Label: Greenleaf Music, 2021
Personnel - Composition and conduction {David Sanford (#1-4, 6-8), Hugh Ragin (#5)}; Woodwinds {Anna Webber, Geoff Vidal, Marc Phaneuf: tenor sax; Ted Levine, Kelley Hart-Jenkins: alto sax; Brad Hubbard: baritone sax}; Brass {Brad Goode, Tony Kadleck, Tim Leopold, Wayne J. du Maine, Thomas Bergeron: trumpet; Mike Christianson, Jim Messbauer, Ben Herrington, Mike Seltzer, Steven Gehring: trombone; Raymond Stewart: tuba}; Rhythm Section {Dave Fabris: electric guitar; Geoff Burleson: piano; Dave Phillips: electric and acoustic bass; Mark Raynes: drums; Theo Moore: percussion.}
If you like your big band jazz leaning toward the avant-garde, then maybe this new disc from the composer, arranger and bandleader David Sanford will speak to you. At the helm of a super-crisp, dynamic ensemble, Sanford presents six compositions of his own, an ecstatic reading of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Dizzy Atmosphere”, and “A Prayer For Lester Bowie”, the central piece that gave the album its title. The latter was composed, arranged and ‘conducted’ (in the same concept of Butch Morris) by trumpeter Hugh Ragin, a former student of Bowie and an enthusiast of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, who introduces an explorative journey that incorporates random pointillism, full-bodied orchestral scoring, cinematic solemnity and swinging locomotions with euphoric horn expansions.
The album’s opener, “Full Immersion”, is a roving effort made of layers that gradually pile up with logic. First, it’s the congas commanded by Theo Moore that pop up, followed by rattling percussion and Jim Messbauer’s trombone playing; and then we have a funky wah guitar, simmering piano, slapping bass, massive horn unisons, and last but not least, the authoritative solos and exciting interplay by tenor saxophonists Anna Webber and Geoff Vidal. This piece was inspired by a fountain in Rome as well as by the New Orleans funk band Galactic.
“Subtraf” features Dave Fabric's bluesy guitar distortions, and a trombone statement by Mike Christianson; “Woman in Shadows” is an eight-minute ballad inspired by Luke Swank photographs that loosens things up for composure, having altoist Teddy Levine hopping out front for one single speech; “popit” behaves like a thrashing funk-metal song that scalds as it flows with clever counterpoint and rhythmic energy; and “V-Reel”, which gravitates toward funk, has tuba player Raymond Stewart grooving out loud before the improvisations by Levine and Ben Harrington on alto and trombone, respectively.
A sense of freedom erupts from every arrangement, and the diligent musicians are put at the service of a group ideal that relies on motion, texture and free improv to succeed.
B+
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Full Immersion ► 04 - popit ► 05 - Prayer For Lester Bowie