INTAKT RECORDS – CD-REVIEWS
TOM RAINEY OBBLIGATO
Intakt CD 227 / 2014
Tom Rainey è un batterista sofisticato e dinamico, nato nel 1957 in California e trasferitosi 22enne a New York dove si è fatto notare al fianco di importanti jazzisti contemporanei, da Tim Berne a Kenny Werner a Fred Hersch. Ora firma «Obbligato» per la Intakt e l’occasione è inconsueta perché, come fa intendere il titolo, il repertorio è tutto di brani celebri, da «Just In Time» (in due versioni) all’ellingtoniano «Prelude To A Kiss». Anche l’organico è tradizionale, con Ralph Alessi alla tromba, la fedele Ingrid Laubrock ai sax, la pianista Kris Davis e il contrabbasso di Drew Gress; ma ciò che nasce da questi «obblighi» esce da ogni convenzione. I temi affiorano da improvvisazioni collettive audaci, in cui è la batteria del leader a fissare le strutture su cui muoversi, e tutti creano un jazz libero, attualissimo e sempre godibile. (Voto: 8)
Von den Projekten mit Ingrid Laubrock her könnte man Tom Rainey und John Hébert für untrennbare Buddies halten. Aber wenn nun Drew Gress auf TOM RAINEYs Obbligato (Intakt Records 227) Bass zupft, ist eigentlich das die Fortsetzung einer Partnerschaft, die seit den späten 80ern in Andy Laster's Hydra, Paraphrase, The Macroquartet, Tony Malaby's Apparitions und im Angelica Sanchez Quintet eine Konstante im New Yorker Bäumchen-wechsel-dich darstellt. Laubrock mit ihren Saxophonen, Kris Davis am Piano und der Trompeter Ralph Alessi mit seinen Erfahrungen bei Steve Coleman, Uri Caine und auch schon mit Gress und Rainey vervollständigen das Quartett. Nach erprobter Chemie bei Lark, wo er schon zusammen mit Laubrock, Rainey & Davis spielte, lässt Rainey ihn hier lauter Oldies mit anstimmen: jazzige wie Brubecks 'In Your Own Sweet Way', 'Reflections' von Monk und Ellingtons 'Prelude to a Kiss'. Aber auch Broadwaymelodien wie 'Just in Time' von Jule Styne, von Jerome Kern 'Long Ago and Far Away' und 'Yesterdays', Sammy Fains Oscar-Gewinner 'Secret Love' und 'You Don't Know What Love Is' von Gene de Paul. Alles freilich so frei, dass selbst die Väter ihre Kinder nicht sofort wiedererkennen würden. So frei, wie einst aber auch schon die Bebopper mit Ohrwürmern ihrer Zeit umsprangen, ähnlich wie Braxton, als er noch einmal den ganzen Standard-Katalog durchexezierte oder S.-Å. Johansson mit seinen coolen Candies. Frei also mit der Einschränkung, dass hier etwas, das schon da ist, speziell die Melodie, umspielt wird. Relativ selten jedoch so unhierarchisch - alle singen von sich aus Fetzen der Melodie, Zeilen der 'Songs', alle schwingen wie von selbst im richtigen Puls. Das ergibt nicht unbedingt Puzzles, aber doch etwas Mosaikartiges, mit partiellen Verdoppelungen, auch mal nur Andeutungen, wobei das Ohr die Lücken automatisch füllt. Das Gewebe ist trotz der fallen gelassenen Maschen immer 'vollkommen'. Alessi und Laubrock sind ein federleichtes Eistanzpaar, das sich zwischen Sprüngen und getrenntem Schweifen über die ganze Tanzfläche immer wieder in die Arme fällt. Gegen einen retromanischen Eindruck sprich die traumtänzerische Narrenfreiheit, die sich in ihrer Metasophistication den Spaß erlaubt, in hergebrachten Melodien zu baden, ohne sich nass zu machen. Dabei auch mit einer Doris-Dayschen Zuckerbombe eine rasante Tortenschlacht zu veranstalten. Als wäre bei Ellington nicht der Kuss, sondern tatsächlich das getrommelte und ein keusch verklemmtes Bläservorspiel die Hauptsache. Als wären 'Yesterdays' und 'You Don't Know What Love Is' keine Herzensbrecher, sondern vage Déjà-vus, ein bisschen Getröpfel, eine bloße Bossa-Nova-Tändelei. Gefühle gibt es am ehesten noch als halbschattige Erinnerungslücke. 'Just in Time Again' scheint sich aber zuletzt selbst davor mit Fluchtgeschwindigkeit abzusetzen. Nostalgie klingt ganz anders.
