ENGLISH SPEAKING READERS, PLEASE KINDLY SCROLL DOWN A BIT, I PROMISE THERE IS AN ALMOST LEGIBLE VERSION OF THIS REVIEW BELOW THE ORIGINAL TEXT.
Jazz Nedeljom je zamišljen kao serija vinjeta koje će ići (možda ne?) svake Nedelje, nudeći preporuku u vidu jednog jazz albuma koji sam tog dana slušao. Ovo nema pretenziju da bude ni ultimativni prikaz neke klasične ploče niti otkrivanje nekog budućeg klasika, već zaista samo to, da se kažu reč-dve o albumu koji sam tog dana rado slušao. Ponekada će to biti stare, proverene klasične stvari, ponekada najnovije izdanje koje sam izvalio na Bandcampu, hoću reći, neće biti pravila. Kako i treba. Kako i mora.
Nadam se da se niste umorili od free jazza jer danas vozimo bez stajanja. James McKain je – od nedavno bruklinski – tenor saksofonista o kome sam pisao u par navrata prošle godine na ime njegovih razuzdanih free jazz eskapada što su u pravilnom odnosu isporučile i slobodnu, neidiomatsku improvizaciju ali i himnični, herojski, MA SUPEHEROJSKI džez. Pre nekoliko dana McKain je izbacio dva nova izdanja za etiketu Human Headstone Presents posvećenu „čudnim zvucima 21. stoleća“ ali kako se jedno od njih može čuti samo ako kupite kasetu, onda se mi bavimo onim drugim. Art Heist: Demo Tape je, kako joj i ime kaže, takođe kaseta, izdata u stotinu primeraka ali u ovom slučaju se i digitalna verzija može čuti na Bandcampu i tamo i kupiti, što sam ja, bez mnogo oklevanja i uradio. Ljubitelji agresivnog, abrazivnog, ali zabavnog i zapravo naglašeno optimističkog free jazza mogu to i sami učiniti sigurni da će dobiti i kvantitet i kvalitet za svoj novac.
Jer, iako se bend zove Art Heist, ovde se radi o grupi pojedinaca koju mi već dobro poznajemo. Na prvom mestu, tu je Sam James McKain na tenor saksofonu i o ovom čoveku i njegovoj biografiji sam ekstenzivno pisao na ovom mestu. No, za one koje mrzi da kliknu, recimo da je McKain poreklom iz ruralnog dela Ilinoisa, da je iz radničke porodice krenuo putem velikih gradova (Čikago, Njujork, Sent Luis, Filadelfija), studirao istoriju, filozofiju i muziku i razvio, paralelno sa karijerom muzičara na nezavisnoj, do it yourself sceni, zdravo interesovanje za levičarske ideologije i filozofske pravce pa i da sebe doživljava kao marksistu ali i nadrealistu. U njegovoj muzici svakako postoji određena mera nadrealističke, pomerene interepretacije „realnosti“, pogotovo na izdanjima, kao što je ovo danas, gde se više forsira interakcija između članova grupe na ravnopravnoj osnovi a manje se gledaju teme, melodije i njihov razvoj. McKain je glasan, snažan saksofonista, ali nije i siledžija i njegovo sviranje na ovom albumu je na momente beskrajno lako, duhovito i razigrano.
Ritam sekciju u Art Heist čine dva dobro nam poznata momka. Bubnjar James Paul Nadien je diplomac Konzervatorijuma Nova Engleska i trenutno živi u Bruklinu a pored udaraljki svira i klavir. Doduše ne na ovom izdanju – ovde je on striktno iza bubnjarskog seta i pored standardnih bubnjeva i činela koristi i asortiman sitnih udaraljki. Kontrabas svira Caleb Duval, jedan vrlo, VRLO aktivan kontrabasista i električni basista koji sa Nadienom svira u sastavu Stalwart ali ima i neprebrojnu količinu projekata različitog tipa u kojima ispituje razne aspekte slobodne improvizacije i, generalno zvuka. Duval i Nadien su zimus sa McKainom izbacili album Dancing, jedan programski omaž harmolodičkom džezu Ornettea Colemana, o kome sam pisao ovde pa se možete nešto detaljnije uputiti u njihov zajednički rad.
