Music for Commuting: Lewis Porter Phil Scarff Group

Lewis Porter (p) Phil Scarff (ss/ts/sopranino/tamboura) John Funkhouser (b) Bertram Lehmann (d)

I’ve been meaning to check out Three Minutes to Four by the Lewis Porter/Phil Scarff Group for a while now and last month I finally got around to it. This week it was back on again getting a fresh listen along with the rumble of the road and an ever increasingly loud muffler. I remember Lewis mentioning this group several years ago, so they had been together at least a few years when the album - the group's first - was recorded (2015). And the resulting sound is that of a very cohesive unit.
 

I'm always keen to hear different soprano players and, outside of a few YouTube videos, Scarff is new to me. He has a classic, focused soprano tone with a bubbly, buoyancy (particularly on uptempo pieces). But he can draw out a round, woodiness too (part 1 of "Bageshri-Bageshwari" and "Raga Shree" being but two examples). He reserves this for the Indian pieces but it would be great to hear him apply this tone colour to the some other material too. He sticks to soprano on the Indian pieces but I wouldn’t mind hearing some tenor on these pieces.

Porter's contrafact ("Long Ago") is based "Long Ago and Far Away." Porter writes in the liner notes it's a song he associates with Art Pepper. Funnily enough, I do too. And I ending up listening to versions by Pepper on The Art of Pepper Vol.2 and Intensity - I hadn't listened to either for quite some time.

On an album with pieces featuring tone rows, dedications to Olivier Messiaen and adaptations of works from Southern India, “Strode Rode” seems a little out of place. But it's still a fine album and I'm going to keep my ear out for more from Scarff.

Music for Commuting: More Soprano (I got a fever)

It was Wayne Shorter's 86th birthday last week so 1 + 1 was a fitting (although completely coincidental) choice. I don't hear too many people taking about this album, maybe it's bit of a sleeper in his discography, but I dig it. Bonus points as Wayne sticks to soprano throughout and I particularly like his tone on this album.

It took a bit of hunting to track it down, but I really wanted to find a copy of Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner after reading that David Liebman rates it as one of his finest outings. The album has grown on me over the years and not having listened to it for a while, I really enjoyed it this time around. It's an all-soprano outing - solo with multi-tracked soprano. Lieb signed the album for me following a masterclass at PM Woodwind - I don't know why I didn't ask him about the recording process and how he put the work together. It's a must listen for Liebman fans, those keen on the soprano saxophone, and solo sax recordings. For those interested in composition, it's worth checking out how much Liebman can extract from the brief main theme. And again, completely coincidental, I'm posting this on Lieb's 73rd birthday.

Music for Commuting: Voices and Communique

The car ride needed some soprano sax last week and Steve Lacy is always go-to source on that front. Communique is another chapter in the long line of Steve Lacy/Mal Waldron collaborations. I'm not sure I enjoy this one as much as Sempre Amore. I know I've listened to the latter a lot more, so maybe I just need to spend more time with this one. It dawned on me that I don't have any albums by Waldron as a leader and he's a player I want to explore further - I'm open to recommendations.

Voices is a reissue I picked up earlier this year - a trio date led by Masahiko Togashi with Lacy and Jean-Jacques Avenel. I have a couple of albums of Lacy and Togashi together and they make a nice pairing. Spiritual Moments was getting airplay earlier in the year but of late Voices has been in the rotation. For now, I'll take a break from the master while I await a few more discs that are heading my way.

Music for Commuting: A Bunch of Sam Newsome

For the last couple of weeks solo recordings from Sam Newsome have been accompanying the ride. I regularly read Sam's blog and follow him on social media, but it was about time I started catching up with his discography and these four are all new to me. I don't particularly like having to drive to work, but the music helps ease the pain - even if it is far from an ideal listening situation.

