Posted: Nov. 22, 2009
Iyer trio’s new ‘Historicity’ draws from eclectic sources
BY MARK STRYKER
FREE PRESS MUSIC CRITIC
There’s no single answer to the question of what’s happening in jazz
right now, but "Historicity" by the kinetic trio led by pianist Vijay
Iyer represents one reasonable place to start (*** out of four stars,
ACT).
A lot of ideas that have been floating around jazz for the past decade
find a compelling distillation here. Rhythmically the music deals in
odd meters and dense textures anchored in souped-up funk, hip-hop and
idioms from Africa, India and Latin America. Individual voices pursue
aggressively independent paths. Prickly improvisations eschew standard
forms without abandoning discipline or historical references. The
repertoire makes a post-modern statement, too, in its heady range,
from a vamp-based take on Bernstein’s "Somewhere," to overlooked jazz
compositions by mavericks Andrew Hill and Julius Hemphill, to pieces
by Stevie Wonder and M.I.A.
What is especially captivating is how Iyer, bassist Stephan Crump and
drummer Marcus Gilmore phrase as one, even when tracking different
rhythmic orbits around the pulse. On the title track, a puzzle-box
composition by Iyer, the players suggest unstable atoms. Iyer’s
discursive rumbling ricochets off the drums and vice versa. Crump’s
bass sometimes hooks up with one or the other of his colleagues or
sets its own course. The feedback loop continually refreshes itself.
Hill’s "Smoke Stack" is a standout, as Iyer’s slippery lines and dark
harmonies wink at the composer while also revealing Iyer’s liquid
fluidity and formidable technique; his virtuosity is matched by Crump
and Gilmore. Weaknesses? Well, Iyer’s music is more interesting
rhythmically than it is harmonically and melodically, and his
improvisations can stall in a kind of gray, generic wash. But the
trio’s tug of inevitability often pulls you back into the vortex.
Bobby Hutcherson’s "Wise One" takes its title from a lyrical John
Coltrane composition, but it could also apply to the veteran
vibraphonist himself, who paces his improvisations beautifully on this
Coltrane tribute (***, Kind of Blue). The direct simplicity with which
Hutcherson phrases the tender melody of "Dear Lord," adding just a few
well-placed ornaments and hesitations and then improvising lovely
counterpoint beneath guitarist Anthony Wilson, is a lesson in
extracting maximum emotion with minimum fuss.
The tone is reflective, with ballads like "Nancy," "All or Nothing at
All" and McCoy Tyner’s "Aisha" casting a longer shadow than extended
modal incantations like "Spiritual." The quintet — including pianist
Joe Gilman, bassist Glenn Richman and the fiery, underrated West Coast
drummer Eddie Marshall — plays well, but I wish the self-effacing
Hutcherson kept more of the solo space for himself. His focused
improvisations merge gorgeous melody, sophisticated harmonic
imagination, swing and a singing sound.
Given the East Coast bias in jazz, the Chicago drummer Dana Hall would
surely have a far greater reputation if he lived in New York. "Into
the Light," a dynamic album showcasing the 40-year-old Hall’s
distinctive skills as a drummer, composer and bandleader (***,
Origin), should raise some eyebrows. The language is contemporary
post-bop, and Hall favors a tough-minded, interactive approach,
explosively breaking up the time without mortgaging an ounce of swing
or groove.
Hall manages to create his own distinctive sound world within a
familiar idiom. Most of his compositions have strong melodic or
rhythmic hooks and harmonies meaty enough to promote inspired
improvisation. Moreover, the chemistry of this particular quintet —
with Terrell Stafford on trumpet, Tim Warfield Jr. on tenor and
soprano sax, Bruce Barth on piano and electric piano and
Detroit-reared Rodney Whitaker on bass — strikes a creative spark
that doesn’t always happen in the studio.
Then there’s Hall’s ear for texture, dynamics, color and
storytelling. "Jabali," a fast burnout, takes off from a
melodic-rhythmic call that nods at Herbie Hancock and leads to
furious, freely conceived solos over a swinging pulse. Hall shadows
each soloist, sparring and supporting, and when his own turn comes, he
lets everything go.
Detroit-born violist Kim Kashkashian has always been drawn to music of
brooding emotions, atmospheric mystery and the yearning gestures of
folk song.
Her latest ECM recording "Neharót" is saturated with these sounds
(****). Written for Kashkashian by the Israeli composer Betty Olivero,
"Neharót Neharót" ("Rivers Rivers" in Hebrew) explores war, grief and
mourning. The music — scored for viola, percussion, accordion, tape
and two string ensembles — folds songs of the Middle East into a deep
meditation that gathers remarkable force when, shortly after nine
minutes, the solo viola is joined by a wail of taped female voices.
Kashkashian’s eloquence underscores the music’s tragedy but also its
cathartic prayer for humanity. The other works, by the Armenian
composer and frequent Kashkashian collaborator Tigran Mansurian and
the Israeli Eitan Steinberg, explore a similarly spiritual
aesthetic. If you have any soul at all, this CD will reach it.
Contact MARK STRYKER: 313-222-6459 or
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