Archive for the ‘Santi Debriano’ Category
Louis Hayes – Quintessential Lou (2000)
Drummer Louis Hayes might not have received an over abundance of press over the years yet most jazz aficionados should be cognizant of his past accomplishments which commenced in the 50’s while supporting saxophonist Yuseff Lateef. A true stylist and dynamic leader within the hard-bop scheme of things, Hayes has also performed with Horace Silver, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, Gary Bartz and other jazz luminaries as the list goes on and on. However, Hayes is often cited for his ferocious, sweeping and hard driving attack behind the kit while leading his various quartets or quintets which leads us to his latest release on the fine “Montreux Jazz Label” titled, Quintessential Lou. With this new release, Hayes surges onward in the post-bop mold along with rising stars, – saxophonist Abraham Burton, trumpeter Riley Mullins, pianist David Hazeltine and the well-established bassist Santi Debriano.
The band gets to the matters at hand in a flurry on the opener and pianist James Williams’ composition titled, “Progress Report” as the musicians trade punishing fours atop Hayes rangy yet thoroughly propelling attack. Joe Zawinul’s “Mystified” is a melodic ballad, featuring the drummer’s sharp implementation of rimshots, Latin rhythms and altogether peppery support as the soloists exchange lushly melodic lines yet adhere to the context of the main themes without losing sight of the existing compositional framework. Here, the band performs smooth lines augmented by an up-front yet quietly powerful mode of execution. Tenor saxophonist Abraham Burton displays a corpulent full-bodied tone to compliment his fluid and at times Trane-ish lines on the classic, “Tenderly” as the band evolves this gem into a mid-tempo swing led by Riley Mullins’ radiant phrasing and David Hazeltine’s colorful articulations. On Kenny Drew’s composition, “Lions Den”, the musicians perform within the traditional hard-bop vein while also pursuing an airy outlook as Burton and Riley once again exhibit strong attributes as a front-line horn section while Hayes’ masterful sense of swing and polyrhythmic attack is nothing short of awe-inspiring. – Young drummers out there take note! Listen to Hayes jab and spar while maintaining the constant flow yet rarely if ever diminishing any notions of momentum via his swiftly swinging work on the ride and hi-hat cymbals.
In summary, the musicians are in top form under Hayes’ leadership as Quintessential Lou is a welcome edition to Hayes’ already impressive discography as a leader and session musician. Be kind to yourself and check out this latest release by a proven master who generally surrounds himself with his young peers.
Archie Shepp – I Know About the Life (1981)
I Know About the Life is a 1981 recording, now happily reissued by that splendid avatar of avant-garde music, Werner X. Uehlinger of Hat Hut Records. The rap on Shepp is that after his moment of glory in the Sixties and his no-holds-barred Impulse discs, he lost his edge, or his interest, or his nerve, and retreated. He himself is on record saying that avant-garde music was not commercially viable, and that he wanted to make some music that his family and friends could listen to. But any suggestion that that signaled a retreat should be dispelled by this disc.
Shepp’s tenor playing has never been more fluent, more versatile, or more expressive, than it is on these four tracks. Aided by utterly superb backing from Kenny Werner, Santi Debriano, and the incomparable John Betsch, he tears into two Monk tunes, one by Coltrane, and one of his own compositions to demonstrate that the “outside” players of the sixties made a great many discoveries (some of them hardly new, but actually dating back to the earliest days of jazz) that could enrich and revitalize “standard” jazz playing. On “Giant Steps,” for example, Shepp shows that he is every bit the match of Coltrane’s extraordinarily fleet harmonic playing, but he takes his solo to another level as well, investing what had been a sleek and exuberant original with a pathos, a cry, that adds immeasurably to the expressive range of the music.
Likewise, the Monk tunes, which are too often played simply as exhibitions, or as jaunty excursions into what the performers obviously consider to be the quirky world of Monk’s changes. But Shepp approaches this music with a seriousness and daring that pays off to remarkable effect, adding a blistering emotionality to each and plumbing depths that few other interpreters even seem to realize are there.
This exquisite reissue should establish I Know About the Life in its rightful place among Shepp’s works and give it a permanent place in any list of the greatest recordings of the period. Bravo.
Original Release Date: February 11, 1981 – Label: Sackville Records
Across Rhythm 