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