Tom Rainey - No Es La Playa

March 8, 2022

Label: Intakt Records, 2022

Personnel - Brandon Lopez: double bass; Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophone; Tom Rainey: drums.

Bassist Brandon Lopez joins the long-time duo of saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tom Rainey, forming a constructive trio of free improvisers who create new worlds of expression with rhythmic consolidation and appropriate levels of abstraction. After a mesmerizing first gig at Brooklyn’s Barbès in 2017, the trio vowed to work together and transported all their musical chemistry to this first outing, No Es La Playa, whose story has a flow, and each of the six tracks has a role in its imaginative telling.

The expedition begins with the title track, which, running past the 13-minute mark, is the longest piece of the set. After a cautious start - with accurately limned tenor melodies, precise bass note configurations and entrancing drumming - the rhythm section exquisitely swings while sustaining conversational lines atop. The sounds and cadences here often recall Parker, Braxton and Ornette. An unheralded ritualistic pulse follows, impeccably driven by Rainey’s exuberance, and with Lopez’s propulsive ostinatos sneaking through the mix. Shortly after this implementation, Laubrock switches to soprano, and the ride ends up in moderate cacophony.

“Saturnian Staring” is launched with unequivocal, persistent drum work, swooning sax melodies, and bubbling bass underpinning. Lopez then embarks on unusual intervals and occasional pedal points that, in trance, support staccato horn lines. This livelier mood is challenged by the somber atmospherics of “When the Island is a Shipwreck”, a tribute to American poet Fred Moten. Its moody tension goes from a mutual entwinement between arco bass and saxophone to the abrupt silence of a break that transforms the former panorama into a wildly ebullient scenario. During the first section, Rainey’s unparalleled drum style comes to the fore with opportune snare drum rattles and bright cymbal shatters.

Making for a brilliant album closer, “The Black Bag of Want” also paints with bowed bass and tenor sax brushstrokes at the outset, but is darker in tone. Laubrock’s shouts and multiphonic roars lead to a furious rhythm, and the energy bursts intensely. Her perpendicular phrases and abundant motivic ideas are also in evidence in “Camposanto Chachacha”. As Einstein once said, “creativity is intelligence having fun”; that’s the sentiment we have while listening to this recording.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - No Es La Playa ► 03 - Saturnian Staring ► 06 - The Black Bag of Want

Tom Rainey Obbligato - Untucked in Hannover

April 15, 2021

Label: Intakt Records, 2021

Personnel - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor saxophone; Ralph Alessi: trumpet; Jacob Sacks: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Tom Rainey: drums.

The third installment in the catalogue of Tom Rainey Obbligato is a live recording composed of pieces of the Great American Songbook previously recorded by the quintet. Yet, these were reshaped anew for a 2018 concert at Jazz Club Hannover, Germany, which featured the band’s regular members - saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassist Drew Dress and Rainey on drums - with the exception of pianist Kris Davis, who was replaced by Jacob Sacks.

“If I Should Lose You” initiates the set with loose melodic contours and contrapuntal piano over the clearly swinging posture offered by the brushed drums and hopping bass lines. Alessi’s muted trumpet jumps into the fray with optimum aesthetic results, while Rainey’s rhythmic elucidations, near the end, become excitedly busy at times and gracefully restrained during others.

“Stella by Starlight” finds the group in top flight as they build phrases on top of phrases for an infinitely open communication. There’s textural inventiveness pumped up by the three time feel, and even an unexpected bossa groove before completion.

Two tracks on the record combine standards, with “What’s New / There is No Greater Love” being the first. The portion concerning the first piece is introduced by a harmoniously articulated bass statement, and then has piano, trumpet and sax, by turns, uttering the theme with a laid-back posture. The transition to the second song, which waltzes, is made via Rainey’s cymbal tinkling and scratches. They evolve into complex layers of toms, precise snare strokes and rim accents, before the incredibly adaptable Laubrock turns her focus to the main melody, flanked by Alessi’s conversational hooks.

In the same manner, the track five splices up “Just in Time” and “In Your Own Sweet Way”. The spirited vibe of the former benefits from occasional percussive slapback and creative freedom. Things are softened up for the latter tune, which earns some momentum through Sacks’ tense chords and melodic undercurrent.

The group concludes with a nearly free-bop reading of Jerome Kern’s “Long Ago and Far Away”.

