jazz / classical / alt / rock MARK KERESMAN
The Westerlies HHHH Therein Lies the Good Westerlies Records We have become accustomed to hearing “rhythm” expressed or carried by what used to be called “the rhythm section,” namely the cadence(s) of bass and drums. Some units have been able to dispense with that rhythm team-up in the traditional sense without getting rid of the concept of, well, rhythm. Of course, in classical music, this concept is different, so other instru-
ments express that sense of forward motion. The Westerlies are a Seattle-born quartet of two trumpeters and two trombonists, and while the music herein has a certain “nakedness” to it, what they play stands on its own without other types of instrumentation…and by gum, it works. The gospel standard “Travelin’ Shoes” is often heard as an a cappella number; here, it’s played with the swinging vigor of a vocal group, given an additional dimension by what sounds like the surging qualities of a jazz orchestra. Further, with the growls and wails of the horns, this lot evokes the expressive brass-men of Duke Ellington’s bands. “Weeping Mary” is a 19th-century American hymn with an aching wistfulness and a gently swaying rhythm evoking rustic songforms. Their rendition of the hymn “Do Unto Others” shows the relationship—in a totally natural and non-didactic manner—between gospel rhythms and swing. The crackling, apocalyptic “Eli” by Arthur Russell sounds like Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five playing late-period Duke Ellington. This is a disc for the almost sillyeclectic, those who dig Bach and Carl Stalling (the wizard of Warner Brothers classic cartoon music) in the same sitting. (18 tracks, 65 minutes) westerliesmusic.com Christopher Stark HHHH1/2 Seasonal Music Bridge Records Born in 1980 and now based in St. Louis, Christopher Stark is a composer in the tradition 32
of those whose music is impacted by where they grew up. As sure as Debussy was French and Stravinsky was Russian, Stark’s sounds are given savor by the rugged setting of Montana. This is not to imply that Stark’s sounds will conjure the American West like the soundtracks to classic films composed by Ennio Morricone (some of the spaghetti westerns), Max Steiner (The Searchers), or Elmer Bernstein (The Mag-
nificent Seven)—while there is commonality there, Stark goes for a sonic essence of the West. The title piece, performed by the Momenta Quartet, contains high-pitched and tense (as well as mostly tonal with delicate use of dissonance) passages for string quartet evoking the unforgiving windswept landscapes, astringent climes, and harsh beauty of those wild open spaces. “This is Not a Story” is scored for strings, clarinet, piano, and electronics—it’s a tense but oddly cathartic fall through a sonic funhouse mirror. It’s melodious but not mellow, deeply mournful, slightly whimsical, occasionally turbulent, and some passages convey shades of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Those seeking modern sounds with ties to early 20th century old masters (the pros, you dig?) are urged to get here. (9 tracks, 55 min.) bridgerecords.com Keith Oxman HHH1/2 Two Cigarettes in the Dark Capri Jazz history has been marked by “the tenor battle”—a session or performance helmed by two talented exponents of the tenor saxophone, with all the excitement and playful rivalry that goes with it. Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt; Zoot Sims & Al Cohn, and Dexter Gordon, and the
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died-too-young Wardell Gray—they duetted and playfully jousted, each urging the other on to “top that, bro.” In the growing “sincere artistry” of contemporary jazz, this phenomenon had fallen by the wayside, or so many might think. Keith Oxman is a Denver-based tenor man, and he’s gotten props by no less than Benny Golson, who’s helmed a swell session or three (and did some tenor dual/duel-ing too) himself. Oxman has a style in the classic modern mold—John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Wayne Shorter. His special guest on this album is an icon unto himself, Houston Person, the ex-
ponent of the big-toned, sophisticated, unabashedly romantic tenor style, one of the few originals still kicking around. Two Cigarettes is in the tradition of two like-instrumented cats going to town via that big tenor horn, one an acolyte of classic hard bop tenor and the other a master of big, breathy sax. The menu is swinging bop and romantic ballads, nothing too challenging but enough to spur these fellows forward. The title track sounds as if it could’ve come from an old film starring Maureen O’Hara or Tyrone Power—it swings old-school, genially and unhurriedly, each tenor strutting his stuff as if all the time in the world is in their pocket(s). One swings suavely, the other swings as if trying to keep his emotions in check while expressing what’s in heart/mind. Hank Mobley’s “Bossa for Baby” aims to blame it on the bossa nova (with cheers, not tears)—it’s sultry, midtempo, and it’s amazing to hear a couple of swells plays such genial lines with such ease and feeling (never over-emoting, either). “Sweet Sucker” is a rollicking blues-flavored bit with a
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