Karen Borca Trio/Quartet/Quintet

Regardless of the rightful opprobrium directed against self-centred so-called Karens during the past few years, Karen Broca has had to face many barriers even in the creative music area. For a start she is a woman in a genre that is pretty macho. Secondly she play the unusual – for Jazz – instrument. the bassoon. Third since the 1970s, she has been closely associated with the uncompromising sounds of Cecil Taylor and her late life partner Jimmy Lyons (1931-1986).

Still she has persisted and the four tracks on this CD capture her sound with three different ensembles at two gigs at New York’s Vision Fest. The affiliated players are alto saxophonist Rob Brown, bassists William Parker, Todd Nicholson and Reggie Workman and drummers Paul Murphy, Susie Ibarra and Newman Taylor-Baker. In trio, or shorter improvisation that add Brown, substance is defined contrasting the bassoon snarly harshness against saxophone split tones and flattement with Murphy’s subtle cymbal and drum resonation or Ibarra’s more aggressive rattles as well as Parker’s multi-string affiliations filling the gaps

The almost 18-minute “Cambiar” ups the ante as the swift piece zigzags between Bebop, Freebop and simpler interludes as swishing cymbals and string stings intensify the pressure as saxophone squeals ascend to dog-whistle squeaks and altissimo screams while the bassoon drones along into robust double tone projections. Intertwining timbres as on other tracks, the reedists’ bites and scoops ferment the exposition before a coda that oscillates between Monk-like bop riffs, ecstatic refractions and concludes with repetitive reed honks.

All this leads up to “45 Hours/New Piece”, a 24½-minute realization by Brown, Borca, Nicholson, Workman and Taylor-Baker. Andante and moderato low-pitch group harmonies move past the introduction to intensify with one bassist string strumming and the other creating mordant arco pushes. Subsequently the combination is pushed forward as the bassoonist wallows in scooped textures. The only intersecting squeaks come from Brown, yet the track’s strong resolution is refined as his elevated pitches are subsumed by hard drum ruffs and bulky string stops. Tutti theme recapitulation completes the exposition and confirms the program’s thrust.

These live tracks from 1998 and 2005 show Borca’s distinct styling in proper contexts. They may even encourage others to also bring the mammoth double reed to exploratory sounds.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Good News Blues+# 2. Something*+3. Cambiar*+ 4. 45 Hours/New Piece*^

Personnel: Rob Brown (alto saxophone)*; Karen Borca (bassoon); William Parker+ or Todd Nicholson^ and Reggie Workman^(bass); Paul Murphy# or Susie Ibarra^ and Newman Taylor-Baker^ (drums)