Steeplechase Jam Sessions, Volumes 25 & 26

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Apparently far from empty, the Steeplechase Jam Session archive unveils another pair of multiple-horn conclaves, one familiar in instrumentation the other singular. Triple trumpet team-ups aren’t a new development in the series, though Marcus Printup and Joe Magnarelli are fresh recruits to the format. Ryan Kisor has a slight edge having participated in the highly felicitous meeting released as Volume 17, but the rhythm section comprises the true veterans of the session, chalking up the following counts: pianist Andy Laverne (15), bassist Steve LaSpina (8), and drummer Billy Drummond (13). All three brass men are distinctive stylists, but the back-to-back solo structures of four out of the seven numbers tends to undermine the differences. An obligatory ballad medley does a decent job delineating each player’s sound in neutral standards settings, though the readings of the tunes are cursory in comparison to the ensemble cuts.

The session includes tribute to past trumpet greats by encompassing selections from the songbooks of Thad Jones, Kenny Dorham and Lee Morgan. The three principals attack each one with audible ardor, though the biggest creative returns come through a lengthy reading of Laverne’s “Impromptu”. As arranger he makes sure to annex shares of the solo space for himself and LaSpina. By comparison, Drummond’s role is fairly circumscript but he does an admirable job putting a personal stamp on each piece through nuanced accents and the occasional drum break. Dates like this one seem to dare the listener to entertain the question of what qualifies as too much trumpet. Unlike, say, a session of multiple saxophonists, the limitations of valved brass en mass can lead to occasional homogeneity in terms of timbre and range. Printup, Magnarelli and Kisor wage a valiant battle, but ultimately end up arriving at stalemate with these strictures as often as they vanquish them. Trumpet buffs probably won’t take pause at such perceived trivialities. Other listeners may not be as forgiving when faced with the revolving wall of brass.

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Steeplechase liner staple Mark Gardner references Coltrane’s Dakar date in his comments for Volume 26 and the comparison isn’t off-base as Conrad Herwig harbors a heavy Prestige-period Trane fascination. J.J. factors in too, though Herwig has lighter in tone with a phrasing as lubricious as olive oil. The double-barreled baritone attack in the frontline is the other obvious analogue. Ed Xiques and Jay Brandford are easy to tell apart on the big horns, the former sounding a bit like latter-day Cecil Payne in his textured cautious attack while the latter moves effortlessly between brusque Pepper Adams speak and a more velvety Mulliganesque manner. The arrangements aid in differentiation by inserting solos by either Herwig or Laverne between baritone statements on every track.

The session sat on the shelf for eight years and the sextet’s slightly rickety run through of “Alone Together” points to probable reasons why. Xiques, in particular, has trouble in his spotlight and seems to do better at slower speeds, such as his ballad feature “In a Sentimental Mood”, but even there Herwig can be heard lending a helping hand with subtle fills. The relative disparity between the two reeds is made all the more puzzling considering Xiques consistent positioning ahead of Brandford in the solo order. Brandford trumps his colleague’s primacy only on the closing two numbers. Laverne assumes his usual Mal Waldron-mantle as arranger and erstwhile ringleader, contributing serviceable solos alongside LaSpina. Drummer Darren Beckett’s lot is much the same as Drummond’s though his steady time is instrumental on the string of unisons and exchanges that galvanize “The Blues Walk” and he does get in a series of spirited breaks on a Latinized “You Stepped Out of a Dream”. As with Volume 25, the rote head-solos format favored for most of the session wears thin by the time the closer “It’s You or No One” hits, but the unusual instrumentation coupled with the quality contributions of Herwig and Brandford make this set worth a gander.

[Steeplechase titles are available direct through Stateside AT prodigy DOT net]

~ Derek Taylor