  |
|
|
 |
|
CD |
| 5.281 Ft
|
|
| 1. | Soran Bushi -- B. H.
|
| 2. | Call Of The Wild And Peaceful Heart
|
| 3. | Cry Of Hunger
|
Jazz / Post-Bop, Hard Bop
Billy Harper (tenor sax)
Newman T. Baker (drums)
Eddie Henderson (trumpet)
Louie Spears (bass)
Francesca Tanksley (piano)
The third and final stop on the Billy Harper Quintet's Far Eastern recording road show brings them to Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and...well, maybe this one is the best single disc of the three. It's got the best sound, bright and well-balanced, and fans of extended jazz blowing will appreciate hearing three pieces (the shortest clocks in at just under 21 minutes) on a night when the musicians are really on and totally in synch with one another.
On Tour, Vol. 3 also has "Soran Bushi B.H.," Harper's adaptation of a traditional Japanese folk tune that not only may be his finest composing moment but deserves to be an enduring jazz standard. The majestic, meditative Oriental chordal tinges from Francesca Tanksley's piano and Eddie Henderson's muted trumpet set the stage for an opening spiral into the melody statement by Harper that is simply breathtaking. The rhythm section drops into a loose-limbed groove for Henderson and Harper's solos before Tanksley goes off on her own Tyner-esque way. And then Harper returns, with just Newman T. Baker's responsive drums for support, to build a monumental solo on giant interval leaps, honking on the low notes and creating a separate melody line a couple of octaves higher up, before returning to the magnetic theme.
"Call Of The Wild" and "Peaceful Heart" find a similar springy uptempo groove with Tanksley's solo providing the peace and Henderson blazing in to provide the wildness. The long rests fragmenting the melody of "Cry of Hunger" and explosive solo squalls make it probably the most outside piece in Harper's repertoire. His solo changes up constantly between long, lithe lines and stitching together the rhythm units in the melody, Henderson's mute offers low-key contrast to Harper's intensity and Tanksley takes it down to nothing before pulling the opening melodic fragments together.
The fact that "Cry Of Hunger" holds interest through 30 minutes of changes in mood, approach and tone is a pretty perfect capsule for this quintet and On Tour, Vol. 3 and its two predecessors. It simply would have been a treat to be in the audience hearing this music pour out. Even though, Harper is the featured leader and composer, it's definitely a group triumph because every musician complements one another and gives everything they have to offer in the music. In many ways, Billy Harper's '90s quintet fills the same spot as the George Adams-Don Pullen Quartet the decade before. Not that the two groups sound the same but these are mature veterans with dues paid, fundamentals absorbed and a crucial dedication to stretch and push the music forward. Sadly, they're also similar in not receiving, especially in the U.S., the wider recognition their masterful and inventive music so richly deserved. ~ Don Snowden, All Music Guide
Billy Harper
Active Decades: '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Jan 17, 1943 in Houston, TX
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Modern Creative, Post-Bop, Modal Music
Billy Harper is one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists who actually built upon the master's work, rather than simply copy it. Harper is consummately well-rounded, able to play convincingly in any context, from bop to free. His muscular tone, lithe articulation, comprehensive harmonic knowledge, and unflagging energy define him as a saxophonist. He's also possessed of an abundant imagination that connects directly to his blues and gospel roots. Though not as well-known as he might be, Harper is a jazz improviser of significant stature. Harper grew up in Houston, TX. By the age of five he was singing in church and at various choral events. At age 11 he was given a saxophone for Christmas. In the beginning he was mostly self-taught, though he was helped along by his uncle Earl Harper, a former trumpeter who had gone to school with bop trumpeter Kenny Dorham. Dorham's 1950s work was a formative influence. In his teens Harper played in R&B bands, and at the age of 14 formed his own quartet. In the early '60s, Harper studied jazz at North Texas State University, where he became (at that time) the only African-American member of the school's prestigious One O'Clock Lab Band. Harper graduated from NTSU with a Bachelor of Music degree and also did post-graduate work. In 1966 Harper moved to New York. That year, he led an ensemble that was featured on an NBC-TV special, "The Big Apple." Within short time after arriving in New York, Harper started playing with well-known bandleaders. In 1967 he began a long-lasting association with bandleader/arranger Gil Evans. Harper has played with some of jazz's greatest drummers; he served with Blakey's Messengers for two years (1968-1970); he played very briefly with Elvin Jones (1970), and was a member of Max Roach's band in the late '70s. Harper also became a regular member of the Thad JonesMel Lewis Big Band. In the '70s, Harper began recording under his own name for European labels. His album Black Saint (1975) was the first recording issued by the label of the same name; his In Europe (1979) inaugurated the Soul Note label. Harper recorded relatively infrequently in the '80s and '90s, although he maintained an active performing career, mostly as a leader. He's enjoyed a parallel career as a music educator, teaching at Livingston College and Rutgers. He's also received multiple grants from various arts agencies, including two from the National Endowment of the Arts. Harper's Black Saint LP was named Jazz Record of the Year -- Voice Grand Prix, by the Modern Jazz League of Tokyo.
--- Chris Kelsey, All Music Guide |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
