The title of this latest disc by the trio of pianist Pandelis Karayorgis (here on Fender Rhodes), bassist Nate McBride and drummer Curt Newton is a truly eponymous one. For a trio whose moniker stands (or stood – the group disbanded in 2004 once McBride left Boston for Chicago) for ‘modern improvisation trio,’ the primary modes are immediate interaction and the process of evolution, thus giving composition a theoretical backseat. Possibly another reason for such a pregnant title is the fact that they have chosen to not only find a place for composition in a set of very free improvisations, but they have chosen to use four rather obscure Monk pieces, one by Philly-based pianist, composer and guru Hasaan Ibn Ali (see Max Roach Trio featuring the Legendary Hasaan, Atlantic, 1961), and Eric Dolphy’s Monk-ish homage to Italian modern flutist Severino Gazzelloni from Out to Lunch (Blue Note, 1964). These make for a welcome and odd program, combined with a few Karayorgis originals – not to mention the odd instrumentation of Fender Rhodes, bass and percussion, which could be another point the title makes, namely, no instrument need be left out of free music.
Normally a fixture in jazz-rock hybrids, the Fender Rhodes sounds perfectly at home in its fuzzed-out glory here, giving “Gazzelloni” a rawness and wryness that is only hinted at in its raw, brassy original form. McBride is all horsehair and gut in his powerful, liberated solo and Newton tastefully loose in his support. “Ugly Beauty” brings out the guitar-like voicings for which the Rhodes is known, Karayorgis somehow wringing taut harmonics that sound as though they were played behind the bridge of a hollow-body Gibson, holding the languid tempo as Newton and McBride make every effort to submerge the last vestiges. Newton’s melodic solo reminds one of Paul Motian in its balanced ethereality and conviction, a spacious freedom like the Bley trio at its electric finest. Despite the difficulty of making Monkish voicings on the Rhodes, Karayorgis does it well, as in the closing minutes of “Ugly Beauty,” only to take “Shuffle Boil” at a fast clip, the unearthly wah-wah of the electric piano still hitting the low, perverse blats that the theme calls for. Hasaan’s pragmatically-titled “3/4 vs. 6/8 4/4 Time” is a driving study in superimposition, similar in effect to the rhythmic push-pull of Valdo Williams’ trio music, shifting character as the waltz and straight-time sections become ever more fluid and giving Karayorgis a chance to test his synapses with the treacherous ice floes of bass and percussion. It is interesting that despite the foreground nature of the Rhodes, the instrument – and Karayorgis at times – appears to take a back seat to the interplay of McBride and Newton, perhaps due to the sheer dynamics that acoustic instruments carry over the tinny electric piano. Yet its limited range is made up for primarily in Karayorgis’ choice of phrases, a battle of form and wit against painterly mass – the Derek Bailey-like jaggedness at the end of a particularly warped “Monk’s Point,” for example, ready to explode into full-bore pianism at every turn.
We Will Make a Home for You is a fascinating study in color contrasts, mass and effervescence, and structured freedom. It is true that sometimes carving out a little home for something different – instrumentation, repertoire, context – is all that is needed to keep a group ‘free.’ The MI3 certainly found that niche.
I had no idea Karayorgis dabbled in Fender Rhodes! Happy news! I wish 98% of pianists in the world would switch over to cool analog electric keyboards. I saw Karayorgis do a brilliant solo recital a few years back, but it was very straight, clean, polite, conservative grand piano explorations of the nooks and crannies of Monk, Ellington and other jazz staples. He knows that stuff in and out, backwards and forwards. (He was a student of Joe Maneri and I remember Joe came to the concert specifically to hear him and was stomping his feet and whooping it up with enthusiasm for Karayorgis' tour de force.) Because I have a low tolerance for pianos, I could only appreciate the brilliance in a distant, objective way. Subjectively I was BORED SILLY. (However, the three (four?) discs with Mat Maneri and/or Randy Peterson get my blood rushing—how could they not?) Karayorgis is so talented—what a blessing he is splitting his time now between the painfully and gaudily overutilized piano and the woefully underutilized timbral delights of Rhodes. Score one more for the good keyboards! The tally is getting awfully high these days, but no need to name names or let any cats out of bags and that kind of thing...
