Maria Faust Sacrum Facere

Despite Benny Golson’s “Blues March” composed for the Jazz Messengers in 1958, creative musicians have had little to do with that musical form since then. That is until this CD by Estonian alto saxophonist Maria Faust. Organizing an octet of mostly Danish improvisers, she has recalibrated and subverted the march concept to highlight its uplifting and anthemic qualities as well as its bellicose and aggressive history. While there’s touch of militaristic foot lifting sounds in these arresting performances, the nine tracks go a long way to rehabilitate marches the way other musicians have stripped Middle European sentimentality from waltz variations.

The disc may begin with the expected sounds of drum backbeats, Kasper Tranberg’s trumpet fanfare and marching feet, but by the time “March Nr. 1.2” is heard the pacing is inverted. A tutti crescendo is supplanted with harsh note-bending slides and altissimo double tonguing from Faust, propelled snorts from tubaist Jonatan Ahlbom as well as rat tat tats and paradiddles from snare drummer Emanuele Maniscalco and bass drummer Peter Ole Jørgensen.

This sonic sabotage continues throughout. While at points the band may vocalize a satiric version of “left-right” parade ground commands, most of the time military stomping is subsumed by motifs such as clarinetist Francesco Bigoni’s clarion twitters, trombonist Mads Hyhne’s fat valve slurs and Tranberg’s bugling grace notes. Reedists Faust, Bigoni and bass clarinetist/baritone hornist Anders Banke’s mewling tones and tough snorts likewise recalibrate other tunes so that no matter how much hand clapping and steady martial stomps are projected, timbral additions result in the creation of foot tapping rather than foot marching motifs. Harmonies are emphasized not hostilities.

Most descriptive of the individualistic sequences is “March Nr. 5”. Beginning at a low flame, tinkling crotales, reed-and-brass call and response and overall gentle harmonies, reed work continues to lighten the narrative even as tuba burps and drum rolls move to the forefront. Attaining march tempo in a penultimate interlude, that group blow out is later depleted into reflective smears with clarion reed flutters, earthy brass slurs and descending bell ringing.

It could be simpler to claim that Faust’s Sacrum Facere song cycle is the most prominent use of march forms in a creative environment. Or you could just say that Marches Rewound and Rewritten is an outstanding disc of any style.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. March Nr. 1.1 2. March Nr. 1.2 3. March Nr. 3 4. March Nr. 2 5. March Nr. 4 6. March Nr. 5 7. March Nr. 0 8. March Nr. 6.1 9. March Nr. 6.2

Personnel: Kasper Tranberg (trumpet); Mads Hyhne (trombone); Jonatan Ahlbom (tuba);  Maria Faust (alto saxophone); Francesco Bigoni (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Anders Banke  (bass clarinet, baritone horn); Emanuele Maniscalco (snare drum) and Peter Ole Jørgensen (bass drum, crotales, percussion)