In appraising latter-day tenor tandems, reviewers (myself included) tend to heavily reference the past as context. Each saxophone pair gets compared to a string of predecessors: Player X is the Ammons to Player Y’s Stitt while Player A is Pres to Player Z’s Herschel Evans, and so on. Such shorthand name-checking makes for colorful copy, but it rarely leaves an accurate or lasting impression on the music described. Dave Liebman and Ellery Eskelin face plenty of precedent with their team-up. That they manage to at once embrace and supplant historical potential referents is a chief reason why this second outing hits on every cylinder for nearly the entire duration.
Granted, the game is stacked in their favor from the start given the rhythm section on hand, the sensible amalgam of one colleague apiece from each man’s working band. It’s also no coincidence that bassist Tony Marino and drummer Jim Black occupy positions on the marquee. Reason number one hits like a pallet of bricks on the opener “Cha”, a high energy groove number scripted by the drummer that sounds vaguely Masada-ish. Liebman doesn’t even pause for a theme, flipping the vertical launch switch in a rocket fuel solo that has Marino and Black working overtime beneath him. The duo have their revenge in the tune’s pipeline-riding coda, accelerating full speed into punk Surfaris territory with snapping slap bass and precision pummeling drums and leading to the natural listener affirmation- Kowabunga, dude!
So many times the facing off of like instruments, especially saxophones, leads to a simplification of strategy and emphasis. Outright combat, in the case of the aforementioned Ammons and Stitt, or dapper congeniality as was the frequent repartee of Zoot Sims and Al Cohn are the usual options. In either scenario heads often become disposable obstacles to solos. Eskelin and Liebman sense this skew and go out of their way to ensure the music maintains high standards of intrigue no matter what. Two takes of Dolphy’s “Out There” delve deep into the tune’s bop roots and revolve around a string of incendiary breaks. Again, Marino and Black personify that rare sort of rhythm section, one that risks ruin repeatedly by constantly inviting implosion and ratcheting the adrenaline output as a result. It’s not all fireworks, as the title piece tacks into chamber territory in its investigation of overlapping horn textures and commensurate rhythmic ambiguity. The nine pieces fly by, engendering an immediate desire to repeat the trip. Listeners with a sweet tooth for top-tier tenor shouldn't hesitate in taking this one home.
~ Derek Taylor
Posted by derek on June 10, 2008 2:09 PMYeah, I like this one. It is a great project. It great to hear Liebman in this context.
The last one is real good, too.
The previous release was the only setting that I've ever enjoyed hearing Liebman, including seeing him in concert. I'm not sure why most of the mainstream jazzcrits have been hanging from his nuts for years because I haven't heard anything worth listening to. The same thing went for Michael Brecker other than 80/81 and the Odean Pope disc.
Posted by: Captain Hate at June 12, 2008 6:11 AMHeard Liebman with Elvin? I take it the answer is no...
Posted by: clifford at June 12, 2008 8:25 AMYeah, both volumes of Live at the Lighthouse are great fun. Trane-centric hagiography & garrulity at its finest as channeled through sax-geeks Liebman & Grossman, though Elvin is surprising stingy w/ the drum solos.
Cap’n, please expand on the specifics/sources of your Liebman antipathy. My familiarity w/ his work is pretty scattershot: all the recent Hat stuff and the Mosaic Select w/ Richie Beirach + a handful of other various & sundries, but I’ve dug what I’ve heard. As Damon notes, Ellery & the others really bring out the best in him.
Posted by: derek at June 12, 2008 1:58 PMI tend to agree with the Captain, with one caveat: I did like Liebman's Emananem disc with Tony Marino & Tony Bianco. Otherwise, I can't think of any Liebman that I'm dying to hear again.
Nothing wrong with his music, it just didn't leave an impression. F'rinstance, compare his Monk tribute record on Enja (a pianoless trio) with Bennie Wallace's Monk tribute (a pianoless trio/quartet, also on Enja, from around the same time period). One of those discs is still in my rotation; the other went back to the store after a few spins, & I can barely remember it.
Posted by: Bill R at June 12, 2008 3:56 PMOoops. Meant to say "Emanem". Sorry 'bout the stutter.
Posted by: Bill R at June 12, 2008 4:39 PMYa know it's funny about those recordings with Elvin Jones: Way back when in the vinyl daze when I was grasping around not knowing wtf I was doing, I came very close to picking them up but never pulled the trigger. From what I have consistently read, it may have changed my opinion.
My critique of him follows Bill R's in that he just plays lines that aren't very memorable. They may be technically adept in some way that causes some peoples' ears to perk up, but not mine. I forget who was in the trio that I saw live (it was probably in the mid to late 90's) but it just struck me as fusion fluff with no meat on its bones.
btw, I did listen to Different but the Same earlier today and I could listen to multiple discs of stuff like that for a long time without tiring of it. Props to SOZ of all people for that rec.
Posted by: Captain Hate at June 12, 2008 5:49 PMThe solos on Hat are solid, especially the first one. Despite what did and didn't make it on record, I think he was involved with more creative music through the years, he was on the NY loft scene, ect.
As far as older work, I liked the quartet with Holland and Dejonette.
Close to his Hat records (who are his best work, no question about it), he has made some records in France who are worth listening to, on "Label Bleu" with the collective trio "Celéa, Liebman, Reisinger". The first two ("[World View]" and "Missing a Page") was really great with original material written by the three musicians (with some collective impro). The third wasn't as interesting with his all standard material. I did'nt keep it. I also agree with Bill R. about "Line His" on Emanem and in trio again (Lieb, Tony Bianco, Tony Marino). The record is excellent and in the same ligue that the Label Bleu's ones.
Posted by: PLM at June 20, 2008 5:08 AMPLM, thanks for the heads-up about the Label Bleu discs. I'll be keeping an eye out for them!
Would love to hear more from Celea; I've only heard him in a trio with Leonzio Cherubini on drums & Francois Jeanneau on soprano--that was a great record, though it didn't seem to attract much notice.
Posted by: Bill R at June 20, 2008 3:54 PMYeah, that trio is solid, I actually got to play with Reisinger in Vienna in March, he is an amazing drummer.
Also, the Quest quartet on Hat is good, I got an earlier album that was not as interesting.
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