Sam often uses "extended" techniques in a way that those unfamiliar with them may find quite approachable. Over the last couple of years he's been working with "prepared" soprano saxophone
and while I dig the results of "Chaos Theory", I do miss the tone of his "unprepared" straight horn (although there are a couple of tracks where it appears).

There’s plenty here to keep me out of trouble (as there are with the other 4 discs I have of Sam’s), and I'm going to give each of these some dedicated time in the near future. And eventually I’ll get around to hearing his earlier work on Steeplechase... and his more recent ensemble recordings too (keen to hear him with Fay Victor).

Music for Commuting: Alexander Berne

I’m pretty sure it was my friend James Wylie who put me onto the series of recordings that comprises Alexander Berne’s Composed and Performed By. I can't remember when exactly, but it couldn't have been that long after it was released (2010). Regardless, it had been ages since I had given these three discs a blast. An early morning trip to, and late night return from the airport felt like the appropriate time to be joined by The Abandoned Orchestra and The Soprano Saxophone Choir. While The Saduk got a run the following morning on the way to work. I know very little about Berne, and considering how much I enjoy these recordings, I'm not sure why I haven't bothered exploring further.

NZ Jazz: Jasmine Lovell-Smith - Fortune Songs

Jasmine Lovell-Smith's Towering Poppies – Fortune Songs

Jasmine Lovell-Smith (ss) Russell Moore (trpt) Cat Toren (p) Patrick Reid (b) Kate Pitman (d) 2011 

While this listening series was designed to get me listening to more jazz by New Zealanders, with a particular focus on albums/artists I hadn't listened to, occasionally I make an exception and revisit a work – as was the case this month. Originally, Fortune Songs was slated for a straight-horning post, but then I thought of the NZ Jazz series and put that on hold (I'll have to revive that series), so now I'm finally getting around to spending more time with the Tower Poppies. 

I've known Jasmine since the early 2000s, and it's always tricky writing about your friends. But I have to say, it's a really solid outing – lyrical, joyous, hints of darkness and drama, plaintive, and conversational. 

Having two takes of “Confidence” is a nice touch. Each draws something quite different from the piece. The first is uplifting, buoyant and warm. While the second version strips things back for a more reflective approach. I can't think of many soprano/trumpet pairings (a couple from Lacy come to mind playing very different music) but I like the blend they get.

“Darkling I Listen” is somewhat more dramatic with a nice dialogue between piano, bass and drums as the horns step aside following the melody. There's elasticity to the underlying feel. Patrick Reid's bass is bold and the way he comes out of his solo seems like the perfect fit.

There is something chilled-out, yet driving, about “Let Go Be Free” that I find very appealing. During my studies with Richard Tabnik and Connie Crothers, we worked on making notes come alive, listening to where they want to go (rather than subscribing to preconceived lines). Some of Jasmine's notes here (2.06 and at other spots on the album) feature an unstable resonance that really pop out. It's a quality that makes me feel that the note could go anywhere.

The drumming of Kate Pitman is a highlight of the album. Her accompaniment is inventive throughout. She has the knack of not over-doing things while still maintaining propulsion. I enjoy the way she spreads the time around the kit. The propulsion is important factor as many of the tempos are on the slower side but she keeps things moving and interesting.

Cat Toren is pretty understated but that is the approach that is needed with this music. I really enjoyed her comping throughout the album. A nice example is her work behind Russell Moore on “Let Go Be Free”, where she mixes up single note lines, lush chords, and composed material from the melody, yet it never seems to get overbearing or in the way.

“Seven of Swords” is similar to “Darkling” in that is dramatic and features a rubato melody supported by busy accompaniment. I like the way the density backs off following the melody into a section collective improvising. In this case I think I would have like the improvised section to be a bit longer and have the out head stripped back to just soprano, bass and drums – but I'll survive!

