Label: Greenleaf Music, 2020

Personnel - Anna Webber: conductor, tenor sax, flute; Angela Morris: conductor, tenor sax, flute; Charlotte Greve: alto sax, clarinet; Jay Rattman: alto and soprano saxes, flute; Adam Schneit: tenor sax, clarinet: Lisa Parrott: baritone sax, bass clarinet; Adam O’Farrill: trumpet; John Lake: trumpet; Jake Henry: trumpet; Kenny Warren: trumpet; Tim Vaughn: trombone; Nick Grinder: trombone; Jen Baker: trombone; Reginald Chapman: bass trombone; Dustin Carlson: guitar; Patricia Brennan: vibraphone; Marc Hannaford: piano; Adam Hopkins: bass; Jeff Davis: drums.

The big band project co-led by saxophonists/composers Anna Webber and Angela Morris was launched five years ago, but the bandleaders only now are dropping its debut release, Both Are True. The cohesive 19-piece ensemble includes some recognized New York-based artists such as trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, saxophonist Charlotte Greve, bassist Adam Hopkins, and drummer Jeff Davis. With respect to the bandleaders, Webber jumped to the frontline of the contemporary scene with her fantastic septet work Clockwise, a favorite of last year, while Morris released Asleep in the Dust, an art book/double CD with her trio TMT in collaboration with visual artist Jerry Birchfield.

The nine tracks on this record, including two short, spontaneous saxophone duets, besides sealed with their signatures as composers, feature them as soloists. Webber performs in Morris’ pieces and vice-versa.

Webber’s “Climbing on Mirrors” shows that nothing here feels stiff but balanced and fluid. A settlement of contrapuntal congruity is offered with several intensities and the rhythmic punctuations fall into places that may cause a vertiginous sensation. Saxophonist Charlotte Greve soloes with unhurried lucidity and the piece, despite decelerating towards the end, rebounds with the drummer’s actions. In the last segment, a vocal chorale provided by all members of the band makes for a wonderful effect.

The Morris-penned title track begins with deep-seated droning sounds, followed by the timbral complexion of saxophones spiraling non-stop. The improvisations - from Jay Rattman on soprano, Webber on tenor, and Patricia Brennan on vibraphone - are mobilized by a strong creative force, and, by the end, Marc Hannaford’s piano arrhythmias bump into the ghostly presence of the horns.

Morris also composed “And It Rolled Right Down” and “Coral”, yet these numbers are retained in a much different order in the way that the former thrives with an Ellingtonian orchestral touch, following a proportioned structure and teeming with the juxtaposed angular measurements from a trio of improvisers - Adam Schneit on clarinet, Reginald Chapman on bass trombone and Jake Henry on trumpet. The latter piece, in turn, escapes the raucousness of other moments, inflicting some purposeful vagueness, but finding firmness in Adam O’Farrill’s discourse.

With “Foggy Valley”, the band ventures through a dark sonic fare, having Morris' wry sax viscosity populating its eerie backdrops.

Webber’s compositional prowess is on display on “Rebonds”, which adheres to a rocking funkiness that serves as a showcase for guitarist Dustin Carlson’s tart sounds, and “Reverses”, which starts off with carefully spaced delimiters immersed in bright tones of light. The tempo rises and the atmosphere heats up meteorically before decaying again into serenity. The words of the finale are by poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.

Integrating written and improvised material in new ways, Webber and Morris take the big band concept into fresh territory. This is an accomplished conjoint effort.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Climbing On Mirrors ► 03 - Both Are True ► 04 - Rebonds