At an age, 60, when most musicians are
repeating themselves, Joe Lovano is not content to rest with his
previous achievements. Five years ago, he formed Us Five, an attempt
at collective improvisation. In the
liner notes, Lovano describes their goal as “to collectively create
music within the music.” In addition to Lovano on tenor and
soprano sax, the group consists of James Weidman, piano, Esperanza
Spalding, bass, and dual drummers Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela.
Their first CD, Folk Art, was released in 2009. It was
followed in 2011 by Bird Songs, an attempt to reconceptualize
11 songs written by or associated with Charlie Parker.
Two characteristics seem to describe Folk Art and their current release:
- Much of the music is “free,” in the sense of unstructured, without a repeated melody, and sometimes lacking a consistent tempo. Some of the music is similar to Ornette Coleman's harmolodics, a style whose exact meaning is somewhat obscure. (One track on Folk Art is entitled “Ettenro.”)
- As the title of this CD implies, both the melodies and rhythm of some of the songs can be described as international. This is abetted by Lovano's suitcase full of offbeat woodwinds as well as some nontraditional percussion instruments. Much of the music has a Middle Eastern or African sound.
Most
record companies release samples from new CDs on You Tube, focusing
on tracks that are immediately accessible to a broad audience. For
this CD, they have released “Star-Crossed Lovers,” which is
unrepresentative in two ways. First, it was written by Duke
Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, and is the only track on the CD not
composed by Lovano. It certainly shows that Lovano still has a way
with a beautiful ballad. Secondly, it is one of only two songs on
the CD that can be described as traditional, mainstream jazz. The
other is an up tempo track, “Royal Roost,” named for a Harlem
bebop night club of the late '40s.
Since
Esperanza Spalding's career has taken off, she is now only a
part-time member of the group. She appears on four tracks, and it is
she who solos on “Star-Crossed Lovers.” On the other numbers,
she is replaced by Peter Slavov. However, what most separates this
CD from their previous work is the participation of African guitarist
Lionel Loueke on six tracks. I particularly like the title track,
where Lovano and Loueke weave in and out at a relaxed tempo. The
most African song is “Drum Chant,” an extended duet by the two
drummers, with Loueke picking time in the background. Lovano joins
them midway on his mezzo soprano sax, followed by a brief Loueke
solo before the drummers bring it to a satisfying conclusion.
Us
Five play music that requires repeated listening, and my attitude
toward some of the more abstract tunes has changed over time as I get a
better sense of where Lovano is going. Right now, my least favorite
tracks are two completely out of tempo tunes (“Myths and Legends”
and “Journey Within”) with the drummers rolling up a storm in the
background. The opener, “Blessings in May,” is to my ear the
most Ornetteish tune. “PM,” the longest track, starts with
Lovano on tenor at a rapid tempo over a bed of cymbals. It takes a
while to find its groove, but Weidman, Loueke and two tempo changes
add a lot of interest.
If
you're not familiar with Us Five, you might want to start with Bird
Songs, which has more familiar
tunes. Since Folk Art
and Cross Culture are
more experimental, you may not care for all the results. However,
you have to admire Lovano's willingness to take risks. The CD is
quite satisfying overall, and gets better with repetition.
Tracks:
Blessings in May; Myths and Legends; Cross Culture; In a Spin;
Star-Crossed Lovers; Journey Within; Drum Chant; Golden Horn; Royal
Roost; Modern Man; PM. (62 min.)
Personnel:
Joe Lovano, tenor and soprano saxophone, autochrome, taragato,
percussion; James Weidman, piano; Lionel Loueke, guitar (6 tracks);
Peter Slavov, bass (6 tracks); Esperanza Spalding, bass (4 tracks);
Otis Brown III, Francisco Mela, drums and percussion.
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