I first met
Hayden when he toured NZ with Root 70 in 2007 and have been listening to his music since about 2003 (more on that later). Of all my friends I've written about his music the most - and I still feel a bit guarded in doing so.
Going
back to 1999, Norm and Paul were teachers of mine at jazz school and earlier this year while back in NZ, I got to hear them both - P.D
with Jasmine Lovell-Smith, and Norm just happened to be playing a gig
at the airport(!) when I was there to head back to the U.S. This series of posts is going to challenge me to write about my friends, teachers and associates more than I have in the past.
Unwind
is quite the contrast to the Space Case discs from last month. Following
the initial spin I played word association and scribbled down some
words that came to mind: space; warmth; quiet; understated; open;
cozy; subtle; intimate; sparingness; dark; unhurried; joy;
communicative; and intense.
The
three originals from Haden have been explored before in the
alto/piano/bass setting. “Fly,” “Inebriate Waltz” and
“Tinkerbell's Whim” all appeared on Breve
with the latter named “Tinkerbell Swing”) and “Inebriate
Waltz” is also on Star Shepherd. One thing I haven't done this
month is give some comparative listening to the match-ups of
Dyne/Meehan, Penman/Taylor and Kaufmann/Eldn alongside Hayden. Norm
contributes seven pieces and “Nick Van Dijk” (Hi Nick!) seemed
very familiar to me. I think it's from watching the video of the trio
that John Fenton posted on his blog late last year as I don't recall
hearing another recording of it. There are some strong melodies here
and later in the month I started working on “Free Motian” and
“S.T.B.”
It's
always interesting what pops out as you listen passively - “Edward”
and “Free Motian” were the two melodies that initially drew my
ear. And there's phrase from Hayden's improvisation on “Nick Van
Dijk” (at 1.54) always seemed on leap out at me and now I catch
myself waiting for it. Parts of the melody (the bridge) of “View of
the Moon” remind me a little of “Ballad of the Hurting Girl”
from Norm's Small Holes In The Silence (also on Rattle).
One of
the keys to the album is the nuanced playing and subtleties –
Paul's upper register playing during the melody of “Beekeeper,”
or the way Norm uses a pedal tone to generate some gentle propulsion
during the out head of “Free Motian.” Hayden's Basie-esque riff
behind Paul's bass solo on “S.T.B” (a live track to end the
album) and Norm's intro to his solo on the same piece. Some of these
examples last only a matter of seconds but are vital nonetheless. On
a mostly ballad outing such as this, textural variety can make a big
difference. The piano/alto duo of “Free Motian,” the brief solo
sax opening up “Tinkerbell's Whim” the bass/alto duo on “View
of the Moon,” and Hayden's comping behind Paul on “S.T.B”
provide enough variety to keep the ears fresh. Oh, and the counter
point on the out head of “S.T.B” is a nice touch too (the melody
of this tune brought to mind Bernie McGann).
The
trio brings some laid-back churchy blues to Hayden's arrangement of
Robert Schumann's “Sei Gegrusst Viel Tausendmal.” I'm enjoying
the way Paul's interactive lines breath with the soloists.
Following
the melody, “Unwind” momentarily features the tangled lines of
dueting alto and piano before the bass reenters. This tune has bit of
a different vibe to the other pieces – maybe a bit darker or
starker (again, a nice bit of variety). But that feeling is more
apparent during the melody statements than in the improvisations.
It's nice hearing the melody used as a tool for accompaniment. I
could hear this tune reimagined as a wilder out-of-tempo free-jazz
thing too.
A
positive vibe prevails on “Edward” which features communicative
collective playing and swell to the accompaniment thats builds
throughout the song. 3.28 and 4.20 were another couple of
phrases/sound bites that caught my ear.
On the
mid-tempo pieces like “Tinkerbell's Whim” and “S.T.B” Norm's
lines have a nice singing quality to them. His playing on the latter
has some nice twists and turns and use of space/phrasing that I'm
digging. Paul's sound really pops on “View of the Moon” and
“S.T.B” as he digs in for some walking and he plays some lovely
counter melodies on “Beekeeper” and the title track.
Hints
of Hayden's Johnny Hodges roots come through in “Inebriate Waltz.”
The breath is very much part of Hayden's sound and while some players
try to hide air sounds (or it is taught out of them), Hayden embraces
it. At the six-minute mark he links two phrases with air – not
something I hear people doing.
Unwind,
lets you do just that – highly recommended.