Četvrti član Art Heist kvarteta je Kelly Bray, trubačica iz okoline Bostona i potajno ključni sastojak ove ekipe. Brayjeva je takođe pohađala Konzervatorijum Nova Engleska, i nedavno je na njemu odbranila magistarski rad iz savremene improvizacije. Njena akademska karijera podrazumeva i diplome koje je stekla na Univerzitetu Masachusests Lowell, a tiču se izvođenja muzike i muzičke edukacije. U toku obrazovnog procesa imala je neke kvalitetne tutore pa joj je klasičnu trubu predavao Steve Emery, džez trubu JohnMcNeil, dok su je improvizovanju podučavali Joe Morris i Anthony Coleman. Kao i mnogi današnji slični muzičari i Kelly Bray sa jedne strane radi u okvirima džez i fri džez idioma, da bi sa druge eksperimentisala sa elektronikom i savremenom kompozicijom, svirajući sve od svadbi do vrlo formalnih koncerata savremene muzike. Ona je i aktivan edukator, ali njen autorski snimljeni opus je za sada vrlo skroman. Doduše naglašava da je sa bendom Nervous imala preko 80.000 strimova na Spotifaju, ali za sada na Bandcampu možemo da je čujemo samo sa jednom elektroakustičkom kompozicijom iz 2021. godine.
Nadajmo se da će se to promeniti jer Art Heist prikazuje Kelly Bray u sjajnom svetlu.
Elem, iako se izdanje zove Demo Tape, ovo je „demo“ samo u smislu da se njime demonstrira zvuk i svetonazor benda. U smislu sadržaja, ovaj album sadrži dva dugačka snimka načinjena 16. Oktobra prošle godine. Od kojih je onaj večernji načinjen uživo pred publikom, dok je onaj jutarnji zapravo zabeleška studijske sesije, sa vrlo kvalitetnim zvukom.
October 16th : Evening koja čini prvu stranu kasete je gotovo punih pola sata razigranog džez/ fri džez improvizovanja pred publikom koja je, kako se da zaključiti po aplauzu na kraju, verovatno malobrojna ali puna entuzijama. Sam kvartet je svakako raspoložen za svirku i ovo je pola sata bučnog, energičnog free jazza koji po ko zna koji put resetuje sve ono što bi muzička teorija trebalo da iskoristi da makar opiše ovakvu svirku. Ovo su muzičari koji muziku vide kao okruženje jednakih šansi pa ovde nema ni govora o tome da se ansambl deli na pratnju i lidere, i McKain i Brayjeva moraju da se dobro oznoje u sparingu sa Nadienom i Duvalom, s obzirom na to koliko ova dvojica sviraju nota i koliko one umeju da ponesu kompoziciju u svom smeru.
Nadien je ovde vrlo suptilan i mada svira sa jako mnogo udaraca, njegovi bubnjevi su bučni samo na momente. Veliku većinu vremena on svira udarajući u obode ili sama tela bubnjeva, u ramove i držače za činele i u druge sitne perkusije, kreirajući često više teksturu nego klasičan „ritam“. A što je možda i neophodno kada svirate sa kontrabasistom kao što je Duval. Duval naprosto ne pristaje na ideju da je kontrabas zadužen za davanje ostatku ansambla ritmičke osnove i postavljanje pozadinskih tema pesama, pa je njegova svirka, kao i obično, vrlo užurbana, sa jurnjavom preko celog vrata instrumenta i komunikacijom kako sa Nadienovom kišom udaraca, tako i sa dvoje duvača koji i sami ispaljuju blistave rafale nota u publiku. Duvalovo sviranje gudalom je posebno upečatljivo sa vrlo granularnim teksturama koje tako izvlači i upadanjem u registre koji ga stavljaju na ravnu nogu sa trubom i saksofonom.