Moore throws a bit grease on things during his solo “A Nest To Fly.” It adds a bit of spice to the relaxed groove and the band responds. But restraint is shown (once again). No one is going overboard. Jasmine plays a couple of notes at 2.59 that always remind me of Nathan Haines' “Chinese Burn." The rhythm section just a great job at varying the color and textures behind the soloists.

“Lover's Knot” is a nice example of Jasmine's need not to rush, and her approach permeates through the band. Buy-in from the band, supporting Jasmine's vision, creates a cohesive ensemble sound – one of the strengths of the album (along with her choice of personnel). Sometime I'll have to ask Jasmine how she feels that her love of poetry has influenced her improvising (and writing).

I love the fragility of the opening phrase of “When The Tide Is Right” and how it grows bolder with repetition – but not overly so. From that comes an assuredness to her phrasing of the improvised line. As with here playing throughout the album, it's a lyrical style that doesn't need to rely on an arsenal of well prepared material. A personal approach to the horn. 

Why have I been so slack to get hold of the follow-up, Yellow Red Blue?

Music for Commuting: Lacy, Lacy, Lacy

Keeping me company this week were discs from the Black Saint/Soul Note box set of Steve Lacy solos, duos, trios. I opted for the 3 (of 6) discs that I have listened to the least: Communique (duo with Mal Waldron), The Flame (with Bobby Few and Dennis Charles) and The Window (with Jean-Jacques Avenel and Oliver Johnson). Plenty of variety to soothe the mind. Well..... I'm not so sure that The Flame is soothing, but it is a nice reminder to seek out more from Bobby Few (I don't recall hearing him play outside of the little I have of him with Lacy). You can add to the list other Lacy Black Saint/Soul Note box set (quartets and larger groups). But in the meantime, I have another couple of sets - those by Paul Motian and Ran Blake - that I need to unpack so they can join me for a ride.

Straight Horning: Bruce Ackley Trio - The Hearing

Bruce Ackley Trio: The Hearing (Avant)

Ackley (ss) Greg Cohen (b) Joey Baron (d) 

Bruce Ackley has very much flown under my radar. Outside of the little I've heard from ROVA, this is the first album I've heard from Ackley. And after a little digging around this appears to be his only release as a leader (are there others?). I may be late to the party, but thankfully The Hearing has been getting plenty of airtime since picking it up back in May. 

The album was produced by John Zorn who, not for the first time, enlisted Greg Cohen (b) and Joey Baron (d) – a Zorn house rhythm section of sorts perhaps. A couple of other Zorn produced discs in my library featuring this pairing include Misha Mengelberg's No Idea and Lee Konitz's Some New Stuff and then there's Masada (I'm sure there are others too). It's a really solid pairing – swinging, creative, supportive, interactive and flexible. You can't ask for too much more really. It's a testament to their ability that the album locks right into place – I wouldn't have picked that they hadn't played with Ackley before.

Soloistically sometimes Baron is a little bombastic for me... but it's only a minor complaint and in some ways it matches Ackley's spark - and it's not out of place on pieces like “Serf Music.” Cohen's double stops on “Clear Blue Sky” grabbed my attention. He doesn't overdo it - a couple times during melody and one phrase during his solo – plus he plays very nice walking lines and melodic solo too.

