Label: Whaling City Sound, 2020
Personnel - Dave Liebman: soprano saxophone; Matt Vashlishan: woodwinds; Bobby Avey: piano; Tony Marino: bass; Alex Ritz: drums, kanjira.
Top-notch hornman Dave Liebman reunites his adventurous multi-generational Expansion quintet - reedist Matt Vashlishan, pianist Bobby Avey, veteran bassist Tony Marino, and drummer Alex Ritz - to present a new suite called Earth. The album marks the fourth outing of the group, also being the fourth and last installment of Liebman’s element series, whose previous chapters were released in 1996 (Water), 2006 (Air), and 2016 (Fire) with different bands and configurations. Liebman, who composed each track on Earth with a specific interval in mind, rips through these earthly sceneries in a freewheeling fashion, devising ambitious electro-acoustic sonorities that push the envelope of conventional jazz.
“Earth Theme” bookends the album, going from vagueness to consistency, but it’s “Volcano/Avalanche” that instantly earns our attention through parallel lines based on intervals of sixth and effect-laden synth tapestries. Arranged with intelligence, this textural wizardry has its vision projected into the future, and to hear Liebman’s unquiet soprano rides over humming drones is like having an acid trip.
Strategically placed between the main compositions, there are interludes in a total of six. Each of them features a particular instrument or two. Take the case of the percussion/flute collaboration, which works as a perfect preamble for the desert-inspired “The Sahara”. Intervals of major and minor second confer the latter piece the desired exotic touch, yet the wind effects, bass trance, and corrosive synth chords create an ambiance of mystery that goes beyond the sky-and-sand landscape.
Whereas the more tranquil “Grand Canyon/Mt. Everest” makes use of Ritz’s fine brushwork to soar to the height of the mountainous regions that describes, “Concrete Jungle” lives in a wildly toxic swinging acceleration. With more angles than curves, this piece places a spotlight on Avey and then embarks on an animated call-and-response between Vashlishan and the bandleader.
“Dust to Dust” consists of a bunch of motifs echoed in sequence. If the attentive communication between the musicians is plainly expressed here, then it transcends expectations on the intoxicating “Galaxy”. The latter piece, previously introduced by wind synthesizer, falls into a sort of free funk pervaded with brisk and ebullient breakbeats, soprano madness, and mercurial electro-synth mosaics.
Not all the parts of Earth are at the same level, but this rich sensory experience is keen to captivate enthusiasts of jazz fusion and futuristic post-bop alike.
Grade B+
Favorite Tracks:
03 - Volcano/Avalanche ► 09 - Concrete Jungle ► 13 - Galaxy