Obbligato is Rainey's second release for Intakt Records as a leader and a notable first for the intrepid percussionist since it features Great American Songbook material instead of rarefied originals, intriguingly reinterpreted by a multi-generational group of artists. Trumpeter Ralph Alessi and bassist Drew Gress are fellow Downtown scene veterans, while saxophonist Laubrock and pianist Kris Davis are prodigiously talented members of a younger generation. Using well-known standards as common ground, the five-piece ensemble embraces the harmonic foundations of familiar songs with a concerted focus on melodic invention. Together they reconfigure traditional tunes as impressionistic sketches, treating timeless themes as rubato obbligatos underpinned by supple group interplay. Brimming with luminous passages of euphonious call-and-response and bold collectivism, the session unveils a multiplicity of approaches towards time-honored material. Two versions of "Just in Time" bookend the date, opening and closing the album with pulse-quickening excitement, as the quintet careens through the changes with free-spirited abandon. Renditions like Dave Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way" offer a more sober experience; a relaxed gait accentuates the warmth and lyricism of the number's core motif, a sonorous line beautifully extrapolated by Alessi and Laubrock in a series of breathy exchanges. Even warhorses like "Prelude to a Kiss" and "You Don't Know What Love Is" are recast anew; the former unfolds as a phantasmagoric abstraction, the latter as a cinematic tone poem fortified by rhapsodic embellishments towards the coda. Greater than the sum of its parts, the group's congenial rapport is emblematic of attentive listening and democratic interplay. Alessi's oblique lyricism, Laubrock's quixotic phrasing, Davis' pointed accents and Gress' pliant ruminations all work in collusion with the leader's wide-ranging dynamics. Though unconstrained by formal concerns, the musicians always maintain some key aspects of the underlying structure of each piece, be it melody, harmony or rhythm. Such awareness of the tradition enriches the depth of their interpretations, making Obbligato one of the most persuasive modern recordings of established standards in some time. Troy Collins, All About Jazz, USA January 16, 2014
Ulrich Steinmetzger, Leizpiger Volkszeitung, 11. Januar 2014
Mary Halvorson travaille fréquemment avec Tom Rainey, Kris Davis (Cf. Culturejazz - Intakt & Clean Feed, 30/03/2012), Ingrid Laubrock (Cf. Culturejazz - Europe Express, 01/03/2012). Elle n'est pas de la partie cette fois dans le nouveau disque du batteur américain qui a proposé à son quintette une série de standards et de thèmes de jazz connus. Mais, en un exercice difficile et de haut vol, et une très grande maîtrise, les musiciens rendent ces thèmes méconnaissables et produisent un jazz contemporain ouvert, nourri du passé, y compris le free, des meilleures traditions et des racines les plus fécondes. Voilà un exemple du meilleur jazz que l'on puisse entendre à l'heure actuelle. Jean Buzelin, Culturejazz France. 14 janvier 2014
cwa, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, NZZ, Feuilleton, 31.1.2014
Efecto de las asociaciones mentales que el tiempo va estableciendo y asentando, la escucha de Obbligato de Tom Rainey hace que acuda a la mente la figura de Anthony Braxton. Ello a pesar de que sus planteamientos son muy distintos. Esta grabación dura 52 minutos, mientras que Braxton es capaz de publicar tres cajas de cuatro CD de cinco horas de duración cada una de ellas. Me estoy refiriendo, concretamente, a las grabaciones registradas en 2003 y publicadas en Leo Records, de mister Braxton con su Standards Quartet, formado junto a Kevin O'Neal, Kevin Norton y Andy Eulau. Aunque su discografía está repleta de ejemplos elefantiásicos. Tom Rainey no recurre a ese afán documentador que se traduce en una discografía casi inabarcable como ocurre en el caso de Braxton. Es algo diferente. Lo que no se va de la cabeza es esa idea de que para los músicos de jazz, de algún modo, existe una cierta necesidad de volver a la tradición, tal y como relataba Anthony Braxton en una de las entrevistas más intensas que se han realizado en Tomajazz. Y eso es lo que Tom Rainey, acompañado del trompetista Ralph Alessi, de dos de las mujeres más interesantes del jazz en la actualidad (la pianista Kris Davis y la saxofonista Ingrid Laubrodk), y del contrabajista Drew Gress, realiza en Obbligato, la segunda grabación a nombre del baterista en Intakt. El repertorio está compuesto