The exuberance of “Out of the Box” brought Monk to mind - when I read then liner notes (I always give the album a listen first) it mentioned Herbie Nichols was the inspiration. “1, 2 and Radical 3” has a mysterious vibe. Baron shows he is much more than bombastic with lots of subtle changes behind the more dominant bass and soprano. Solo following the melody features lots of shorts phrases, pecking and jabs and some flurries, register leaps, and melodic variation. The head of the energetic blues, “Juggernaut,” has pointed feel due to Ackley's clipped articulation. But things smooth out a bit during the blowing but the energy remains throughout. I liked Baron's shift in sound/texture as he accompanies Cohen's solo before employing some trademark Baron power during the trades. “Mr Mood” is a bit more reflective/introspective. There's almost a stream of conscience type thing going on, with ideas, direction and colors changing phrase to phrase yet somehow it all ties together and is very much in fitting with the melody. I couldn't help thinking of Wayne Shorter. There's plenty of interaction between the trio and at a push it could be my favourite track on the album. On the full-throttle, busy, up-tempo burn of “JT”, Ackley moves into the outer regions via the upper range. There two sides to “Syndrome”, a buoyant march that opens the work and then a more outwardly reflective (yet still inwardly driving) for the rest of the piece. I expected that they would reprise the march at the end but they don't and it really wasn't necessary. “Serf Music” features Ackley utilizing a chanter-like effect over arco bass and drums (playing a quasi-surf feel at times... Or is that the tunes title playing on my mind?). The chanter effect contorts and distorts with the addition of multiphonics and altissimo as the piece progresses. Cohen's intense arco playing really sets up the vibe of “Actual Size”, and locks in with Baron's dry cymbal for some swinging bass lines while Ackley generates an exploratory feel while still maintaining the swing. Rounding out the album is the mid-tempo “Ivan's Bell” features an angular melody that is still somewhat lyrical, and the melodicism remains for Ackley's solo. 

Ackley is definitely coming from the Lacy realm but expresses his own personality from within that sphere. He has a full-bodied, solid, robust, flexible, bold, pure soprano sound. There's evenness across the range and a he finds a nice combination of darkness/spread and focus. Ackley plays with plenty of energy and spark (slightly manic quality at times, but appealingly so). There is a probing quality to his playing that really enjoy. I think some of it is due to his time feel and busyness of his playing - he can be quite notey at times. One word that always came to mind as I listened to this was “exploratory” - like Lacy, Ackley is an explorer. 

Fellow soprano saxophone enthusiasts/fanatics, do yourself a favor and dig into The Hearing.

Straight Horning: Jan Garbarek - Folk Songs

Jan Garbarek (ss/ts) Charlie Haden (b) Egberto Gismonti (g/p)

Folk Songs (ECM) is the trio's follow-up to Magico (both recorded during 1979) and four of the six pieces feature Garbarek on soprano (albeit of the curved variety....I'm being a little flexible with the “Straight Horning” title today). A few years back I made an effort to check out a fair amount of Garbarek's work, and almost without exception I preferred his playing from the 70s. Garbarek's distinctive tone (perhaps even unique) was the thing that struck me when first listening to him many years ago. It's very easy to pick and that alone is worthy enough reason to give him a listen. Considering soprano is his second horn makes it all the more impressive. And judging from the more recent things I have heard (mostly via concert footage on Youtube), it's still fairly well intact.

It's a bold sound, resonant, full and the upper register can have a laser-like focus at times. While revisiting Folk Songs this week I started noticing how he uses tone to maintain energy (on both ballads and up tempo pieces). The attack, buzz, vibrato and dynamics have an urgency to them and gives him the freedom to use space and not overplay while still maintaining energy and momentum. “Cego Aderaldo” is a pretty good example or the held notes on “Equilibrista” or the title track.

The influence of Ornette Coleman comes through in his soprano playing but I don't hear it as much in his tenor playing (but that could be because my listening has focused on his soprano work). It is hinted at in his phrasing, melodic material and certain intervals. Maybe it is most apparent on “For Turiya” (side note: the opening of the piano solo on this track always seems to make me think of Mike Nock). “The Windup” from Belonging with Keith Jarrett is another example of the Ornette influence on Garbarek too.

I like the way the notes are almost smeared together on uptempo lines on “Equilibrista.” At times this track brought to mind David Liebman but I think it had to do the post-Coltrane type content of the lines rather than the articulation/smeared phrasing (or maybe it's just because Lieb is playing in town next weekend and he was on my mind).

Haden plays great and there are times when I listen to this album just to focus on his playing. As usual he makes a great study for using the minimum to the maximum.

