Saxophone Summit – Street Talk (Enja, 2019)
The saxophone supergroup welcomes new member Greg Osby on their new release on which they play a program of all original music instead of compositions by John Coltrane.
Saxophone Summit was started as a kind of saxophone supergroup by Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker and Joe Lovano. They recorded the album Gatherings of Spirit in 2004 where they played compositions by themselves and John Coltrane with the rhythm section of pianist Phil Markovitz, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Billy Hart.
After Brecker’s death in 2007 the band continued to tour with John Coltrane’s son Ravi Coltrane taking the place of Brecker. They recorded two more albums in this setting again exploring the music of John Coltrane and some new compositions by the band members.
From Coltrane to Shorter
Since a couple of years back alto saxophonist Greg Osby has taken the place of Ravi Coltrane. In 2017 they toured with Osby playing the music of John Coltrane on the 90th anniversary of his birth.
Now when they release their first recording with Osby they chose for the first time to concentrate solely on their own compositions. There is one each by every member of the band. All of them are not new. Lovano recorded his ”Street Talk” on his Blue Note debut album Landmarks some 28 years ago.
Phil Markowitz’s ”Point” sounds more like a mysterious Wayne Shorter song like ”Masqualero” than something by Coltrane. The three saxophonists circles around the theme exchanging short phrases with each other. Liebman and Lovano both doubles on soprano and tenor saxophone but on this recording Liebman exclusively keeps to the soprano and Lovano to the tenor, making it a three-part horn line with Osby on alto.
The Tony Williams cymbal beat
Dave Liebman recorded his ”Loudly” recently on a big band album of his. He takes the first solo himself and is followed by Osby, Markowitz and Lovano. They all quote ”Softly as A Morning Sunrise” which the song builds upon.
”Portrait” by Cecil McBee is a light medium tempo song with a lyrical solo by Liebman, a more earthy one from Lovano. Markowitz and McBee follows before the end.
”Carousel” by Greg Osby is despite its title the kind of dark introspective song Miles Davis would play during his electric period, and Hart even mimics the kind of cymbal beat Tony Williams played on In A Silent Way. Over it the three saxophonists dialogues with short broken phrases which together creates a hypnotic feeling together with McBee’s insistent bass obstinate.
Saxophonists supreme
Billy Hart recorded his ”Tolli’s Dance” on his quartet album All Our Reasons (2012) with the great saxophonist Mark Turner. Here it is divided between the three saxophonists who weaves lines around each other’s parts before Osby takes a solo. He has a style which are just as advanced as his two seniors’ but at the same time he plays earthier with more traces of blues and funk. He is followed by Liebman before the song ends.
With three saxophonists as good like this you must listen closely to be aware of who is playing what. The effect is something like when John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley played together in Miles Davis quintet and they could be hard to tell apart, and here you also have a third soprano voice.
If you are interested in modern saxophone playing this album is a must, and it should be enjoyable for more listeners than that based on the qualities of all the musicians and the kind of advanced and sympathetic group interplay they produce
Jazz Desk 