Label: See Tao Recordings, 2019
Personnel - John Yao: trombone; Jon Irabagon: tenor saxophone; Billy Drewes: soprano and alto saxophones; Peter Brendler: bass; Mark Ferber: drums.
Following up on the quintet recordings released in 2012 and 2017, trombonist/composer John Yao invests in a three-horn quintet identified by the name Triceratops, a three-horned dinosaur whose puissance symbolizes the force of a piano-less new group featuring saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Billy Drewes, who join Yao in the line of fire, and a solid rhythm team composed of bassist Peter Brendler and drummer Mark Ferber. How We Do comprises eight compositions, seven from Yao and one from Irabagon.
The opener, “Three Parts As One”, is a post-bop burner with a communicative, swinging warmth, to which the horn instrumentalists add considerably. After the saxophonists’ juicy-toned flights, the theme is revisited, officially welcoming the bandleader for his first individual statement. The latter is uttered with joy and filled with fine melodic ideas.
The hooky two-note bass groove laid down by Brendler on “Triceratops Blues” has a contagious effect, guaranteeing harmonic consistency for the theme’s colorful unison lines. In this case, the improvisational stretches belong to Yao, whose sound reveals a dark ripeness, and Ferber, who speaks a comprehensible language all the way.
The title cut, introduced with introspective gloss in a sort of space-time warp, infuses some avant-jazz ambiguity through passages that include vagabond bass moves, a vivid cross-stick beat, and wether distended or fragmented lines. This temperament lasts for approximately two minutes, time when a damn groove in six salute the listener with a touch of Latin and plenty of bluesy lines atop. A reeds-brass dialogue, during which each soloist is attentive to each other’s actions, can be thoroughly enjoyed before Ferber starts trading bars with his bandmates.
Although far from groundbreaking, the pieces are consistently built and I like the way Yao writes. You don’t find wasted notes in the melodies and the environment sustains a mix of contemporary and traditional elements that interweave with clarity of purpose. However, after the elegant progression of the 3/4 “The Golden Hour”, which attempts to capture that time when the sun turns magical, the initial high vibe decays a bit, probably due to the more familiar and rollicking nature of the last tunes.
“Doin’ The Thing” has abrupt and brief double time inflections as its principal attraction, while “Two Sides” and Irabagon’s joyful “Tea For T” are hard-swingers converted into buoyant commemorations. Both incorporate tempo variations, with the latter being expedited in its final course and set to a speed-freak pace.
More like a fun session than anything enduring, How We Do easily connects with the listeners by spreading a musical energy that is strong and palpable. Yao is in the right path.
Grade B+
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Three Parts As One ► 02 - Triceratops Blues ► 03 - How We Do