Henry Threadgill Ensemble - The Other One

May 26, 2023

Label: Pi Recordings, 2023

Personnel - Henry Threadgill: composer, conductor; Alfredo Colón: alto sax; Noah Becker: alto sax, clarinet; Peyton Pleninger: tenor sax; Sara Schoenbeck: bassoon; Adam Cordero: bassoon; Jose Davila: tuba; David Virelles: piano; Craig Weinrib: percussion, electronics; Sara Caswell: violin; Stephanie Griffin: viola; Mariel Roberts: cello; Christopher Hoffman: cello.

The compositional brilliance and unique musical character of saxophonist Henry Threadgill are on full display in his latest album, The Other One, a three-movement composition inspired by the work of the late creative drummer Milford Graves and executed by a 12-piece ensemble of reliable musicians. With Threadgill conducting, the group jaunts through 19 tracks devised with complex notated music, often with intervallic and timbral obstinacy, but with room for improvisation.

“Mvt I, sections 1-2” is put in motion by Virelles’ solo piano playing, informed by a self-confident if inquisitive expression that balances the tender and the riotous. This is followed by “Mvt I, section 3”, where the strings have no competitors. Yet, the first track that really grabs us by the throat is “Mvt I, sections 6A-7A”, where the introductory piano gives way to a ruminative saxophone soliloquy that, a minute after, is supported by a tightly woven tapestry. And how that tuba throbs along!

As expected, there’s enough angularity in the phrases to make us travel unexplored places. After an interlude where the drummer Craig Winrib claims the spotlight, we have the joyful collective greeting of “Mvt I, Finale”, delivered with that odd bounce for which the composer is known. The bassoon solo stands out here among the individual statements.

“Movement II” is a 16-minute fresco tinted with modern classical and chamber techniques of rare melodic quality. A saxophone solo stirs conspicuous energy, instigating the other band members to swarm in their buzzing activity. But there are also quiet moments of abstraction that potentiate the communication with the string players. The piece then propagates into a disciplined cacophony that ends up in a swirl of motifs.

Two sections stick out from the third movement, which I consider the strongest. They are “Mvt III, section 12-12B”, a gripping episode where an authoritative alto sax interacts with violin in the denouement, and “Mvt III, section 14”, which, denoting further swinging flexibility during a saxophone solo that feels simultaneously fiery and lyrical, still sticks to that march-like gait infused with staccatos and stop-start motions.

Threadgill is found in whip-cracking form as a composer. This is an imaginative musical achievement executed by talented musicians who don’t vacillate when in command of their instruments.

Favorite Tracks:
05 - Mvt I, sections 6A-7A ► 12 - Mtv III, sections 12-12B ► 15 - Mvt III, section 14

Henry Threadgill Zooid - Poof

September 16, 2021

Label: Pi Recordings, 2021

Personnel - Henry Threadgill: alto saxophone, flutes; Liberty Ellman: acoustic guitar; Jose Davila: tuba, trombone; Christopher Hoffman: cello; Elliot Humberto Kavee: drums.

The unparalleled saxophonist Henry Threadgill, a primary figure in the modern creative and avant-garde jazz worlds for years, returns with his Zooid project. As per usual, the musical personalities of the musicians involved in Poof - guitarist Liberty Ellman, tubist/trombonist Jose Davila, cellist Christopher Hoffman and drummer Elliot Humberto Kavee - contribute plenty of exoticism and lyricism to the uniquely developed compositional forms of the bandleader, in a quirky confluence of sounds that create engrossing paths of inquiry.

Take the example of the opener, “Come and Go”, which assumes the shape of an atypical marching procession embracing hopping tuba groove, quizzical cello melody, folksier guitar pointillism, conversational alto sax fluency, and an unobtrusive rhythmic layout on the drum kit. It might seem disjointed at a first glance, but rest assured that all coheres with gorgeous effulgence.

The title track gets the ball rolling with a busy dialogue, which is put on halt, firstly when Ellman plays unaccompanied, and then when Threadgill’s alto takes the lead with irresistible pathos. Hoffmann then follows them, talking brightly.