Kellyjeva je vrlo razigrana ovde, i ono što ona i McKain sviraju može se smestiti negde između ornetteovskih sobodnih asocijacija i tvrđeg, himničnog free jazza aylerovskog tipa. Njena svirka je laka, duhovita i puna interesantnih skokova – a što, da budemo fer, i mora da bude kada napsram nje stoji McKain ali i ostala dvojica muzičara koje ne interesuje previše da se sklone u pozadinu i puste je da solira na miru – a McKain se sjajno uklapa uz trubu sa svojim moćnim, zvonkim zvukom tenora i snažnim melodijama.
Ovde, naravno, nema klasičnih tema niti solaža i muzika često sasvim iskoči iz džez paradigme i pretvori se u čistu igru zvukova pa neka klasičnija publika treba da unapred zna da, iako je October 16th : Evening nominalno jedna kompozicija, nju svakako možete slušati i kao niz (eksperimentalnih) epozoda.
October 16th : Morning je, pak, studijska sesija i ako vam je živi snimak bio malo pretih, ovo onda dolazi kao melem za uši. Muzički, ovo je još skoro 24 minuta prefinjenog slobodnog improvizovanja sa džez osnovom, vrlo kinetičkog, vrlo zabavnog, VRLO energičnog, samo sada sa kritalno čistim studijskim zvukom i odmornim muzičarima. Duval ovde pravi neverovatne vratolomije na kontrabasu, Naiden kao da pada niz stepenice sa svojim bubnjevima, a Brayjeva i McKain su kao dve ptice koje obleću jedna oko druge u stalnoj radosnoj prepirci. Ako volite free jazz, bićete, na nekoliko minuta, u raju.
https://humanheadstonepresents.bandcamp.com/album/demo-tape
ENGLISH LANGIAGE VERSION TRANSLATED BY ALGORITHM, CLEANED BY ME, BUT WITH VERY LITTLE EFFORT:
Hope you are not tired of free jazz because today we won’t be hitting any damn brakes for anyone. James McKain is a – as of very recently Brooklyn-based – tenor saxophonist whom I’ve written about on a couple of occasions last year describing his wild free jazz escapades, which in the right proportion delivered both free, non-idiomatic improvisation and anthemic, heroic, NO, SUPEHEROIC jazz. A few days ago McKain dropped two new releases for the Human Headstone Presents, a label dedicated to the „weird sounds of the 21st century“ but since one of them can only be heard if you buy the cassette, we’re dealing with the other. Art Heist: Demo Tape, as its name suggests, is also a cassette, released in a small run of a hundred copies, but in this case, the digital version can be heard on Bandcamp and also purchased there, which I did without much hesitation. Fans of aggressive, abrasive, but fun and actually emphatically optimistic free jazz can do it too, confident that they will get both quantity and quality for their money.
Because, although the band is called Art Heist, this is a group of individuals that we already know quite well. First, there’s James McKain himself on tenor sax and I’ve written extensively about this man and his biography here. But for those too cool to click the link, let’s say that McKain comes from a rural part of Illinois, that he originated in a working-class family and moved on to the big cities (Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Philadelphia), studied history, philosophy and music and developed, in parallel with his a career as a musician on the independent, do-it-yourself scene, a healthy interest in left-wing ideologies and philosophical trends, and that he perceives himself a Marxist as well as a surrealist. In his music, there is certainly a certain measure of surrealistic, shifted interpretation of „reality“, especially on releases, such as this one today, where the interaction between the group members on an equal basis is more important than themes, melodies and their development. McKain is a loud, powerful saxophonist, but he’s no simple noisemaker, and his playing on this album is at times infinitely light, witty and playful.
The rhythm section in Art Heist consists of two guys we already know quite well. Drummer James Paul Nadien is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, currently lives in Brooklyn and plays piano in addition to percussion. Not on this release though – here he’s strictly behind the drum kit and uses an assortment of small percussion instruments in addition to the standard drums and cymbals. Double bass is played by Caleb Duval, a very, VERY active double bassist and electric bassist who plays with Nadien in Stalwart, but also has countless projects of different types in which he examines various aspects of free improvisation and sound in general. Last winter McKain, Duvall and Nadien released the album Dancing, a programmatic tribute to Ornette Coleman’s harmolodic jazz, which I wrote about here, so you can refer to their joint work in more detail.
