James Brandon Lewis Quartet

Matthieu Donarier
Coastline
Yolk Records J2101

Two saxophone-centred quartet sessions are either directly dedicated to influential deceased musicians or do so with inference. Yet both transcend admiration to appropriateness, by substituting original compositions for musical replicational. Coastline is the more obvious homage of the two since French multi-reedist Matthieu Donarier only plays soprano saxophone on seven tunes celebrating Steve Lacy’s influence. Abstraction is Deliverance is a bit differences because American tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis only dedicates the eponymously title “Ware” to the late David S. Ware and also performs his version of Mal Waldron’s classic “Left Alone”. However the instrumentation of his quartet and his improvisational intensity also reflect the spirit of John Coltrane, a Ware influence who also recorded with Waldron and played some of his compositions.

Donarier, who has recorded with everyone from Alban Darche to Jean-Jacques Birge, is a veteran Gallic stylist, and his associates, with whom he often plays, are equally experienced. Bassist Stéphane Kerecki has worked with figures as different as Daniel Humair and Ralph Alessi, while husband-and-wife pianist Sophia Domancich and drummer Simon Goubert have worked with the likes of Sylvain Kassap, Paul Dunmall, Hélène Labarrière and Michel Edelin.

Thus it’s no surprise that interludes exist where each move upfront for introductions and solos. Gouber’s sympathetic pacing of drum shuffles and cymbal sizzles balances expositions throughout; Kerecki’s in-the-moment stops and pulse do likewise; while Domancich keyboard versatility is highlighted at greatest length on the consecutive “Peebles” and “The Hidden Ones”. On the first she harmonizes the saxophonist’s Lacy-like vibrato with processed runs and projections, then turns to double toned expressive extensions before leading back to the head. On “The Hidden Ones” her sound is both nearly notated formal and single note pounding percussive as she integrates double bass thumps and Donarier’s elevated sax flattement into cohesive and cooperative reed squeals.

Double-tonguing at high pitches on a track like “Whim Wham’, with the pianist tinkling her keys beside him, Donarier is able to move tempos from andante to allegro with no loss of momentum or space, A walking bass pattern and keyboard stabs help insure that his subsequent squeaks and flutters cement the theme with no empty spaces. These connections are maintained throughout if his playing involves twists and turns to more dissonant puffs and screeches or as on “Ebb Tide” the original tune which is neither the Maxwell-Sigman or Robin-Rainger pop hit. On it, and mated with double-bass strokes and cymbal clips, his tone sounds closer to Paul Desmond than Lacy and as Donarier piles darker notes and then Goubert a drum roll into the tune, they confirm the quartet’s originality.

There’s no disputing the originality of Brandon Lewis and his quartet. Now together for years, the members are respected in there own rights as well as part of this group, which in  instrumentation and skills can be compared to the classic Coltrane quartet. Cuban pianist Aruán Ortiz also records on his own; drummer Chad Taylor has played with the likes of Jason Stein and Joe McPhee, while bassist Brad Jones has worked with everyone from Dave Douglas to David Murray.

Key tracks which demonstrate the breadth of the quartet are “Remember Rosalind” and the title tune. The first, somewhat balladic, depends on piano-reed harmonies and opens up with breathy tongue-stopping sax trills and Ortiz’s sympathetic comping. As the tune is exoticized with upwards reed slurs and downwards scoops, the note-bending stops and keyboard switching between wide glissandi and single-note emphasis, drum accents help set the mood. On the other hand, “Abstraction is Deliverance” lives up to its name as low-pitch snarky chording from the pianist and a heavy drum beat stretches the exposition until it almost reaches New Thing atonality. That’s further emphasized as Brandon Lewis stretches piles of notes through the bar lines emphasizing similar patterns over and over with slight variations. The climax occurs as a delicate harpsichord-like figure underlines emphasized droning breaths from the saxophonist.

“Left Alone” is given a properly extended and magisterial reading with arco bass buzzes, woody drum pats, keyboard clanks and a solid reed line. Other tunes are lively and light fingered with sophisticated harmonic references and Taylor expressing rumbles and cymbal slides in equal measure. Others take the saxophone impression past mainstream as he sometimes blows unaccented air through the horn, echoes split tones or clenched flutters. Diversity is also emphasized on “Mr. Crick”, which first emphasizes swing as a walking Blues before expressive tangents settle on impressionistic piano slides as the saxist extends the narrative with squeak, stops and shrills. “Ware” may be the strangest piece however. Rather then over-the-top Ware-like blowing from Brandon Lewis his emotional riffs sound more like mid-period Trane or early Pharoah Sanders as meditative pianism completes the piece.

Easily able to stand alone, Abstraction is Deliverance and Coastline are  exemplary instances of contemporary Jazz quartet music.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Coastline: 1. Ebb Tide 2. The Walk 3. Whim Wham 4. Peebles 5. The Hidden Ones 6. Domino Effect 7. Is That You?

Personnel: Coastline: Matthieu Donarier (soprano saxophone); Sophia Domancich (piano); Stéphane Kerecki (bass) and Simon Goubert (drums)

Track Listing: Abstraction: 1. Ware 2. Per 7 3. Even The Sparrow 4. Remember Rosalind 5. Abstraction is Deliverance 6. Multicellular Beings 7. Mr. Crick 8. Left Alone 9. Polaris

Personnel: Abstraction: James Brandon Lewis (tenor saxophone); Aruán Ortiz (piano); Brad Jones (bass) and Chad Taylor (drums)