S - Mads Tolling

By Christopher L0
i,: -: is unquesrior:ablr- the beast
,:* ::riough his :ard-bop grab. l:r'is is rhe nosi .leqant of
,,0:.. ',i ori,ing up ro a pleasing
that by listening: The compositions and
quarterback Tom Bradr-, rvith Ferrante''
improvisations, by and large, are as meaty
and cohesive as the best-crafted standards
and bebop solos. The most notable excep-
:-:a:- a:hei and unrrindinq
tion is the disjointed first track, "Vhite
piano adding flourishes to rhe odd-metere;
groove. Clarke's bori-ed acoustic bass lenci.
classical tinges to 'The Contemplator.a pensive cut fbr soccer great Zinedint
seduc-
'17a11,"
:RRY TANNENBAUM
EPFER
itfi Lee
& LEE KONITZ
Sunnyside)
lianisr Dan Tepfer
had
a,rr.o \\'rrh qa-xoDhonrsr Lee
IFt-.. lionirz
lor nvo vears br rhe
}l
--:mc Lnrs Lr-J \\Js recoroeo.
E
F
I ni rapporr rhar had devel-i*.-: --it-m made it easy to create
r,:: -:::::ovisations in every key. Of
:;--;- :. :. relarive word, as Tepfer
-: :-: --:rc liner notes, since Konitz
:,-or. ---: challenges, whether
he's
. .-:--:.:i or blowing without any
:1.: i:-.,rion. Whar is interesring
: -.,,:::lt' pieces (a11 titled with a
[:: ::-; .ignature) is how each one
::i.:=i-,:
approach from both play-
::: :..s a spritely semi-classical
'F--.-' to which
:r--. ::
his partner
;-:'r--. ri-ith \\.arm notes. On "E,"
i: r;'..,.. some chords and lets them
: i-. :' acruallv standing back to
: :,-::::s ease in that challenging
t: a:,
: : r -::r has anv setbacks, they
:- :--: ength of the pieces, none
. :-:: ,::-: minutes, many lasting
r . . -. pairs abiliry Lo conrain
:. - :.'-:reble. bur rhe experience
: :: :,:-.:ns appetizers for dinner:
:*: -.'.':-:rour sustenance. Halfivay
--::.- ---rer a full piece, Tepfer's
I'I.:i.l Trkla.'' and rhey conclude
..-:l,s srandard "Tiees," but it's
:-- r. :,rier rrhat could have been
::-; :='.': iet themselves go longer.
![N[.EY
'THREADGILL ZOOID
Tg5
-
us Io, vol. 1 ei)
- )::: Brings Us To, Vol. I is
Threadgill's
::-.osr chailenging record-
i.:r. of Henry
:rss. requiring grear focus.
-:. rnerits don't always mea-
i'.:r-l rhe altoist/flutist/com----:::
Z.roid quintet are on their
r':: ::. -.,' happening.
:: =*- :s borh free and rule-bound,
-:.:: :- :rrcrtals lor each musician
--- ri .::r:. This narurally requires
.:g:. ::::n rraditional melody and
--:: -:iere's no way to know
>: DECEMBER 2oog
\Tednesday Off the
which gives a
severe misimpression about the album to
follow (and perhaps was so intended).
Though Threadgill and guitarist Liberty
Ellman are most prominent, it's Jose Davila
who's the most interesting player here. His
trombone gives a shape both graceful and
contorted to "To Undertake My Corners
Open," while his tuba luses with the
rhythm section (Ellman, bassist Stomu
SCOT ALBERTSOI
With Every Note, a St
T_'_
__
.
tL\
plu:i
Zidane. Harris guests on both thar trac<
and "The Risktaker," which shifts gears
between lusion and reggae ro honor bas-
t\1. - :
,;
tjt
ketball superstar Lebron James.
__
a
Pa-L:I
Tolling also honors musical pla1'makers. "Starmaker Machinery," for John
alone, handling e.'er^-,-:
Mclaughlin, is a manic,
sales. Take Scot
album production ::
Mahavishnu
-{bt-
Orchestra-like piece on whichTolling burns
like Jerry Goodman, Abraham plays with
Mclaughlins fire and Marrs imper.onare.