The fourth member of the Art Heist Quartet is Kelly Bray, a trumpet player from the Boston area and secretly a key ingredient of this crew. Bray also attended the New England Conservatory, where she recently completed her master’s thesis in contemporary improvisation. Her academic career includes degrees in music performance and music education from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. During the educational process, she had some quality tutors, so Steve Emery taught her classical trumpet, John McNeil was on the case for jazz trumpet, while Joe Morris and Anthony Coleman provided education on improvisation. Like many of today’s similar musicians, Kelly Bray has one foot within the framework of jazz and free jazz idioms, and with the other she experiments with electronics and contemporary composition, playing everything from weddings to very formal concerts of contemporary music. She is also an active educator, but her recorded opus is very modest for now. Although she emphasizes that with the band Nervous she had over 80,000 streams on Spotify, for now on Bandcamp we can only hear one electroacoustic composition she recorded in 2021.
Let’s hope that changes because Art Heist shows Kelly Bray in excellent form.
Anyway, even though the release is called Demo Tape, this is a „demo“ only in the sense that it demonstrates the band’s sound and worldview. In terms of content, this album contains two long recordings made on October 16 last year. Of which the evening one was made live in front of the audience, while the morning one is actually a recording of a studio session, with very high quality sound.
October 16th : Evening, which makes up the first side of the tape, is almost a full half hour of playful jazz/free jazz improvisation in front of an audience that, as you can tell from the applause at the end, is probably small in number but big on enthusiasm. The quartet itself is certainly in the mood for a gig, and this is half an hour of noisy, energetic free jazz that, for the umpteenth time, resets everything that music theory should use to at least describe this kind of playing. These are musicians who see music as an equal opportunity environment, so there’s no question of dividing the ensemble into followers and leaders, and both McKain and Bray have to work up a sweat in their sparring with Nadien and Duval, considering how many notes these two play and how assertive they are in taking the composition in their own direction.
Nadien is very subtle here and although he plays with a lot of strokes, his drums are only noisy at times. Most of the time he plays by hitting the rims or drum frames themselves, cymbal stands and other small percussion, often creating more texture than a classic „rhythm“. Which is perhaps necessary when playing with a double bassist like Duval. Duval simply does not subscribe to the idea that the double bass is responsible for giving the rest of the ensemble a rhythmic foundation and setting the background themes of the songs, so his playing is, as usual, very hectic, with a rush all over the neck of the instrument and communication with both Nadien’s hail of notes and with two brass players themselves firing dazzling bursts of notes into the audience. Duval’s bow playing is particularly impressive with the very granular textures he pulls off and his foray into high registers that put him on equal footing with the trumpet and saxophone.
Kelly is very playful here, and what she and McKain play can be placed somewhere between Ornette’s free associations and the harder, anthemic free jazz of the Aylerian sort. Her playing is light, witty and full of interesting jumps – which, to be fair, it has to be when McKain is standing next to her, but also the other two musicians who are not too interested in hiding in the background and letting her solo in peace – and McKain is a great fit for her trumpet with his strong, ringing tenor sound and powerful melodies.
Here, of course, there are no classical themes or solos and the music often completely steps out of the jazz paradigm and turns into a pure play of sounds, so a more classical audience should know in advance that, although October 16th: Evening is nominally a composition, you can certainly listen to it as a series of (experimental) episodes.
October 16th : Morning is, on the other hand, a studio session, and if the live recording was a bit intimidating for you, then this comes as soothing balm for the ears. Musically, this is another almost 24 minutes of refined free improvisation with a jazz foundation, very kinetic, very fun, VERY energetic, only now with a crystal clean studio sound and well rested musicians. Duval here does incredible stunts on the double bass, Naiden sounds as if he were tumbling down the stairs with his drums, and Bray and McKain are like two birds flying around each other in a continuous joyful bickering. If you like free jazz, you will be, for a few minutes, in heaven.