Mary Halvorson / Ben Goldberg / Ellery Eskelin / Michael Formanek / Tomas Fujiwara

Taking inspiration from creators like Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus and crafting compositions to fit particular musicians, Bay area clarinetist Ben Goldberg’s Everything Happens to Be is a lively and fluid program. Although written long before the pandemic, the 10 tracks’ contours expand on the mixture of fatalism, faith and fortune that have become Covid-19 tropes. With the interpretations projecting lively motion alongside immaculate articulation they suggest the confident normalcy that should eventually arrive. Oddly enough all the other players are east coast residents. Veterans, bassist Michael Formanek and tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin have worked with the clarinet for decades; while the younger players – drummer Tomas Fujiwara and guitarist Mary Halvorson – are part of a trio with the bassist.

By coincidence it’s the title track which gives each player the greatest scope; Begun with a double drum ruff, the tune meanders through well-modulated puffs and swells from the two reed players directed by Formanek’s solid string throb. Before the piece wraps up with a display of clarinet flutter tonguing, optimized with auxiliary saxophone slurs, Halvorson unleashes an eerie and spiky metal-echoing solo. Contrapuntal woodwind strategies are emphasized on many other tunes with. for instance, the clarinet’s high pitches and the saxophone mid-range phraseology projecting broken octave motion as if they were part of a chorale in the track of the same name. Elsewhere, as on “21”, the two create slippery Cool Jazz-resembling bouncing counterpoint as guitar string stings and double bass thwacks toughen the exposition.

Although space is made for each player to output his or her individual talents, never do more intense outpourings like Eskelin’s clarion stretches, Fujiwara patterning ruffs or Halvorson’s flexible comping which replicate Appalachian dulcimer frails or rhythm guitar’s funk patterns upset the overall buoyant mood. In fact “To-Ron-To”, the penultimate and real concluding tune revolves around a pumping pseudo Dixieland riff. The harmonized horns and guitar lines project the idea of sunny NOLA style freedom rather than the more restrained atmosphere of Ontario’s capital that may be saluted by the title.

Distinctive and definite, the music here makes one yearn to hear additional compositions Goldberg has created during the enforced Covid lockdown.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. What About 2. 21 3. Fred Hampton 4. Everything Happens to Be 5. Cold Weather 6. Chorale Type 7. Tomas Plays the Drums 8. Long Last Moment 9. To-Ron-To 10. Abide With Me

Personnel: Ellery Eskelin (tenor saxophone); Ben Goldberg (Bb, Eb and contralto clarinets); Mary Halvorson (guitar); Michael Formanek (bass) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums)