The Dave Holland Quintet John Surman

John Abercrombie
Guitarist John Abercrombie has been recording on ECM for thirty years. His :rarum collection reaches all the way back to his first recording for the label, Timeless; the record's title track is a ruminative trio with organist Jan Hammer and drummer Jack DeJohnette. There are also more recent offerings. "Convolution", recorded in 2000 for Cat 'n Mouse, is a sprightly quartet outing. Abercrombie is joined by violinist Mark Feldman, bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joey Baron. Feldman and Abercrombie in particular engage in a playful repartee that brings out an angular and digressive side to the guitarist's playing.

"Homecoming", from the 1994 album of the same name, is one of bassist Dave Holland's compositions; it is played by Gateway, a trio comprised of Abercrombie, Holland and DeJohnette. This is jazz fusion at its best, with fluid jazz improvisation serving as an equal partner to the electrified amplitude and propulsive rhythms of rock.

My favorite cut is in a more "unplugged" vein -- a duo recording between Abercrombie (playing acoustic) and fellow guitarist Ralph Towner (playing classical guitar). "Avenue" is spacious and lyrical while at the same time including impressively virtuosic solo work from both musicians.


Arild Andersen
Bassist Arild Andersen fills his :rarum disc primarily with his own compositions, often performed by groups that he has led during the course of twenty-nine years of recording for ECM. A rare recording of a standard, "For All We Know", performed with Ralph Towner (from 1991's If You Look Far Enough), is an appealing exception. Despite being a prolific composer, Andersen is an equally sensitive interpreter of others' material. This is also true of the Bill Frisell composition "Shorts". The guitarist and Andersen create a singular and intriguing sound world in this brief tune (from Frisell's 1982 album In Line); the bassist weaves intricate counter melodies around Frisell's twangy Americana themes.

I am also quite fond of "The Island" (from 1990's Hyperborean), on which Andersen is joined by members of his own jazz quartet as well as by the Cikada String Quartet. Both Anderson and tenor saxophonist Bendik Hofseth plays poignant solos over the harmonic progressions supplied by the string quartet and keyboardist Kenneth Knudsen. All the while, drummer Paolo Vinaccia keeps a strongly articulated pulse going without overwhelming the proceedings -- no mean feat given the delicate texture created by some of his counterparts.


John Surman
Saxophonist John Surman chooses not to present his selections chronologically on his :rarum volume. Instead, he creates a musical montage that depicts the many contexts of his recorded work, from small group jazz to solo instrumentals to large concert music compositions. As a listening experience for a single sitting, it is a most satisfying program.

Surman's solo composition "Portrait of a Romantic" (from 1987's Private City) is an excellent example of his work in this vein. He plays both recorder and bass clarinet solos (the latter with impressive facility) over a pad of cinematic-sounding synths. "Number Six" is a Surman composition that the saxophonist performed with the Miroslav Vitous Group in 1980. Bassist Vitous and Surman (playing soprano here) are joined by (recently deceased and much missed) pianist Kenny Kirkland and drummer Jon Christensen. The playing is ebullient, with Surman turning in a questing, soaring solo. "The Buccaneers", a duet between Jack DeJohnette and Surman, is equally stirring.

"The Returning Exile" was written by Surman for the 1992 album "The Brass Project". Unlike some jazz musicians who attempt to "cross over" into the realm of contemporary composition, Surman's works hold up well, mixing traditional and contemporary techniques as well as notated and improvisatory playing in an appealing twist on "Third Stream" music. "Stone Flower", from 1999's Corruscating, brings Surman (playing baritone) together with a string quintet. The strings play lush harmonies while bassist Chris Laurence performs a wide-ranging pizzicato solo. Surman's own solo turns the proceedings toward the world of the detective film score, serving up smoky night club jazz. An appealing take on an old (gum) shoe!


Jon Christensen
Drummer Jon Christensen hasn't recorded much as a leader for ECM, but he has appeared as either sideman or collaborator on over fifty recordings for the imprint. As such, his :rarum disc has been culled from recordings by other artists. "Personal Mountains" (from Keith Jarrett's eponymous 1979 recording) features intense yet finely articulated performances from Jarrett, Christensen, saxophonist Jan Garbarek and bassist Palle Danielsson. "Tutte" (from 1985's Bande A Part), a Christensen composition, is recorded by Masqualero, his long-running ensemble with Arild Andersen and pianist Jon Balke. The drummer's performance on this piece is particularly impressive -- he does much at the drum kit without ever losing the underlying groove in the all of the rhythmic intricacies.

Two attractive cuts from Ralph Towner's 1974 Solstice album are included: "Piscean Dance" and "Oceanus". I am particularly grateful for the inclusion of "War Orphans", an Ornette Coleman composition recorded by pianist Bobo Stenson, bassist Anders Jormin and Christensen (on Stenson's 1997 album of the same name). Coleman's tune is transformed to work quite naturally in a piano trio context; Stenson plays in a spare and economical style, receiving pithy but carefully phrased support from Jormin and Christensen. This piece is an object lesson in how the amount of notes that a musician plays is not nearly so important as the care with which they are selected and the feeling with which they are played. Truly inspiring ensemble interaction is displayed here.


Dave Holland
Dave Holland was one of the artists whose :rarum collection I was most eagerly awaiting. I was not disappointed. Given the amount of material that he has recorded for ECM, Holland chose to focus on his work as leader (a second :rarum collection of his extensive work as a sideman down the road would surely be a welcome addition to the series). As it is, there are a number of different ensembles and performance contexts represented on the CD.

Holland also includes a tune from the Gateway project, "How's Never", as the opener to the recording. There are no tracks from last year's big band album, but the arrangements on several of the other projects make small group jazz sound big, both in conception and sound. "You I Love", from his 1983 album Jumpin' In, features hard-blowing heads and dazzling improvisation. Holland's quintet from that time period included altoist Steve Coleman, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, trombonist Julian Priester and drummer Steve Ellington. "Shifting Sands" (from 2000's Not for Nothin') and "Prime Directive" (from 1998's Prime Directive) are both performed by the quintet of Holland, saxophonist Chris Potter, trombonist Robin Eubanks, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and drummer Billy Kilson. They are an enormously versatile group, capable of creating textures of great delicacy as well as vigorous uptempo material.

"Inception", from 1982's Life Cycle, is a solo piece on which Holland plays cello. Some bassists who occasionally perform on this smaller upright stringed instrument do not make the transition well, but Holland's tone is pleasing and his virtuosity impressive. Another selection also spotlights Holland recording in an unusual context: "Equality", from 1995's Dream of the Elders. Holland's quartet (comprised of Holland, altoist Eric Person, vibraphonist Steve Nelson and drummer Gene Jackson) is joined by vocalist Cassandra Wilson. This original composition uses a poem by Maya Angelou as its text. Wilson's creamy vocals are abetted by a sinuous underlying groove and delicate comping from Nelson.

Jack DeJohnette makes an appearance in a trio with Holland and Coleman on "Four Winds" (from 1988's Triplicate). Holland's solo work here is truly impressive, while the ensemble is rock solid and rhythmically propulsive. The last track is the title tune from Conference of the Birds, Holland's first recording for ECM back in 1972, on which Holland enlisted saxophonists Sam Rivers and Anthony Braxton and percussionist Barry Altschul. Rivers, playing flute, and Braxton, playing soprano, make an excellent avian pair, while Altschul and Holland create flexible, buoyant rhythms underneath.


Egberto Gismonti
Multi-instrumentalist Egberto Gismonti's :rarum disc contains a wide variety of music, much of it influenced by various aspects of the folk and jazz traditions of his native Brazil. Gismonti demonstrates his facility as a guitarist, pianist, percussionist and vocalist during the course of these selections. He even plays kalimba and wood flute on a track entitled, appropriately enough, "Kalimba (Lua Cheia)" (from 1977's Sol Do Meio Dia). Highlights include "Lundu (azul)", a virtuoso solo guitar performance (from 1988's Danca dos Escravos), "Frevo", a concert work in which Gismonti appears as piano soloist with the Lithuanian State Orchestra, and "Selva Amazonica", a twenty minute long suite in which Gismonti plays all of the instruments and sings.


Paul Motian
Drummer Paul Motian's :rarum selections come from his work in various contexts on ECM, as a leader, sideman and collaborator. However, all of them are Motian originals. The drummer performs the title tune from 1972's Conception Vessel in a duo context with Keith Jarrett. The pair seem to feed off of one another's energy, with each gesture eliciting an ever more fiery response. Motian is joined by frequent collaborators tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and Bill Frisell for the title tune from 1984's It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago. Frisell creates a wreath of sonic magic around Lovano's solos, while Motian seems content to remain in a supporting role, enjoying the sensitivity with which his counterparts perform his music.

He explores a wider range of percussion instruments and polyrhythmic playing on "Abacus" (from 1979's Le Voyage). Motian is joined here by tenor saxophonist Charles Brackeen and bassist J.F. Jenny-Clark. Brackeen spins whirlwinds of angular arpeggios and Jenny-Clark takes an extended solo too, but Motian's re-entry is filled with a loquacious battery of fills, rolls and cymbal crashes. On this CD, for once, everyone will be looking forward to the drum solos!


Carla Bley
Pianist, composer and arranger Bley has recorded with large ensembles and small groups on ECM over the years; a sampling of both makes its way onto her :rarum disc. From the opening notes of "Baseball" (from 1999's 4X4), with an electronic organ playing "Charge!", to its later, considerably weightier solos, you can perceive Bley's tremendous versatility. Her work contains both serious elements (some of it serving as political commentary) as well as light-hearted and ebullient music. All of these various stylistic and musical approaches are arranged with consummate grace.

Bley engages in strong duo repartee with bassist Steve Swallow on "Major" (from 1998's Are we There Yet). Swallow and Bley are joined by tenor saxophonist Andy Sheppard on "Chicken" (from 1994's Songs with Legs). This blues title seems to be a reference to the many call and response moments where entrances "just miss each other". There's also a small-group version of her free jazz composition "Ictus", on which Bley does not play. The 1961 recording is instead performed by Swallow, clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre and pianist Paul Bley.

While these more intimate pieces are engaging, Bley's works for larger ensembles are her most impressive moments. "End of Vienna" (from 1997's Fancy Chamber Music) combines strings, clarinet and vibraphone with Bley's piano, creating diaphanous, impressionistic chamber music that is far more natural-sounding than the "Fancy" part of the album's title would suggest. "More Brahms" comes from the 1987 Sextet album. Bley, playing organ, is joined by guitarist Hiram Bullock, pianist Larry Willis, Swallow, drummer Victor Lewis and percussionist Don Alias. The group creates fusion-tinged music that retains a breezy approach and subtly-hued textures.

In a different vein, "On the Stage in Cages" (from 1993's Big Band Theory), is a boisterous big band chart. "Fleur Carnivore" (from the eponymous 1988 album) is a supple ballad, with strong solos performed by trumpeter Lew Soloff and altoist Wolfgang Puschnig. Bley turns large ensemble jazz, whose stock has dropped precipitously in recent years, into something that can both reference its traditional format and expand its boundaries.

-- Christian Carey