por estándares en el sentido más estricto de la palabra. Son obras muy conocidas ("Yesterdays", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "Secret Love", "Long Ago and Far Away"), algunas de las cuales fueron compuestas por músicos muy conocidos (Monk, Ellington, Brubeck), que han sido y son interpretadas por músicos de jazz desde hace décadas. Estos temas normalmente no están presentes en los repertorios de Alessi, Laubrock, Davis, Gress o Rainey, y sin embargo resulta asombrosa la manera con que los reinterpretan. Con el descaro suficiente para alejarse de los modelos más conocidos de cada uno de esos temas, y sin embargo mostrando con ello un tremendo respeto por cada una de esas piezas, logrando que sea un verdadero placer sorprenderse con la manera en que estos cinco músicos reinventan esos clásicos.
Rediscovering the tradition January saw the release of Tom Rainey's Obbligato quintet's eponymous first CD, bringing together Rainey as a leader, surrounded by his (some older and some more recent) stablemates Ralph Alessi, Ingrid Laubrock, Kris Davis and Drew Gress. For those who have kept up with these players' recent work, this line-up will sound familiar, as it is actually the same as the LARK Quartet (also on Intakt records), expanded by Drew Gress on bass. Appearances, however, can be deceptive, which becomes apparent from the very start. For a start, this CD's repertoire consists of 10 standards, most of them taken from the Great American Songbook, with a Monk and a Brubeck composition thrown in for good measure. So, no original compositions or improvisations here, in contrast to Rainey's (or LARK's) output so far. The playing as well is pretty different from what one might expect from this group of players. Just in Time, the brief opening track is as be-boppish as one can get these days (the CD was recorded in 2013). Add some crackle and groove hiss, imagine you're listening to an LP, and you could be back in the late fifties, early sixties, listening to the first classic Miles Davis quintet. It is not until after a while that the simple truth kicks in : this band is, indeed, a perfect copy of those classic quintet line-ups. The horn section runs up and down over a steady basso continuo line, so typical for the age. Brubeck's In your own Sweet Way sounds a lot more mellow – and so do the next two tracks -but allows more scope for subtle interplay. Overall the playing is rather reserved and restrained, with every note delivered carefully and neatly; there's nothing that reminds one of the fact that the majority of the players typically express themselves in free mode. No shrieking horns, no clashing of cymbals or clattering chord work on the piano are to be heard on this recording. It is only after repeated listening that the restraint opens up and allows us a glimpse at the different layers, so much so that one begins to hear more instruments in the mix than just the five of the basic quintet. Or is this my imagination running wild? In Secret Love, the first cracks appear in the quintet's persona and it becomes clear this is not just a bunch of young(ish) cats who are trying to show they can play in the classic mode as well as they play free improve. Underneath the surface there are occasional slips into freer expression, with unexpected drum rolls, some definitely no longer tradition bass runs, and non-classic bursts from the horn section. Still the playing remains tight and controlled. The music grows more free and meditative after the drum solo that opens Prelude to a Kiss, so much so that one really has to listen to recognize the original melody. As the record goes on, you realize how the standards' melodies are skeletons slowly hollowed out from the inside and given new shape. The CD ends where it started, with another take on Styne's Just in Time, and back to be-bop mode. What we've gone through is a 60-year journey and back in just over 50 minutes, with some hints at what straightforward be-bop has (or could have) grown into. The playing on this CD is impeccable throughout, and the delivery and interplay are unquestionably top-notch. Whether this is music you'll often listen to, however, is a different question altogether, as it is a far remove from these players' usual context. If it were not for the individual's former output, this record would probably not qualify for the label free jazz. Definitely worth a listen, and certainly interesting if you want to hear these players in a different setting, but Obbligato sounds just a little too traditional to keep me on my toes after two or three listenings.