“Beneath the Bottom” probes interesting tones with the contrast created by trombone, cello, flute and guitar. It remains within a nebulous sonic cloud until the appearance of an elegant groove. Also interesting is “Happenstance”, which counterpoints calmness and tension through cello shrieks and unflappable acoustic guitar. In the course of his magical solo, Ellman demonstrates why his sound and approach are distinctive, and later on, it’s Kavee who reminds us that he has a beat of his own. The final section brings both in-sync and contrapuntal movements.

Pushing the pulse with wry pleasure, the incisive and sophisticated “Now and Then” wraps up the album with genuine group cooperation and an outstanding multiphonic finale.

This is a great return from Threadgill, who showcases the poetic puzzlement of his compositions and that magical style that leaves us marveled.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Come and Go ► 02 - Poof ► 05 - Now and Then

Henry Threadgill - Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus

May 16, 2018

Label: Pi Recordings, 2018

Personnel – Henry Threadgill: composition, conduction; Roman Filiu: alto sax, flute; Curtis Macdonald: alto sax; David Virelles: piano, harmonium; Chris Hoffman: cello; Jose Davila: tuba; Craig Weinrib: drums, percussion.

Acclaimed alto saxophonist Henry Threadgill, a recipient of 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Music, organizes another intriguing odyssey in the 4-track Double Up, Plays Double Up Plus, one of the two albums he is releasing this year on the Pi Recordings label.

The musicians convened for this session are practically the same as in the album Old Locks and Irregular Verbs, but with two major alterations. Pianist David Bryant, who also participates in the 15-piece new ensemble that shaped Dirt…and more Dirt, replaces Jason Moran, while Luis Perdomo joins for the first time as the third pianist. The remaining elements of The Ensemble Double Up are saxophonists Roman Filiu and Curtis Macdonald, pianist David Virelles, who doubles in harmonium, cellist Christopher Hoffman, tuba wizard Jose Davila, and drummer Craig Weinrib.

The 22-minute “Game Is Up” challenges our ears with refined intricacies that range from structural to rhythmic to the way melody and harmony are cohesively knitted. An introductory piano work later finds the company of flute spellbinds in loose counterpoint with alto sax and the sure-footed tuba strides, which also keeps defining the foundation together with the drums. This ebullient polyphonic passage is interrupted to bring the piano to the forefront, this time exclusively accompanied by keen drumming techniques that involve mallets and brushes. The nimble keyboard activity originates sudden swirls, feathery classical-like movements, and jarred loud sounds counterpointing frantic trills before collective illustrations intercalate with multiple improvisations. These happen over diversified comping environments.

The band has its odd way to swing, an indistinct procedure that is also felt on the closing piece, “Clear and Distinct”. Davila inaugurates it with a deep, raucous tuba dissertation before highly motivic piano stretches, oscillating between tense and harmonious, lead us to an epic finale.

The pieces “Clear and Distinct From the Other”, versions A and B, are distinctly attractive. The first version starts with a ceremonious chamber solemnity and ends in an overflowing commotion, having a sharp alto saxophone voice stimulating the band from the midpoint on. In turn, the B version begins with solo piano but veers to a chamber dance, compressing tuba, cello, and flute lines into the same space. Similar to other tracks, the piano takes over for the last two minutes, creating arresting moments that fit into creative jazz and classical as well as modern composition.

Even staying a few steps behind when compared with the ensemble lushness displayed by his brand new 15-piece orchestra, this Double Up-plus-one session is, nevertheless, another fantastic work by master Threadgill, whose music indefinitely intrigues and enchants.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Game Is Up ► 03 - Clear and Distinct From the Other B ► 04 - Clear and Distinct

Henry Threadgill 14 or 15 Kestra: Agg - Dirt... And More Dirt

May 14, 2018

Label: Pi Recordings, 2018

Personnel – Henry Threadgill: alto sax, flutes; Liberty Ellman: guitar; Chris Hoffman: cello; Jose Davila: tuba; Ben Gerstein: trombone; Jacob Garchik: trombone; Jonathan Finlayson: trumpet; Stephanie Richards: trumpet; Curtis Macdonald: alto sax; Roman Filiú: alto sax, flute; David Virelles: piano; David Bryant: piano; Thomas Morgan: bass; Elliott Humberto Kavee: drums, percussion; Craig Weinrib: drums, percussion

Saxophonist Henry Threadgill, holder of a sui-generis jazz style, debuts his 14 or 15 Ekstra: Agg, another singular project that includes guitar - adroitly handled by longtime collaborator Liberty Ellman, who also produces the record - cello, tuba, two trombones, two trumpets, two or three saxophones (depending on if Threadgill conducts or plays), two pianos, one bass, and two drums.