I'm making an effort to keep up the weekly straight horning post. I'm yet to decide on what soprano album will be the next to get some attention, but stay tuned for more.

Straight Horning: Tony Malaby at Constellation

Due to computer error we're running a little late this week...... a week late.
The trio of Tony Malaby (ts/ss), JT Bates (d) and Anthony Cox (d) were at Constellation on Saturday night (7th) and it was during the set break that I decided to scribble (well, type on the phone) some notes for a straight horning post.

While I've been to Constellation many times, this was the first time I've been in the smaller of the two rooms. It seats about half as many people and was about 3/4 full (maybe 45 or so for the first set ....  not bad considering that there were less than 10 not long before the scheduled kick off). Acoustically it was pretty good, but maybe not quite as nice as the larger space.

I heard Malaby live a couple of times several years ago (with mixed results), and although I've heard a little from him on soprano, I've always considered him a tenor player. Still, I was excited when saw the soprano set up last night. I didn't have to wait long for him to switch horns, and as it turned out, he pretty much split time evenly between the two horns over the two sets.

The soprano wasn't treated as "tenor up an octave" (as can be the case when soprano is the secondary horn). Malaby took advantage of the sonic differences he has on the two horns - the lighter, fleetness of soprano and the robust tenor with lush subtone. He has a well balanced soprano sound with plenty of depth and a nice crisp edge. Add to that the bends, growls, altissimo, multiphonics, dynamics, air sounds and a bit of "sax can moo" (as Lacy would say) - it's a very flexible approach to the horn.

Just as his sound had variety so too did the improvisations - melodic and lyrical, dense and rapid, and textual/sound oriented playing kept things from getting bogged down. There was plenty of ebb and flow throughout the sets and the textural and dynamic elements were important factors.

I haven't followed Malaby's work that closely, and maybe he's playing soprano more these days, but it's rare that soprano as a second horn hits me the way it did on Saturday night. I could have listened to Malaby on the straight horn all night .

Straight Horning: Sam Newsome - Blue Soliloquy

Originally planned for last week, this post was placed on hold due to the Coltrane birthday post. The upshot being I was able to spent a little more time with Blue Soliloquy this week.

I’ve only heard Sam Newsome live once. It was a few years ago at Smalls along with Tim Berne, Andrew Cyrille, and Ethan Iverson - a pretty interesting lineup. I think it was a one-off gig, but I really enjoyed the two sets of free improvisation (not what you really expect at Smalls) and hoped that they would make a record together. That hasn’t happened (yet!) and Newsome has continued to focus on solo recordings. But last week he posted about his upcoming release - Magic Circle, a duo with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc - and it made me reach for Blue Soliloquy.

The first time I heard this album I was struck by Newsome’s upper registers (3^rd & 4^th octaves). It had been quite a while between spins, but once again it was the upper register playing that really popped out at me. He has a really full tone, with a laser-like focus, that doesn’t thin out or get overly bright as he hits the upper reaches (“Blue Beijing” "Blue Sunday"). The evenness across the entire range of the horn is a standout and I recommend soprano players to check him out - if they haven't already (even if they aren’t investigating the upper register). An added bonus of a solo recording is that it can allow you to hear nuances that may have been hidden by an ensemble.

I like how Newsome presents techniques in way a that may be a bit more palatable to more mainstream audiences. Multiphonics (“Blue Swagger”), quartertones (“Blue Monk”), and slap tongue (“Mandela’s Blue Mbira”) are just some examples that appear in his album-long exploration of the blues. But it’s not just a string of variations of the usual 12-bar format; instead Newsome delves into various musics from around the globe as inspiration for blues exploration. Also, these techniques add plenty in terms of colour and texture, preventing the album from getting bogged down by streams of single note lines (not that this is necessarily a problem, but you have to be pretty special to pull that off of an entire solo sax album).