What makes this record so satisfying comes in large measure from the distinctive sound and sense of liberation conveyed by each musician. Their ability to transform notably known songs into something imaginatively new is strongly valued.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - If I Should Lose You ► 02 - Stella by Starlight ► 05 - Just in Time / In Your Own Sweet Way

Ben Monder / Tony Malaby / Tom Rainey - Live at the 55 Bar

February 9, 2021

Label: Sunnyside Records, 2020

Personnel - Ben Monder: guitar; Tony Malaby: tenor and soprano saxophones; Tom Rainey: drums.

Theoretically, if you have the outstanding guitarist Ben Monder, the inquisitive saxophonist Tony Malaby and the idiosyncratic drummer Tom Rainey playing in the same group, the music has to be awesome. That prognostic is confirmed on this fully-improvised recording captured live last year at the iconic New York venue 55 Bar. The immersive session consists of a long-form three-part suite so-called 3320, which alludes to the date it was performed, March 3rd, 2020.

The finely structured piece takes us to the musicians' recondite and enigmatic sonic world, where light and darkness nail down a deal. Developed with extraordinary intuition, the moods are predominantly foreboding but also catchily obsessive, overcast with gravitas and power alike.

Monder infuses the chorded passages with perplexing sounds and colors, sometimes soaring in suspension with short bursts of light after rising from the occult and the underground. Malaby is often expansive and infectious in his subterranean statements, which sometimes take the form of agonizing, full-throated growls. The tempo is not what certainly matters here, and Rainey is pleased about that, given that he always appreciated freedom and keeps breathing freedom in his playing. His mindfulness and balance help keep things together, whether his rhythmic patchwork is infused with snare drum swirls that cut like knives, high-strung pulses of considerable complexity, or sensitive brushwork that underlines space as opposed to density.

The first part of the suite runs for nearly 17 minutes; the second lasts over 29; and the third, keeping the close interplay but delivered with speed and stamina, adds about 15 minutes more for a total of one whole hour of music. While navigating a marvel of harmonic rivers and unique textures, the group embraces free improvisation with occasional goth and doom metal influences, and the constant ebb and flow in their explorations contribute for a gray state of incertitude and amazement.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Suite 3320: Part II ► 03 - Suite 3320: Part III

Ingrid Laubrock / Sylvie Courvoisier / Mark Feldman / Tom Rainey - TISM

October 31, 2019

Label: RogueArt, 2019

Personnel - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor saxophone; Mark Feldman: violin; Sylvie Courvoisier: piano; Tom Rainey: drums.

TISM joins two regular consistent duos in a unique and democratic avant-jazz quartet. Drummer Tom Rainey and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock team up with pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and violinist Mark Feldman for an improvised work whose chapters don’t get too far from their signature styles.

That being said, I got the sensation that these mutable improvised forms lean a bit more on the reflective side, bringing a laid-back feeling that, nevertheless, never lose the perspective of genuinely spontaneous compositions.

The unfussy “Spectral Ghost” and “Maisons Fragiles” are patiently cooked without simmering, remaining in a controlled state of sensitive conscience. The former opens the recording with stilled brushwork (later morphing into a primitive and resonant percussive texture centered on toms), glimpses of folk melodies bounced off of the violin, a mix of cooperative and disengaged saxophone deliberations, and intricate piano textures. In turn, the latter piece, observant in its brittleness, has Courvoisier sweeping the piano strings with delicacy and Laubrock injecting gruff lines to give a boost to the last segment.

The saxophonist is also in evidence on “Tism”, initiating an energetic interlocution with Feldman. Their terse motivic remarks, long-limbed phrases, and contrasting tones are joined by the rhythmic wallops of the pianist and the intense blast-beats of the drummer. This abstract clamor softens halfway, focusing on idyllic landscapes that, in specified periods of time, are pigmented with slightly obscure tones.

Rainey’s off-centered percussion maneuvers give a unique flavor to “Tooth and Nail”, a 15-minute mind-blowing ride filled with engrossing textural fluctuations. Preceding the initial cries and whispers, Rainey enters in a candid conversational mode that stimulates Laubrock’s neurotic eruptions and Courvoisier’s astounding prepared piano. Feldman alters the scenario by adding vivid lines, and interactive dialogues succeed with openness. At some point, closer to the end, our attention turns to shrilling violin glissandos and cultivated piano meditations.