The album, Dirt… and More Dirt, presents ten compositions that pretty much represent the gravitating sound of the multi-awarded altoist, whose unmistakable signature, built on power, finesse, and mystery, constantly undermines the listeners’ expectations.
The Dirt section comprises six parts, the first of which opens with loose drumming and a cutting bowed bass, later reinforced by the strangeness of the harmonium and the robustness of the cello, whose plucks function as a second bass line. While the low-pitched hops of the tuba create an eccentric groove, Ellman’s guitar solo arrives with that non-conforming feel that characterizes his playing. He finds Virelles’ harmonium chords skittering and zinging behind him. Pianist David Bryant also marvels in his individual statement, at the same time that the sonic curtains get thicker and richer.

“Part II” relies on a piano conversation to make the transition into the unorthodox yet stimulating groove that assaults “Part III”. We understand alto saxes speaking with strange boppish accents and an explicative trombone reasoning with an unfussy guitar next to him. To close, we have unisons delivered with a melodic sinuosity that feels almost religious.

High-pitched trumpet blows can be found on “Part IV”, an exquisite celebration whose exuberance matches that in “Part V”. The latter is enveloped by an imaginative exaltation that comes from the horn section’s blows and reinforced with Weinrib's dry snare drum ruffs. Even when having the flutes chirping atop and the tuba vociferating at a lower level, the drummer's work is the highlight.

“Part VI” flourishes with a guitar ostinato widely expanded in an effusive communion with the actively-involved woodwind and brass instruments. This burning, convulsive altercation is suddenly disrupted to accommodate a passage where dulcet flutes mix with a stalwart trombone. They dance freely as several rattles, gongs, and other percussive elements join them with gusto.

Shorter than the Dirt, the More Dirt section encompasses four tunes that altogether run for around 12 minutes. The attractive polyrhythmic complexity of “Part I” and the solemn pianistic nocturne turned into merry folk stride on “Part IV” are the highlights. The latter piece features the bandleader, who pulls off laments, screams, and contortions with a fiery atonal determination.

As a top-tier experimentalist, Threadgill continues to innovate through a spontaneity and reflex that navigate the abstract and the emotional. For the ones experiencing the saxophonist’s forms and textures for the first time, this can be a real challenge. Yet, it's just a matter of time before concluding that his airy (de)constructions never lack drama or elegance.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Part I ► 03 - Part III ► 07 - Part I (from More Dirt)

Henry Threadgill - Old Locks and Irregular Verbs

August 29, 2016

Henry Threadgill: composition; Jason Moran: piano; David Virelles: piano; Roman Filiu: alto saxophone; Curtis MacDonald: alto saxophone; Christopher Hoffman: cello; Jose Davila: tuba; Craig Weinrib: drums.

The veteran and Pulitzer-awarded saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, Henry Threadgill keeps on creating art with a unique voice. This time around, surrounded by a brand new band, he has abdicated to play in order to better sculpt the compositions of this record, a tribute to his late fellow composer, conductor, and longtime friend, Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris.
The addition of two pianists instead of guitar, as well as two altoists, gives a different dimension to Threadgill’s layouts.
“Part One” is a 19-minute piece that pretty much follows the leader’s free-form philosophy. After the heartening piano intro, the reeds proceed to a dynamic assault, and the tune leads us to both individual and collective improvisations over the compact and extravagant textures driven by the bass-less rhythm section.
“Part Two” falls in the scope of chamber music, echoing with a devout interaction between cello and tuba. Also, Weinrib doesn’t disappoint when called for a drum solo.
The tones and attitude conveyed in “Part Three” are similar to “Part One”, yet here we have the expansions and contractions of Moran and Virelles’ interplay, which infuse extra colors on an already colorful canvas. The wandering solos from the pair of saxophonists and the mellow tones drawn by Hoffman’s cello are something worthy to indulge in.
After a four-minute piano intro wrapped in dreamlike tones, “Part Four” becomes increasingly dramatic as it moves forward, carrying mournful intonations that seem wanting to say the last goodbye to Morris.
Different sound, same conception, another Threadgill’s respectful signature.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Part One ► 03 – Part Three ► 04 – Part Four