This is drummer Tom Rainey's third album to date as leader, although you will find another fifteen or so releases with him featured on; most notably on Tom Varner's 1992 Don Cherry influenced release 'The Mystery of Compassion'. 'Obbligato' features Ingrid Laubrock on soprano and tenor sax, whilst Ralph Alessio (tp), Kris Davis ℗ and Drew Gress (b) all bring a special something to the ten contemporary jazz compositions. Although Dave Brubeck's 'In Your Own Sweet Way', Thelonious Monk's 'Reflections', and Duke Ellington's 'Prelude to a Kiss' are each given the Rainey touch, it is the energetic opener 'Just In Time' and the short be powerful avant-garde closing piece 'Just in Time Again' which is sure to alert the hardened listener to the talent displayed on this Brooklyn recorded, London mastered, and German released album. Let us then keep a watchful eye, and intuitive ear, on Tom Rainey as he develops his music as a leader.
Peter Margasak, Downbeat, Chicago, April 2014
Nate Chinen, New York Times, Feb. 21, 2014
Sean Fitzell, The New York City Jazz Record, March 2014
tHo, Concerto, Österreich, Feb/März 2014 Vincent Cotro, Jazzman, Mars 2014
Gudrun Endress, Jazzpodium 3 /2014
Drummer Ton Rainey hat eine neues gutes Quartett aus seinem nicht unbekannten Umfeld zusammengestellt, um einen eher unkonventionellen Blick auf amerikanische Jazzstandards zu werfen. Besetzt wie ein klassisches Bebop-Quintett mit Ralph Alessi (Trompete), Ingrid Laubrock (Saxofon), der grandiosen Kris Davis am Klavier und Langzeitkumpel Drew Gress am Bass, lotet er die zeitgenössischen Optionen von Stücken Brubecks, Monks, Jerome Kerns oder Duke Ellingtons aus. Das Ganze ist höchst gewandt und fein musiziert, sprengt aber, in appetitliche drei bis sieben Häppchen unterteilt, nicht wirklich die Konventionen. Sehr schön immer wieder die verschränkten gleichzeitigen Improvisationen von Saxofon und Trompete und Kris Davis kristallines Klavierspiel, besonders vermag ihr Umgang mit der Zeit zu beeindrucken.
Hiroki Sugita, JazzJapan, March 2014
Selwyn Harris, Jazzwise, April 2014
Jim Macnie, ToneAudio, March 2014
John Fordham, The Guardian, London, March 20, 2014
Periodo, abbastanza superfluo a dirsi, di corpose attività, concertistiche e discografiche, delle personalità qui investite: tutti partner già rodati tra alterne line-up, oltre alla coppia di fatto ed artistica costituita del leader e dalla regolare partner Ingrid Laubrock (Tom Rainey trio, Anti-House, Sleepthief), una metà della nuova band di Ralph Alessi e l'emergente, talentuosa pianista Kris Davis configurano un inedito e stimolante quintetto che capta certamente toniche e vitali forze dell'odierna scena downtown.
