Reuben Radding - Intersections

Pine Ear 1

Geography’s never been much of a reliable compass or container for musical forms. In jazz, coastal distinctions, dividers that were faulty to begin with, have long since crumbled. Bassist Reuben Radding is a prime example of a now prevailing trans-coastal attitude. Hailing originally from Washington, D.C. and a transplant to NYC in 1988, he spent several years in Seattle forging ties to the Emerald City improv community and releasing several albums before heading back east. Despite a routinely active dance card the scope of his interests remains only partially represented by his discography. Like many of his peers he decided to launch his own label, Pine Ear, out of his apartment to combat the growing gap between tape cache and commercial releases.

Fitted with a title reflecting Radding’s bridge-building nature, Intersections illustrates both his creativity and candor. The instrumentation presents a composite of the classic Giuffre and Norvo trios and conveys their spirit if not strict form. Radding’s resonant upright joins with the arid limpidity of Oscar Noriega’s brooding clarinet and Matt Moran’s translucent vibes for a framework that is at once familiar and evergreen. Nine cuts, six scripted by the leader, evince strong chamber improv inclinations. Composition plays as prominent a role as improvisation on the majority of pieces. But just because the map is partially pre-drawn doesn’t mean the paths undertaken are predictable.

“Siren” and “North” are drone experiments largely devoid of meter that together embody one of the more compelling facets of the ensemble, the tonal congruity and overlap achieved in their measured interactions. The fit is especially keen between Noriega and Moran. There are evanescent moments in each piece where it’s hard to parse the two players apart, clarinet voicing ethereal pitches that blend with shimmering pedal sustains. Moran’s frequently been compared to a youthful Bobby Hutcherson and in this setting the likeness is particularly salient as his patterns of notes condense into free-standing rubato clusters.

Radding plays mainly pizzicato, his rich, ever-so-slightly amplified patterns favoring rounded edges and rhythmic tractability rather than sharp points and bracing stops. Noriega and Moran show a similar concern with clarity of line. It’s here that the Norvo comparisons ring most true, though by my reckoning Red never ventured into realms accessing this degree of harmonic freedom. Much of the action pivots on intuitive responsiveness. One person, often Noriega, traces variations on a sinuous motif as the others shape elastic counterpoint. Tracks like “Brush” and “Canal and Lafayette” compress the dulcet and energetic strategy into economical five-minute packages brimming with melodic activity.

Episodes of nebulous déjà vu do arise in the latter half of the program, but they’re more a product of the mellifluous instrumentation than any act of gross repetition by the musicians. Radding ends the outing with a clever arrangement of Messiaen’s “Dance of Fury” that once again brings to mind the contemplative folk form investigations of Giuffre. The disc represents as an propitious debut for Pine Ear, an imprint that will hopefully accomplish the same sort of profile-boosting outcome for Radding that Ginko Leaf mustered for saxophonist James Finn.

~ Derek Taylor