Bobby Zankel Trio - Many in Body, One in Mind

CIMP

While not nearly as prevalent in parlance as its Coltrane counterpart, post-Ornette is an umbrella term that covers a significant swathe of saxophonists. Philly-based altoist Bobby Zankel certainly fits under the mantle with a quicksilver phrasing that stresses concentrated melodic bursts, a reflexive rhythmic sense, and a blues saturated cry among his calling cards. In these respects he also shares stylistic kinship with Jemeel Moondoc and the two share further distinction in having played in Cecil Taylor’s big bands. This Spirit Room session, Zankel’s first in seven years, holds the added draw of bringing drummer Edgar Bateman back into recording circulation. Bateman’s cans were a pivotal component on several of Walt Dickerson’s 60s dates and it’s joy to hear him hitting them with comparable skill as septuagenarian. Bassist Dylan Taylor completes the trio with an elastic articulation that contrasts the often more aggressive delivery of his colleagues.

Zankel’s tunes are fairly boilerplate freebop at first blush, bridging knotted heads with extended ensemble and solo digressions. Their strength lies in an abiding capaciousness toward improvisation and Zankel uses them readily as launching pads for lengthy extemporizations. Several fray slightly under the strain and end up relying on flash in lieu of heat in their later minutes. Such is the case on the quarter-hour opener “One in Mind” where ideational steam eventually starts to evaporate near the close. The comparatively concise “Spirit Mirror” suffers no such obstacle with an incisive lead alto line and effectively lean accompaniment from arco bass and snare-dominant drums. Bateman sounds a bit rigid in places, occasionally butting heads with Taylor, but he also brings a welcome informality to his rhythmic constructions as with the funky second line fragments that rumple the final minutes of “Revealing True Identity”. His own “Journey to Life”, the only non-Zankel number of the set, also reveals some of his facility with open-ended grooves. Zankel operates in habitual form here, but not at the expense of turning in a involving and invigorating album. Better still, Bateman’s back and will hopefully be recording with renewed frequency.

~ Derek Taylor