Ken Waxman, The Wolenote, April-Mai 2014
Ecco un disco bello, intelligente, del tutto convincente in quanto rimane aderente ad una precisa tradizione jazzistica, riuscendo nello stesso tempo a trascenderla e rivitalizzarla. L'idea è semplice: reinterpretare composizioni storiche del repertorio jazzistico, fra le quali alcuni standard ben noti ed altri meno frequentati, conferendo loro un'insolita veste armonica, strutturale e timbrica, rendendoli cioè musica di oggi. Questa operazione viene condotta da Tom Rainey evitando intellettualismi sofisticati o calligrafici accademismi, rifuggendo gli automatismi del mainstream come il velleitarismo sperimentale. Gli arrangiamenti obliqui, evocativi, a volte un po' evanescenti ma sempre leggibili, comportano un trattamento deformante delle melodie dei brani, che a volte rimangono latenti, appena percepibili sottotraccia. Fra le versioni più riuscite, per la trasfigurazione rigenerante della qualità melodica dei temi, è il caso di citare il monkiano "Reflections" e "If I Should Lose You" di Ralph Reinger. Inevitabilmente più esplicito rimane l'impianto tematico-ritmico di un brano come "Secret Love." Il progetto riesce a lievitare coerente e propositivo anche per via della condivisione più completa da parte di tutti i membri del gruppo. Ingrid Laubrock, che in altre occasioni non aveva convinto per il fraseggio troppo ricercato e la mancanza di una decisa personalità, in questo contesto offre una prova sorprendente, articolando la voce densa del suo tenore con appropriata varietà di accenti e dinamiche. Ma quello che risulta superlativo è soprattutto l'intreccio continuo, mobile, inventivo dei suoi interventi con il limpido eloquio della tromba di Ralph Alessi: è il loro fitto dialogo a caratterizzare tutto l'andamento del CD. Il piano di Kris Davis emerge perentorio solo a tratti, mentre la batteria del leader e il contrabbasso pulsante di Drew Gress forniscono uno swing scabro e austero ma elegante, rilassato, mai invadente. A ben vedere, tutto in questa musica (arrangiamenti, senso coloristico e timbrico, interplay e assoli, andamenti ritmici...) guarda con consapevolezza ma con intento rinvigorente ad un precedente stilistico ben preciso: il cool jazz storico. D'altra parte non è questa una delle tendenze più consistenti, articolate e coinvolgenti della ricerca jazzistica attuale? Se questo CD presenta un'identità così spiccata lo si deve certo alla concezione registica del leader e all'affiatamento di tutto il gruppo, ma forse anche al contributo di un esperto tecnico del suono qual è Joe Marciano in fase di registrazione, avvenuta nello studio System Two di Brooklyn nel febbraio 2013.
Christoph Wagner, Jazzthetik, Mai 2014
Steff Rohrbach, Jazz'n'more, Mai-Juni 2014
Da queste parti, essere restii a trattare album basati sul repertorio degli standard del jazz non è "puzza sotto il naso" quanto una "problematica estetica": dagli anni del bebop in poi, con qualche felice ma sporadica eccezione hard-bop, ed escludendo il Keith Jarrett Trio, è difficile trovare un progetto fondato su evergreens jazz che suoni davvero originale. Sarà che dal cool in avanti, l'originalità passa più per brani che per interpretazioni originali, ma trovare "versioni di standards" rilette in maniera diversa ed alternativa dal consueto o dall'accademia, risulta piuttosto arduo. Ebbene, questo Cd esce dal coro. Merito del leader, il batterista Tom Rainey, che lo ha pensato, e della compagine che lo realizza, con i "veterani" Alessi e Gress e le "emergenti" Laubrock e Davis. Un incontro intergenerazionale che ha già dato ottimi frutti in vari contesti e occasioni sparse, pure a bandleaders invertiti, e che qui nobilita ed esalta tanto i pezzi tratti dal Great American Songbook quanto le composizioni di Brubeck, Monk ed Ellington, ossia In Your Own Sweet Way, Reflections e Prelude to a Kiss. Senza leggere i titoli sulla tracklist, inserite il Cd nel lettore, magari attivate pure la funzione shuffle, sedetevi ed ascoltate. Sarà difficile capire al primo ascolto di che brano si tratti: questo significa rileggere uno standard a modo proprio, la musica rimane fresca e affascinante, senza mai dare la sensazione di "già sentito". Un bel progetto, con pezzi interessanti. Due ver-
