Artist.......: ZΘ Eduardo Jack Walrath Quartet
Album........: Bad Guys
Label........: Clean Feed Records
Genre........: Jazz
Catnr........: CF047
source.......: CDDA
rip.date.....: Dec-21-2005
str.date.....: Dec-00-2005
quality......: VBR/44,1Hz/Joint-Stereo
Url..........: http://www.cleanfeed-records.com
track title time
01. Simian Spring Song 05:39
02. Birds Fly Free 05:25
03. Novφssims 06:58
04. Sue's Changes 14:58
05. Bazaar 08:36
06. Realejo 04:06
07. Prou 06:08
08. Sun Sol 04:19
Runtime 56:09 min
Size 74,8 MB
Release Notes:
Back in the day, American jazz musicians toured
Europe as ôa single,ö hooking up with local rhythm
sections. In the years immediately following World
War II, this was a dicey proposition, as
improvisers who required a flexible well-versed
unit to realize their potential were often
confronted with musicians with more eagerness than
chops. This continued to be a problem well into the
1960s, Eric DolphyÆs recordings with Europeans
being a case in point. The Swedes were wanting,
while the Dutch (especially Misha Mengelberg and
Han Bennink) got it. Of course, there were
exceptions to the rule; Dexter GordonÆs
consistently rewarding recordings with Danes like
NH╪P and Alex Riel being Exhibit A. It was not
until the last quarter of the 20th Century,
however, that it was a given that a European unit
would meet all the demands placed upon them by the
best American musicians.
Jack WalrathÆs music demands a lot from whoever
plays it. Generally, the trumpeterÆs compositions
reflect both an encyclopedic knowledge of the
tradition and a Mingus-informed but ultimately
original approach to convey protean emotional
intelligence, which produce themes that can move
back and forth between light and shadow, sometimes
at a saunter, sometimes at a sprint. Then, there
are the occasions when Walrath simply throws it
down: HereÆs a concept full of taxing formal
elements; thereÆs an additional layer of quotations
and allusions requiring real jazz literacy; and
thereÆs multiple complex emotions that must be
precisely projected, which can be spliced together
at a jolting pace. Deal with it.
There is a lot to deal with on this encounter
between Walrath and three exceptional Iberian
musicians: tenor saxophonist Jesus Santandreu and
drummer Marc Miralta , both of whom are Spanish,
and the Portuguese bassist Ze Eduardo. Beyond the
numerous merits of the music, this album is a
needed reminder that Walrath has fallen into the
void the US jazz industry, knowingly or not,
creates for middle-aged musicians. It was only a
decade ago that the trumpeter was the subject of
thoughtful, glowing feature articles in the glossy
US jazz magazines, pegged to major label CD
releases (or, more precisely, the advertising for
said CDs). The irony is that artists tend to fall
off the industry radar as their art is ripening.
That is certainly the case with Walrath, whose
playing and writing here is as erudite, soulful and
laugh-out-loud funny as ever.
Because WalrathÆs music is predicated on technical
brinkmanship, conceptual anomalies, and general
unpredictability, his cohorts largely determine
whether a performance is incandescent or inchoate.
Eduardo, Santandreu and Miralta prove to be Hard
Corps, to pun the name of a previous Walrath unit.
Their rhythmic elasticity (which is not just the
ability to stretch, but also to snap tautly back
into place at the exact right moment), and their
finesse in extrapolating the material to their own
creative ends, compares well with the illustrious
New York musicians who passed through WalrathÆs
band.
Two pieces in particular flesh out the refined
rapport between Walrath and the Portuguese. The
first is ôSimian Spring Song,Æ which is loaded with
iridescent allusions to Monk compositions,
requiring another trait Walrath has succinctly
articulated: Hip Gnosis. In terms of extrapolating
Monk, the performance must encapsulate the
spiritual knowledge of the prankster, the cosmic
Ha! that is never far from the surface of the
pianistÆs compositions. The quartet succeeds on
that daunting criterion. The other is ôSueÆs
Changes,ö one of MingusÆ great latter pieces.
Arguably, the subject of MingusÆ music was passion,
reflecting his pained insights into how passion is
fanned and quenched. In contrast to other works,
where Mingus drained the swamp of his psyche,
ôSueÆs Changesö is loving portraiture, but still
requires finely calibrated changes in tempo, feel
and attack. The quartetÆs reading is nothing less
than authoritative.
The surfacing of one of jazzÆs more woefully
undervalued artists; the coming of age, jazzwise,
of Iberian musicians; the reassertion of universal
truths: thatÆs a lot for a single CD. Deal with it.
Enjoy ...