Sometimes I feel that Newsome’s playing is a little too “arranged.” And while it could be viewed as weakness, I’ve come to view it as adding strength to his solo recordings. It brings focus to the pieces and cuts down on the possibility of them drifting (for what it’s worth… I didn’t have this “arranged” feeling when I heard him live). The length of the pieces, 15 tracks running between 2 and 5 minutes (with only “Blue Sunday” clocking in at 7:45), makes for a program of tunes that remain on the move, and again makes the pieces quite approachable to listeners that may not be accustomed to solo recordings or the “exotic” sounds employed by Newsome.

Also on the cards last week was re-reading various chapters of Newsome's book. I tend to prefer books on jazz from the artists point of view (such as Art Taylor’s Notes and Tones, Ran Blake’s Primacy of the Ear, the Arcana series, Lacy’s Findings and some of Liebman’s books). Life Lessons from the Horn, pulls together short essays on his approach and philosophy of practicing and playing makes for some interesting reading in a very digestible form (adapted from his blog posts).

In a music where everyone struggles to “find” his or her voice, Sam Newsome definitely has one that is his own (and Life Lessons details some of that journey). If anything, Blue Soliloquy has reminded me I need to listen to more Sam Newsome. Eventually, I would like to work through some of his earlier soprano albums (such as his pre-solo work on Steeplechase), but the newly released Magic Circle will likely be my next stop.

Straight Horning: John Coltrane - 1961 Village Vanguard

This week I had been listening to some Sam Newsome and an album of his was planned for this post. Then, as it was Coltrane’s 91^st birthday yesterday, I decided to get out of the apartment and listen to some Coltrane and make that the subject of today’s post. It was all going to plan until I placed the disc into the computer and my CD player decided to stop working (I tried the old faithful “turn it off and back on” to not avail). So there was no Coltrane on soprano yesterday - but there is today.  

I came to the Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings around mid-1999, and it’s a recording I can clearly remember listening to for the first time (the library strikes again!). It was a period when I was listening to a lot of Eric Dolphy, that’s what led me to it, and that was where my focus was directed. But today it’s the straight horn that has my attention.

If you are interested in Coltrane but haven't got around to these recordings, you are missing out. 

It's an early incarnation of the "Classic" quartet with Reggie Workman on bass. But Jimmy Garrison is there also (and would soon take over the bass spot), plus there's the addition of Eric Dolphy (as/b.cl) along with Ahmed Abdul-Malik (tanpura) and Garvin Bushell (cor anglais and contrabassoon) - although the latter two only appear on a couple of tracks each, they add a different color to the ensemble sound. [side note: in addition to this recording with Coltrane, Bushell looks to have recorded with a range of artists including Mamie Smith, Gil Evans, Jelly Roll Morton, Chick Webb, Slim Gaillarrd and more.]

Usually when it comes to Coltrane, it’s just a few tracks here and there - rarely an entire album. The last time I pulled out this set was to listen to the 3 versions of “Chasin’ the Trane,” and before that it was a handful of the soprano tracks. Today, I listened to more than my normal fill of Coltrane in a single seating - all of the soprano tracks, and make up half of the 22 tracks in the box set:

Disc One: “India” and “Spiritual”

Disc Two: “India,” “Spiritual” and “Softly As In A Morning Sunrise”

Disc Three: “Greensleeves” and “Spiritual”

Disc Four: “India,” “Greensleeves,” “India” and “Spiritual”

If only there were soprano versions of “Chasin’ the Trane” and/or “Impressions” from this gig, but he seemed pretty set on using certain horns for certain tunes. On all but the first version of “Spiritual” he plays the opening theme and first solo on tenor, then switches to soprano to solo again and take the song out. Maybe one day I’ll spent some time hanging with “Spiritual” for some tenor/soprano contrasts and comparisons.