Rediscovering the tradition January saw the release of Tom Rainey's Obbligato quintet's eponymous first CD, bringing together Rainey as a leader, surrounded by his (some older and some more recent) stablemates Ralph Alessi, Ingrid Laubrock, Kris Davis and Drew Gress. For those who have kept up with these players' recent work, this line-up will sound familiar, as it is actually the same as the LARK Quartet (also on Intakt records), expanded by Drew Gress on bass. Appearances, however, can be deceptive, which becomes apparent from the very start. For a start, this CD's repertoire consists of 10 standards, most of them taken from the Great American Songbook, with a Monk and a Brubeck composition thrown in for good measure. So, no original compositions or improvisations here, in contrast to Rainey's (or LARK's) output so far. The playing as well is pretty different from what one might expect from this group of players. Just in Time, the brief opening track is as be-boppish as one can get these days (the CD was recorded in 2013). Add some crackle and groove hiss, imagine you're listening to an LP, and you could be back in the late fifties, early sixties, listening to the first classic Miles Davis quintet. It is not until after a while that the simple truth kicks in : this band is, indeed, a perfect copy of those classic quintet line-ups. The horn section runs up and down over a steady basso continuo line, so typical for the age. Brubeck's In your own Sweet Way sounds a lot more mellow – and so do the next two tracks -but allows more scope for subtle interplay. Overall the playing is rather reserved and restrained, with every note delivered carefully and neatly; there's nothing that reminds one of the fact that the majority of the players typically express themselves in free mode. No shrieking horns, no clashing of cymbals or clattering chord work on the piano are to be heard on this recording. It is only after repeated listening that the restraint opens up and allows us a glimpse at the different layers, so much so that one begins to hear more instruments in the mix than just the five of the basic quintet. Or is this my imagination running wild? In Secret Love, the first cracks appear in the quintet's persona and it becomes clear this is not just a bunch of young(ish) cats who are trying to show they can play in the classic mode as well as they play free improve. Underneath the surface there are occasional slips into freer expression, with unexpected drum rolls, some definitely no longer tradition bass runs, and non-classic bursts from the horn section. Still the playing remains tight and controlled. The music grows more free and meditative after the drum solo that opens Prelude to a Kiss, so much so that one really has to listen to recognize the original melody. As the record goes on, you realize how the standards' melodies are skeletons slowly hollowed out from the inside and given new shape. The CD ends where it started, with another take on Styne's Just in Time, and back to be-bop mode. What we've gone through is a 60-year journey and back in just over 50 minutes, with some hints at what straightforward be-bop has (or could have) grown into. The playing on this CD is impeccable throughout, and the delivery and interplay are unquestionably top-notch. Whether this is music you'll often listen to, however, is a different question altogether, as it is a far remove from these players' usual context. If it were not for the individual's former output, this record would probably not qualify for the label free jazz. Definitely worth a listen, and certainly interesting if you want to hear these players in a different setting, but Obbligato sounds just a little too traditional to keep me on my toes after two or three listenings.
Interview mit Chris Davis, Christoph Wagner, Jazzthetik, Januar/Februar 2015, Deutschland
Tom Rainey (1957) is een slagwerker die altijd de hele muziek speelt en niet zo'n beetje ook. Zijn reactievermogen en zijn overzicht zijn indrukwekkend. Hij is tot in elke vezel van de muziek aanwezig zonder zich ook maar een moment typisch slagwerker-vertoon op de voorgrond te moeten dringen. Rainey maakt(e) deel uit van seminale groepen rond saxofonist Tim Berne en pianist Craig Taborn. De top notch musici van zijn Obbligato-onderneming komen uit deze groepen c.q. uit zijn eigen trio: trompettist Ralph Alessi, saxofoniste Ingrid Laubrock, bassist Drew Gress en pianist Kris Davis. Obbligato had twee duidelijke uitgangspunten: er zouden door Rainey uitgekozen standards gespeeld worden zonder dat daarbij – volgens de standard-formule in de jazz – gesoleerd wordt. In dit geval bracht Davis op het einde een hele kleine maar doorslaggevende verandering op de melodie van het origineel van Dave Brubeck aan.Voor Noord-Amerikaans publiek vallen veel standard-vertolkingen op luisterervaring uit eerste hand omdat veel standards als een soort urban folk deel uitmaken van het collectief geheugen. Dat is voor Europese luisteraars uiteraard ietsjes anders. Zelfs voor diegenen die met standards in oude Hollywood films zijn opgegroeid.
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