Financing the roll-out and continued existence of a big band devoted to original music becomes increasingly difficult however in these economically uncertain times.

So when a good project comes along we should try and patronize it all we can. Such a good thing is at hand with the Rob Scheps Big Band playing the music of Ezra Weiss, on a CD entitled Our Path to This Moment (Roark Records).

This is a fully decked-out organization, with good players, soloists and rehearsal time well spent. Ezra Weiss' charts have very modern mainstream depth. His charts sometimes remind just a little of Kenny Wheeler's venture into large ensemble territory. There is a bright, full sound in the horns with distinctive voicings that project nicely.

The originals have weight, the rearrangements of "It's You or No One" and the folk strain "Wayfaring Stranger" show imagination and creativity.

In a word, "worthwhile."

Angles 8, By Way of Deception, Live in Ljubljana

Today, the second of two Clean Feed Live at Ljubljana Jazz Festival disks covered this week (Monday I covered one by Igor Lumpert's Trio). The Swedish large ensemble Angles 8 steps forward for their lively set Angles of Deception (Clean Feed 256).

Martin Kuchen's compositions, direction, and alto sax are what is primarily motoring this band, and they come across especially here with a kind of joyful Afro-riffing that shows the positive influence of Ornette, Sun Ra, the "ethnic" side of Don Cherry and the buoyancy of Pierre Dorge's New Jungle Orchestra.

It's Martin and seven other well-healed musicians from Europe (trombone, trumpet, baritone-soprano, alto, vibes, piano, bass and drums) igniting five of Kuchen's pieces in a very lively manner.

All the front liners can solo and do so freely and sometimes collectively, while riffs and counterlines take off and rock the house.

It's a first-rate band doing first-rate music. Afro-free jazz on fire! Be sure and get an earful of this one. It's quite excellent, really. Encore!

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.