James Spaulding - Down With It!

Marge 37

Most reviews or discussions of the music of altoist/flutist James Spaulding have focused on his status of “sixties sideman extraordinaire” or something similar. Of course, inherent in that is the question of why Spaulding never made a record as a leader for Blue Note, the label on which most of his appearances occurred. While certainly his work with Wayne Shorter, Tyrone Washington, Larry Young, and of course Freddie Hubbard is of a piece, giving a keen sense of Spaulding’s development as a musician, his recordings as a leader for High Note and his own Speetones label in the past two decades haven’t garnered as much notice.

It’s surprising that Spaulding never became an expatriate, choosing instead to work in the States as wingman/firebrand to Hubbard in the trumpeter’s classic quintet(s) of the ‘60s and early ‘70s, staying in New York after the dissolution of the group. Many of his peers whose careers at home were a constant battle for recognition chose to make a go of it in Europe, regularly working and leading sessions for small labels like Catfish, Red, SteepleChase and others. Gerard Terrones’ Futura label (and sisters Marge, Blue Marge and Impro) was a home for many American expatriates, recording figures like Chris Woods, Ted Curson, Dizzy Reece, and Hal Singer, often with Parisian rhythm sections.

Spaulding might’ve been a likely candidate for such a pairing back in 1972, and he’s making up for lost time on Down With It, his first entry into the Futura/Marge catalog. Here, he’s joined by the trio of pianist Pierre Christophe, bassist Raphael Dever and drummer Mourad Benhammou for a 2006 live recording at Paris’s Sunside. The disc contains nine tracks, two of which are originals (including the stunning Connection-esque “Hurry Home”) and the rest of which include compositions by Randy Weston, Bud Powell, Hank Mobley and Joe Henderson.

Spaulding is ebullient and heel-digging, funky and cascading in his opening salvo on “I Mean You,” Christophe’s trio providing a steamroller of support and his solo expanding on the saxophonist’s jagged flurries in a statement of tradition and freedom. Christophe has likely spent ear-time with Mal Waldron, Jaki Byard, Sonny Clark and Dave Burrell, and his place in a Spaulding-led outfit is obviously an inspiration. “Soul Station” has more than a shake of “Glass Enclosure” in its thoroughfares, the theme a delicate and crepuscular tension embodied in a rare show of breathiness from Spaulding’s alto in concert with Christophe’s poised right hand. The pianist’s solo is arpeggiated, but with a host of Monky elbows. Interestingly, rather than holding the tune’s coiled energy, the group uses it as a springboard for firey improvisations. The title track is given a respectfully Bud-like treatment, before Christophe is at a Waldron-y run through its myriad changes. Spaulding’s alto is beyond bar lines, spiraling upward and decidedly outward as the foursome push into very free territory, Dever and Benhammou having to make a quick definition of the term “pliant.” “In a Sentimental Mood” is a showcase for Spaulding’s flute, as well as Dever’s woody melodicism, a rare moment of idyll in a set of hard-driving jazz.

There’s an adage about pickup rhythm sections – in that they’ve brought down players as diverse as Albert Ayler, Dexter Gordon and Eric Dolphy. It’s obvious that the Pierre Christophe Trio is empathetic and full of a creative, collective fire all its own, and there’s something prophetic about their meeting with the dynamic energy of James Spaulding. Hopefully we can continue to hear more from these four gentlemen Stateside.