I don't mean to start some kind of fight about pianos, just coming clean that it is very very much not my (lowercase) bag. Yes, I love x, y, and z too.
The great irony of course being that the new acoustic Hard Cell is about two days away from its debut in my stereo... I can hardly stand myself with the anticipation... Sleep, food, other music—really, who cares about all that stuff when a new Berne disc is afloat... If I'm not on Bags for a few days, it's because I'm doing crazy giggly dances in my living room and can't keep still long enough to coordinate my fingers with a keyboard.
Clifford, have you heard the 1978 classic Le Matin Blanc by Pataphonie? Some very free moments with an electric piano -led trio, albeit with bass guitar not fiddle. It's like a more abstract, free, avant-garde take on Soft Machine's Third-Fourth improv sound. I can't recall if Rhodes is used specifically, but I believe so, and if not, it's a similar sound. An extremely original approach to improvised music still not approximated by others to my knowledge. (Er, then again, there's the sadly overlooked and defunct American group from the 90s called Muvovum whose second album was a fascinating side-long free improv... but nevermind on that one till another year...)
I was a little surprised by the Rhodes too. What Pandelis does on it is superb - the problem I have with this is it sounds a bit thin and tinny. And his other recordings on a conventional grand were so good! Wonder how it was miked up in the session. But I agree that Gazzelloni is excellent. Damn, Clifford and I was going to ask you to review this one for me!
Posted by: Dan Warburton at September 2, 2005 10:39 PMCliff, name-dropping the Valdo, right on!
Dan, I've got a review of this one in the works that will likely need a home... let me know :)
Posted by: derek at September 4, 2005 8:53 AMAmen. We need a Valdo Williams comeback piece and Mister Allen's the man! Hey Clifford I see you've been busy with those liners for ESP too - nice work. Hope you got paid more than the musicians :)
Posted by: Dan Warburton at September 4, 2005 9:58 PMThis seems like just the place to throw in another compliment to Clifford! I was in the city recently and snagged a copy of the new All About Jazz New York with Bill Dixon on the cover, and rather enjoyed reading your feature article on him. As sketchy as some of the content can be in that rag, the fact it's a free publication readily available for any Jane or Joe to pick up around town and be confronted with Dixon on the cover is really a great thing! Great work you're doing on this historical free jazz stuff that's been sadly underdocumented.
Posted by: Michael Anton Parker at September 5, 2005 8:21 AMHey guys, thanks for the props. Valdo is/was great... Jackie Mc had many nice things to say about him, and of course that record is great (as are all the late 'free' Savoys). I have not heard Pataphonie, but it sounds up my alley - more deets, please. I actually haven't heard much of Karayorgis' work, but this impressed me the most of what I have heard, fwiw.
And as for ESP, glad they're getting seen. There are, after all, quite a few issues of that material, but they're trying to add a lot of stuff and correct some previous conceptions of their business practices (so I gather). Patty Waters is out soon.
Posted by: clifford at September 6, 2005 9:04 AMWhoa, major brain fog! Pataphonie has no keyboards at all! It's a power trio with electric guitars, but everything else I said was true! I've played this disc like twenty times, but I had some stuff mixed up in my head, not having played it for at least a year. Fuzz bass, pre-Frisell guitar languidity, fidgety free jazz dreamy drumkit, etc. A real masterpiece, BUT mega mea culpa for mentioning this totally inappropriately here. No keyboards at all... See, fuzz bass and Rhodes just GO TOGETHER in my mind. Pataphonie is that pure "70s sound". If any of this means anything. Sorry. Very funny mistake, though. It if helps, I am massively obsessed with Soft Machine and anything remotely similar (e.g. Isotope!!!). I now return everyone to their normal activities and will try to stay quiet...
But in compensation, here is an awesome Rhodes rec, albeit with no jazz connection: The Hosemoble Six Foot Hater. 1997 release from US band, a mix of Soft Machine, Slint, and math rock. Really fabulous with oodles of Rhodes all over the place! Better than their second record (which I really like though), which was Albini-produced and much heavier and guitar-centric.
"painfully and gaudily overutilized piano" -MAP
The sound of a vibrating string will never be "overutilized."
Posted by: David Kirby at September 17, 2005 2:53 PM.................................................. © 2003 - 2006 bagatellen ..................................................