into a slowly der-elor'-:
Takeishi and drummer Elliot Humberto
Billy Cobham. The
paint on too broad:
Kavee) to form the rippling textures and
free-funk grooves of "Chairmaster" and
"Sap." In the meantime Ellman spikes the
tunes with a harsh, thorny sound that can
be off-putting but does add angle and exoticism. As for Threadgill, he's most compelling on the disc's first half, where he plays
rhe flute. His alto sax is more penerrating
but less enjoyable-and, on 'After Some
Time," sounds completely Iost. This Brings
Us Tb, however, is stronger than its weakest
position "The Chicken," a Jaco Pastorius
elements. MICHAEL
Pee
\fee Ellis
com-
from rhere. Even the
closing cover of Led Zeppelint "Black
MEREDITH
WAYNE WALLACE LATIN JAZZ
a
Mirandy'' against r,:
QT,JtNTET
grandiose "Music o: prayer "Hymn oi -*:-
Bien Bien! Patois\
At the 2009 Momerey
with indie pr..';:
ballads, a couple oi J-:
on, a bit of whippcc sional nutty additio:,
So we're subjec :,ings as Spike Jon:s- ;:
syncopated baton
J. WEST
cr. ':
a-s
case
bling the 15 tunes t".: I
het determined to i:can do. The resuk s : ;
sion of a ril/hitman s,:::
catalog staple, is also a treat. Tolling opens
the tune by playing Pastorius' signature
bassline, then Ban-\7eiss takes the funln-.
Dog" works. BILL
one
mal
hard
Jazz
Fesrival. wherher by seren-
jaunty "Save the Br:
MADS TOLLING
dipity or design, two of the
Albertson has
The PIay maker (Madsman)
MadsTolling has an impressive resume with the Turtle
Island Quartet, having
earned 2006 and 2008
-'.t "Best Classical Crossover"
Grammys for 4+Four a,nd A Loue Supreme:
The Legacy of John Coltrane. The
Copenhagen native moved to Boston to
study at the Berklee College of Music,
most impressive sets came
the dexterity to go ir-:
voice ideally shapec ::,
in 2003. Jean-Luc Ponty recommended him to bassist Stanley Clarke,
and Tolling's switch from viola to violin in
2007 now has him splitting time between
the Tirrtle Island Quartet, Clarke's band
and his own group.
graduating
Clarke, vibraphonist Stefon Harris,
drummer Jeff Marrs and Yellowjackets
keyboardist Russell Ferrante appear as
guests on Tolling's sophomore effort, The
Playmaker. But the violinist's quartet (with
guitarist Mike Abraham, bassist George
Ban-rVeiss and drummer
Eric
Garland)
open the record with a creative cover of
Radiohead's "Just," during whlch Tolling
and Abraham alternately skirr and state the
pop melody.
"The Playmaker Suite" is a trilogy
to three prolessional arhletes.
The opening title track is lor tbotball
dedicated
from a fairly esoteric niche
in jazz-that of trombonist-led Latin-jazz
r-oi;: :
merstein songbook :
once, with a s*-.eit
Love"). Il on his -:-r
groups, being Conrad Herwig's Latin Side
All-Star Band and the Bay
a
Area-based
\7ayne \Tallace Latin Jazz Quintet. Both
such a narrower
groups demonstrated the ready adaptability of non-Latin jazz repertoire ro rhe syn-
step forward.
lb---.
copated strategies of particular Latin
MON DAVID
rhythms, an idea central ro \Tallace's quintet album Bien Bien!
Coming True (Free-,i*
E, -_ .
L.:
Here, \Tallace cleverly-but also organi-
_-
a,
-r t::
cally-gives Latin-arrangement packaging to
S:-
such jazz standards as Eddie Harris' "Freedom
Jazz Dance," Sonny Rollins' "Solid" and
Duke Ellington's "Going Up!," the latter a
tribute to Ellingtont trombonists of note.
\Thereas those arrangements have Latin
identities from the ground and the grooves
D:r -:
Philippines-born i';
ueed is like din:= smorgasbord. sa1'o:-:i
Eclatine, Andr B;.; 'succession. His dir::
on up, versions of John Coltranet "Nrici'
and Ellingtont
"ln
a Sentimental
Mood"
a cloudless auru:::
are
;
joy and plard:1nes: ::,
Latin-ized mainly on the fringes, via Michael
Spirot percussion parts.
\fallace, a fine player, musical thinker
and
doer the rrombone connecrion
in songsmiths. er;t:::to Antonio Car-r. ,
he can scat *'iu
::
::: .
"oloisr,
one further on this date, bringing into
integriry ol Elli:s.
the lold special guest 'bone players Julian
Priester and Dave Martell, who harmonize
the melody on Vallace's opening title cut.
6
JOSEF WOODARD
tr
On
ballads.
-;,*,
]:
E
emn "Some O----
N
"Never Let \ie -:
stirring deptL o: J"i:
o
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