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a r t i s t : Sirone Bang Ensemble
t i t l e : Configuration
d a t e : 2005
l a b e l : Silkheart Records (SHCD155)
g e n r e : Jazz
r l s. d a t e : September/2005
t r a c k s : 06
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 77,4 MB
_______________________________________________________________________
Personnel:
Billy Bang violin
Charles Gayle alto & tenor saxophones
Sirone bass
Tyshawn Sorey drums
Tracks 1, 3 & 5 by Billy Bang.
Tracks 2,4 & 6 by Sirone
Liner Notes
The texture of bass and violin in tandem is, even now,
relatively uncommon to most jazz listeners. The two
instruments matched against saxophone and drums can seem a
conflict, an irreconcilable intersection. Will it be quiet and
delicate? Will the horn and drum throttle their wooden
companions? DonÆt worry about Sirone and Bang though...they
easily match wits with saxophonist Charles Gayle and drummer
Tyshawn Sorey. Questions of how can this work are quickly
dispelled with how well it does.
On some level, the Sirone/Bang Ensemble invites comparison to
the Revolutionary Ensemble, but, in 2004, it has its own
significance. Though now accepted into the jazz canon through
the efforts of musicians like Leroy Jenkins and Bang, the
violin still suffers in reputation against its metal
counterparts. Bang is a tireless innovator and has,
particularly after his award-winning Vietnam: The Aftermath
album (Just in Time, 2002), continued to delve into the
violinÆs possibilities in an improvised context. Moreover,
SironeÆs dialogues with the violin are not limited to his work
with Jenkins. In his half-the-year home of Berlin, SironeÆs
latest group includes a young European violinist far different
than Jenkins or Bang. Sirone plays with other violinists not
because that is what listeners have come to expect of him, but
because he wishes to change what listeners expect.
As a recorded concert released to the public, vulnerability
and brashness run in parallel. The opening track, BangÆs
Jupiter Æs Future, essentially is solos by all four musicians
loosely linked by a perky melodic line. Rather than bombard
immediately with a group voice, the various shades can be
presented discretely. The listener eagerly awaits seeing how a
swinging drummer will fare against a shrill saxophonist, how
soul-drenched violin will complement thick frantic bass.
BangÆs Freedom Flexibility then comes as a shock. Instead of
the four musicians, having introduced themselves, congealing
into an amorphous soup, a hard bop exploration appears. Sorey
is the catalyst,rejoicing in the rhythms that so many avant
garde drummers eschew, letting the wonderful head bubble and
pop. Already the three veterans, Sirone, Bang and Gayle, have
been infected by the young drummerÆs exuberance and he by
their advanced thinking.
The two opening Bang pieces are then followed by two of
SironeÆs. Despite SironeÆs playing background (stints with
Noah Howard, Marion Brown, Dave Burrell, Pharoah Sanders,
Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman and others), he
believes strongly in firm compositions. Improvisation and
freedom are never far behind but there is never the sense of
musicians running blindly, bumping into each other or into
walls. We Are Not Alone, But We Are Few, according to jazz
conventions, would be the setÆs ballad and I Remember Albert
would be its barnstormer. Throughout both, BangÆs emotive
playing striated with GayleÆs plaintive wails creates
remarkable emotional tension.
For the last two pieces, Bang and Sirone reverse roles, or
perhaps show a greater breadth to their composing. BangÆs
Notre Dame De La Garde is an abstract melancholy excursion
featuring a discomforting duet between Bang and Gayle.
SironeÆs Configuration is the bookend to the opening track.
The vivacious jaunt gives Sorey another opportunity to drive
the proceedings and the ensemble to realize the heavy funk of
which they are capable.
This hour-long set, recorded in a blustery November has a
cohesion that comes from knowing it was recorded for potential
release. Often times though, the best musical intentions can
go awry. This is a new group and they may have not been able
to come together successfully. But since it is not another
gummy freejazz record that has little relevance to anybody but
the crowd witnessing its creation/destruction, the inclusion
of the word ensemble in the band name is apt and hopefully
indicates a future.
Andrey Henkin
_______________________________________________________________________
01-Jupiter's Future [15:48]
02-Freedom Flexibility [06:07]
03-We Are Not Alone But We Are Few [14:05]
04-I Remember Albert [13:56]
05-Notre Dame De La Garde [07:29]
06-Configuration [08:35]
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66:00 min