The closer, “A L’Infini”, is my favorite chapter. In addition to Rainey’s exotic percussion, which catapulted my mind to other parts of the world, we have oddly conjugated sounds from piano and violin. The spotlight is directed to Courvoisier, whose eccentrically creative sounds can be incredibly swinging. Laubrock’s outlandish decorations fit beautifully in the context, before she and Feldman embrace a feel-good lethargy. Sensations and passions become stronger in the final phase with Laubrock and Courvoisier on the cutting edge of a formidable cooperative effort. The former is earnestly expressive in her coherent narratives, while the latter accompanies with grandiose dissonant chords.

The members of this quartet collaborate and know one another for a long time, and their huge capacity of reaction to whatever may happen around them is impressive. Thus, avant-gardists and proclaimers of unfettered creativity have in TISM another motive to rejoice.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Tism ► 03 - Tooth and Nail ► 05 - A L’Infini

Tom Rainey Trio - Combobulated

April 22, 2019

Label: Intakt Records, 2019

Personnel - Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophones; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Tom Rainey: drums.

Tom Rainey constantly brings new ideas to the edgier side of jazz. On Combobulated, his fourth trio album as a leader, he is joined by the frequent and indispensable collaborators, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and guitarist Mary Halvorson. Together, these creative minds guarantee exciting improvised scenarios worked out with abundant complexity and enchantment.

The nearly 19-minute title track sounds awesome, starting off with the ebbs and flows of an odd drum pattern and two insouciant melodic paths that, even diverging in direction, sound perfectly consistent as a whole. As the tune moves forward, they densify the texture, heading toward a stunning crescendo that overflows in effects and timbres. An unorthodox guitar groove flares up in the middle of a solo sax passage, astounding the listener with its asymmetry and irreverence. When the intensity dies out, tingling guitar chops evolve gradually into an enigmatic blend of rock chords and electronic intrusions. This was just the preparation for a cosmic journey initiated by Rainey’s unforeseen tom-tom activity and hi-hat scintillation. The episode is further pressurized with psychedelic electronics and the fiery rumination of the saxophone. Hence, a safe landing is questionable after such a boisterous agitation. At the end, repeated saxophone multiphonics scream ‘help!’ or ‘we made it!’ - it’s really up to your imagination.

“Point Reyes” is set in motion through Rainey’s delicate rudiments. In static mode, Laubrock and Halvorson embark in a sort of exotic folk dance that, feeling beautifully compact at times, ends in an indefinite state of liquidity.

A great sonic menu is offered during “Fact”. Playful interactions between sax and guitar are served as an appetizer, and then the main course: capricious drum forays with sparse bursts of distorted guitar and digital effects that go like clockwork. Brisk and coiled saxophone lines, heavy chords that tend to become patterned, and a jittery rhythm, are the main ingredients of the bittersweet dessert: a perfectly danceable prog-rock assembly. The driving propulsion, inspired and dazzling, leads to the easy conclusion that a bass player is not required in this specific context.

If the aerial suspensions of “Isn’t Mine” are temporarily disrupted by the presence of a restless soprano saxophone on top of an acerbic indie-rock progression, “Torn Road” is immersed in atmospheric clouds of mystery. Slide guitar laments join both the percussive tick-tocks and the circular saxophone blows before hitting a heavily bumpy road, whose navigation is solely entrusted to master Rainey.

“Splays Itself” is a showcase for Laubrock’s extended techniques, kinetic phrasing, and saturated timbral coloration. The inclusion of rock-imbued strokes on guitar and maniacal drum attacks emit jarring undercurrents that aggravate the urban feel of this landscape.

The trio boasts immense energy and originality, and their musical qualities are sonically enhanced by David Torn's spectacular mixing, mastering and post-production. In this particular chapter of their careers, you will find them at a peak of their musical strength.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Combobulated ► 03 - Fact ► 05 - Splays Itself

Tom Rainey's Obbligato - Float Upstream

November 27, 2017

Label/Year: Intakt Records, 2017

Lineup – Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophone; Ralph Alessi: trumpet; Kris Davis: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Tom Rainey: drums.

Multifaceted American drummer Tom Rainey reunited his all-star band Obbligato for their second outing, Float Upstream, following the same philosophy of picking out classic tunes from the Great American Songbook and transforming them according to a modern point of view.

The quintet, both responsive and malleable, features Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Kris Davis on piano, and Drew Gress on bass, each of them staggering improvisers and distinguished bandleaders.