Recorded more than a year after My Favourite Things and his first studio session on soprano, The Avant Garde, he’s more confident on soprano on the Vanguard recordings and (almost) pushes it to breaking point. “Greensleeves” seems pretty tame when listening to the versions of “India” from either side of it on disc four. And maybe it's “India” that opens disc four that is my favourite of the soprano tracks from this collection. The jury is still out because I haven’t heard his entire soprano output, but so far I would pick “Chim Chim Cheree” from The John Coltrane Quartet Plays as my favourite Coltrane on soprano with the Vanguard recordings running a close second. Although, I’m not sure that it is based solely on his soprano playing - the live energy, and a slightly unpolished quality of the Vanguard performances are also contributing factors.

I definitely prefer Coltrane in small doses, but I’m open to recommendations, in particular recordings that feature his soprano playing. I’ll get to Sam Newsome next week, and in the meantime .....I hope he doesn't mind being bumped by Coltrane.

Straight Horning: Jane Ira Bloom - Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson

Last week it was a fairly new release, this week it’s a new release - Jane Ira Bloom’s

Wild Lines: Improvising Emily Dickinson (Outline). I’ve been looking forward to this one for a couple of months now. It features her long-time collaborator Bobby Previte on drums along with pianist Dawn Clement and bassist Mark Helias (who also have been in the Bloom orbit for a number of albums now). 

While I’m not super familiar with Bloom’s output (I have 3 or 4 albums and heard her once live about 5 years ago), I know there are certain things to expect - her signature soprano tone that is full of depth (as usual she doesn’t overdo the electronics), attention to detail, a tight ensemble sound (I enjoy the blend of the soprano and piano - not easy), and a nicely produced album.

That being said, I’ve had a harder time getting into Wild Lines than I did with previous album, Early Americans. But I think it has less to do with the playing, than it does with the album as a whole. One thing that was appealing to me about Wild Lines was the spoken word aspect featuring the work of Emily Dickinson. However, I wasn’t expecting 2 discs - the first being instrumental, and the second featuring the quartet augmented with Deborah Rush’s recitation of Dickinson. Each disc features the same pieces, albeit in a different order. Cool…double the music, lots of listen and comparing different takes.  Not quite. Rather than featuring totally different takes many of the pieces on the instrumental disc are essentially the same minus the vocal. For example, the pieces “Emily & Her Atoms” and “Alone & In a Circumstance” both feature the same music on each disc with the poetry spoken over the piano introduction. They are not all like that - “Dangerous times” features two different performances and I thought this would have been the standard approach. Even Bloom’s trademark solo rendition of a ballad (“It’s East to Remember” in this case) seems to be the same take on each disc.

It gave me the impression that the words were tacked on, spoken over an arranged/composed part of the music…. and then the band takes over for the rest of the piece. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way improvising while the poetry is spoken and as such, the spoken portion does not feel completely integrated into the performance. As I continued listening I started to feel that the words were acting as a preface to the music (or in the case of “Big Bill,” an afterword), and it started to work for me. But then why have the instrumental disc?  Could it possibly be for something a bit more radio/middle-of-the-road jazz audience friendly? Then why include the second disc with spoken word? I found this quite a distraction, and spent about as much time (maybe more) pondering this as I did enjoying the music. And that’s a shame as I am enjoying the performances. It’s maybe a little more composition orientated than I like, but Bloom sounds excellent - her tone is full of subtle shifts in color, vibrato, pitch, and dynamics. “Big Bill” appeared on her last album, Early Americans. And it’s nice to hear someone revisiting to one of their own tunes. It seems these days that standard procedure is to record 8 or 9 tunes for a specific project and then the tunes are shelved. Rarely are they tackled on later recordings (which feature another 8 or 9 new tunes), which may make harder to associate a set of tunes with an artist. But that's for another blog post.

Had Wild Lines come with only one disc (preferably with the spoken word), I think I would have quite a different listening experience over the last few days. But now, with my initial confusion out of the way, I can just relax and listen to the music.