Liebman, Beirach, McClure & Hart - Redemption

hatOLOGY 642

As Seventies jazz super groups go, the quartet Quest had most of the trappings, if not the profile. Dave Liebman was a studied Coltrane disciple, one who tapped the power of the elder saxophonist’s pre- and post-Impulse periods. Pianist Richie Beirach beautifully blended the melodic pastoralisms of Bill Evans with the emotive drive of McCoy Tyner. The two first worked together in the fusion group Lookout Farm before forming the postbop collective Quest in 1982 with bassist Ron McClure and drummer Billy Hart. Albums and gigs by both bands were flush with the sort of dramatic soloing and modal grandeur that were standard of the day. Quest dissolved fifteen years ago, its members going separate ways as the weight of their shared influences and interests became something of an albatross.

Bob Blumenthal's notes to Redemption sagely relate the perils of reunion tours and posit that the pair of 2005 European engagements sampled on this disc circumvents such hazards. I'm not as sold on that idea. The performances have an undeniable power and grace and each of the four players have chops to spare, but the set still carries a whiff of constrictive nostalgia. McClure even bathes his strings in the sort of rubbery amplification that was custom during the band's heyday. Liebman and Beirach open the Swiss segment of the program with a duo reading of the arguably done-to-death "'Round Midnight" the rapport still providing the primary fuel source for later band pieces. Rather than self-consciously pull apart the Monkian classic, they take their time in stretching it out, offering subtle variations, but largely staying true to the theme. It's a sound decision and one that recalls the work of Lacy and Waldron in spirit, if not letter. The furnace-hot rendering of Coltrane's "Ogunde" transports the audience back to 1967, Liebman's pealing tenor multiphonics reaching ecstatic peak as the rhythm section combusts around him. Heat and energy abound, but so does the dogged feeling that the original composer did it better.

The topical threnody-to-ballad medley "WTC/Steel Prayers" and an Traneish "Dark Eyes", each solid, if not especially memorable, provide a bridge between Swiss and Parisian gigs and presage the most daring track of the disc. Casting away the earlier deference toward Monk, the band transforms Coleman's "Lonely Woman" into a weird Asian meets Native American dirge. McClure tugs out a busy solo preface on bulbous strings followed by Liebman's somber wooden flute and zither-like strums from Beirach's piano. Hart hangs back, threading in percussive accents. The resulting lattice is rickety in places, but the points earned for originality of execution more than compensate. Elsewhere, the drummer is a dynamo and on "Redemption”, he parcels room for a galvanizing if somewhat circumspect solo. The years haven’t winnowed Quest’s shared prowess or passion all that much, but those less familiar with the band’s past work may first want to seek out evidence of the four in their prime.

~ Derek Taylor