The music passes a feeling of delight, showing the respect and admiration these adventurous musicians have for the repertoire, even if they’re mostly known for different voyages, certainly less accessible yet widely exciting. However, fans of their probing style can relax because the fearless, risky attitude and proneness for experimentation are all here, well adapted to the softer nature of the pieces, whose new aesthetics blooms under a loose-jointed predisposition.

“Stella by Starlight” gives the example, opening the recording with a breezy Motian-esque flow hinged to the natural swinging environment. The melodic conversation between Alessi and Laubrock finds Davis as a meddler, each of them contributing to the balanced hybridity of tradition and modernity.

Soaring like a feather in the wind, Sam Rivers’ “Beatrice” is subjected to a cultivated sonic treatment. The balladic journey starts with sophisticated trumpet lines over sparse piano textures. After interlocking bass lines and distinctive brushwork get aligned to build a solid ground, Laubrock’s saxophone pops up, weaving melodies in and out, as the gentle yet propelling swinging inflection takes over.

An intrepid avant-jazz invasion takes hold of the uptempo “What is This Thing Called Love”, which features thoughtful horn interplay and a jagged piano exhilaration cooked up with intelligence. Here, the tune’s melodic statement can be glimpsed during the last seconds, but on “What’s New” it's perfectly recognizable from the beginning on account of Davis, who never abandons the main melody completely, exploring around it. Before she appears, one may indulge in Gress' solo bass intro populated with gorgeous woody phrases, elastic slides, and brief quick trills. The saxophonist, less expansive than usual and working alongside Alessi, still tosses a few elliptical punches to keep things interesting, wrapping up the piece with melodic clarity.

Brandishing his unique sound and advanced rhythmic discernment, Rainey opens a surprisingly waltzing “There Is No Greater Love” with both wet and wry tonalities allied to other inventive percussive techniques. Expect nice call-responses throughout a soprano/trumpet improvisation.

Before closing the session with another well-known ballad, “I Fall in Love Too Easily”, there’s time for the uncompromising title track, the only piece composed by the quintet, which swinging straight, also explores boundlessly.

Only talented musicians create edgy perspectives from traditional forms and structures. Rainey’s Obbligato does it charmingly with a selfless commitment.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Beatrice ► 03 – What is This Thing Called Love ► 04 - What’s New

Jazz Albums 2016 - Weekly Listening Jul 4-10

July 11, 2016

Another 6 fresh Jazz records to enjoy!

INGRID LAUBROCK / TOM RAINEY - BUOYANCY

Ingrid Laubrock: tenor and soprano saxophones; Tom Rainey: drums.

Two Brooklyn-based innate adventurers and partners, both in music and life, Ingrid Laubrock and Tom Rainey are really impressive in the way they dominate their instruments and express themselves.
By sounding so tight and natural, “Buoyancy”, let the couple’s perfect communication flow both in its fast and furious vindications or hushed sensitivities. It’s their new excavation of rhythms and sounds.
If you’re familiar with their work, you’re probably imagining that rhythm might take over melody throughout the four pieces presented here. Well, this is partly true, if we take into account that this genre lives mostly from the gradual rhythmic alternations, motivic ideas, and interchanges. Still, sweet melodic murmurs and lulls can be assimilated.
“Buoyancy” is a special record, not only for its creators, but also for those who look for intensity, agility, and creativity in the expansive world of modern jazz.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Buoyancy ► 02 – Twenty Lanes ► 03 – The Museum Of Human Achievement

DANIEL FREEDMAN - IMAGINE THAT

Lionel Loueke: guitar, vocals; Jason Lindner: piano, keyboards; Omer Avital: bass, oud; Daniel Freedman: drums; Gilmar Gomes: percussion.

The flexible New York drummer Daniel Freedman convenes a super multicultural band to play in “Imagine That”, a penetrating record that crosses the boundaries of jazz and world fusion.
The Brazilian Gilmar Gomes, a member of Forro in the Dark, joins Freedman for the first time, in opposition to the Israeli-American bassist Omer Avital, the American pianist Jason Lindner, and the fantastic and influential Benin-born guitarist Lionel Loueke, who are longtime collaborators.
The leader, who incorporated two compositions of Lindner, one of Loueke, and a remarkable interpretation of Radiohead’s “Codex”, boasts his West African and Middle Eastern influences with four dulcet pieces of his own authorship. Three of them were enveloped in cheerful demeanors and the remaining one was delivered with elegiac undertones.
The sum of the parts makes a solid whole, and the noteworthy “Imagine That” sparks as a universal festivity.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – Baby Aya ► 04 – Codex ► 05 – Mindaho

THE CLAUDIA QUINTET - SUPER PETITE

Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Red Wierenga: accordion, piano; Matt Moran: vibraphone; Drew Gress: acoustic bass; John Hollenbeck: drums.

