As musical instruments go, the saxophone came into being relatively late—in the mid-19th century, about a hundred years or so after the oboe and clarinet, and eons after the flute. Unlike these other wind instruments, and somewhat unfortunately, the world of classical music has relegated the saxophone to a small corner of the orchestral canon. But this loss is the jazz world’s gain.
Few instruments share the saxophone’s expressiveness—its ability to inspire humor, romance, outrage, or calm. And the sax players who have proved able to harness this expressiveness in their solos, compositions, and arrangements have emerged as the greatest of jazz innovators; their influence has come to dominate the art form. Funny how that worked out.
Four new sax-centric releases, each with a different mix of players, demonstrate just how richly variegated the jazz sax tradition has become—and how inventively it continues to evolve.
As a sax student at the Manhattan School of Music, Samuel Blais shared his love of playing in sax quartets—a somewhat rare instrumental configuration—with his professor, star saxophonist Dave Liebman. Fast forward a few years, and Blais and Liebman have formed the Four Visions Saxophone Quartet, an all-sax ensemble, with fellow players Dave Binney and Donny McCaslin. This year the group released its first album, Four Visions (SSC 1568), 10 originals that use reed instruments to create the beats and harmonies that the rhythm section usually provides. You can hear how they do it in the short, clearly enunciated phrases on “Road Kill” that foster a neo-bop vibe, or in the four-part harmonies on “In Bach’s Studio” that add lushness to the changes. Masterful.
Ordering information: www.sunnysiderecords.com
When he plays with his eponymous ensemble, somehow reed player Chris Speed manages to avoid slipping into the vortex. The Chris Speed Trio has just released its third album, Respect For Your Toughness (Intakt CD 336), a tantalizing exploration of odd meters, lean melodicism, and the occasional outré chord. Much of the musical tension on the album derives from Speed’s restrained soloing against the rhythmic assertions of bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Dave King; the nine originals on the album often make use of this dynamic One notable exception: “Can This Be Love?,” a sweet warble of a standard as the opening track.
Ordering information: www.intaktrec.ch
In September 2018, the New York All Stars—tenor sax players Eric Alexander and Seamus Blake, pianist/organist Mike Le Donne, guitarist Erik Södelind, bassist Aldo Zunino, and drummer Bernd Reiter—performed at the Pizza Jazz Express in London. It was their first time playing together. Ever. The previous incarnation of the New York All Stars, recorded only once, had included late pianist Harold Mabern (1936-2019) instead of Blake and Le Donne—a different sound altogether. The second recording of the All Stars, Live Encounter (UBU 0030; 66:20; HHHH), from the Alexander-Blake-Donne date, recalls the explosive energy of this first-time meeting. It was a straight-ahead gig of the best order—hard swinging grooves, shuffle-driven blues, impassioned horn solos, and an exhilarating Hammond. R&B singer Ian Shaw stands out as a guest soloist.
Ordering information: www.weareubuntumusic.com
Tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, bassist Christian Weber, and drummer Michael Griener recorded The Pearls (Intakt CD 331) in Switzerland at the end of a European tour, about a year after the release of their successful first album for Intakt Records, Sensations of Tone. On the latest record, the trio interpreted several classic ragtime melodies in a traditionally upbeat manner—Scott Joplin’s “Magnetic Rag,” Russell Robinson’s “Eccentric Rag,” Count Basie/Harry Edison’s “Jive at Five,” and the title cut, by Jelly Roll Morton. But they also recorded several originals—free, improvisatory, exploratory—that reveal the substantial depth of their artistry. With their insight into these musical forms, originated almost a century apart, these three longtime co-creators manage to link one era to the next. “In making this recording, I was stuck by the ways in which time can simultaneously be so exacting, so malleable, and so multi-dimensional,” Eskelin wrote in the liner notes.
Ordering information: www.intaktrec.ch
(Reprinted from the December 2019 issue of Downbeat magazine.)