Minimally composed and meticulously conceived, the music of The Claudia Quintet, led by the drummer/composer/arranger John Hollenbeck, is always difficult to categorize.
I describe it as a sort of cerebral jazz that merges with fragments of modern classic and folk music, and then is delivered in the form of ethereal, unobstructed, and hypnotic dances.
The tunes are more programmed than improvised, only occasionally opening space to Chris Speed’s non-aggressive saxophone/clarinet, which sound soars over the moods created by Moran’s vibes, Wierenga’s accordion, and the rhythm section. “JFK Beagle” and “Philly” are the tracks that better illustrate this exception.
Hollenbeck’s phenomenal percussive timbres match Gress’ subtle bass work in an irreproachable way. A generalized relentless symbiosis is created, emphasizing the whole rather than the individual.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – JFK Beagle ► 04 – Philly ► 10 – Mangold

SERA SERPA / ANDRE MATOS - ALL THE DREAMS

Sara Serpa: vocals, piano, Fender Rhodes; Andre Matos: guitar, electric bass, percussion; Pete Rende: synthesizer; Billy Mintz: drums, percussion.

Dreamy and atmospheric, “All the Dreams” soars higher with every listening.
Its airy, often sedative effect comes from the compelling melodies sang by Ms. Serpa, who spreads a sweet languor over the well-crafted textures delineated by her husband, the guitarist Andre Matos. The Portuguese duo, besides playing other instruments that aren’t normally associated with them, counted on the subtle-yet-determined synthesizer of Pete Rende and the percussive skills of the veteran Billy Mintz, in order to materialize their compositions.
Tinged with several influences - from pop to jazz to Middle Eastern music - and featuring the poetry of William Blake, Luis Amaro, and Alvaro de Campos, these tunes sound authentic, taking us to the very particular musical universe of Serpa/Matos.
Get yourself ready to experience minimalism, complexity, and sophistication throughout this eclectic fusion.

Favorite Tracks:
02 – A La Montagne ► 03 – Estado de Graça ► 06 – Água

BRIAN GRODER TRIO - R TRAIN ON THE D LINE

Brian Groder: trumpet, flugelhorn; Michael Bisio: bass; Jay Rosen: drums.

Brian Groder’s “R Train on the D Line” is an excellent follow-up to “Reflexology”, which was recorded with exactly the same partners in 2014.
The leader’s talking trumpet/flugelhorn evinces melodic consistency and a disarming eloquence regardless the pace and mood of the tunes. Groder's phrasing slides freely and whimsically over the non-static rhythmic masses created by the dauntless bassist Michael Bisio, a distinctive skipper in the pizzicato and bowing approaches, and the off-kilter drummer Jay Rosen.
Attentive listeners will notice transitory swinging sections being intercalated with the more exploratory ones, an option that avoids steady routines by suggesting a different trajectory.
The super balanced trio approaches Groder’s crisp compositions with discipline, maneuvering the sounds and rhythms with perception, purpose, and accuracy. Multiple listenings will bring new discoveries.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – Quanta ► 02 – Retooled Logic ► 05 – Praxis

LEFTERIS KORDIS - MEDITERRANA

Lefteris Kordis: piano; Petros Kamplanis: double bass; Ziv Ravitz: drums;

Greek pianist Lefteris Kordis takes us on a nice cruise, sailing on accessible waters that are shared by jazz and Eastern Mediterranean folk territories.
We can have a better notion of Korda’s beautiful lyricism in the tunes he plays in trio, with the double bassist Petros Kamplanis and the drummer Ziv Ravitz. Sometimes their sound reminisces Steve Kuhn’s textural compositions.
However, it’s not uncommon to hear exotic scales and allusions to flamenco played on top of the more traditional folk songs. This is achieved with the juxtaposition of some other elements such as a restless ney flute, a melodious harmonica, a moving accordion, a crying clarinet, or the medieval touch of a lute. To join these assorted combinations, Mr. Korda seamlessly jazzified “And I Love Her” by The Beatles, giving it a personal touch.

Favorite Tracks:
01 – In the Land of the Phrygians ► 02 – Yota ► 05 – The Raven and the Fox