Folk Art is saxophonist Joe Lovano's 22nd album as a leader for the esteemed Blue Note label, and surprisingly, his first of all original compositions. Folk Art is unusual not only in its choice of material, but in personnel as well. Pianist James Weidman is the only veteran, rising bass star Esperanza Spalding and percussionists Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela are new faces on the scene.
Inspired by the vigor of his young line-up, Lovano's open-ended approach recalls the expansive freedom of his more experimental Blue Note releases such as Universal Language (1992) and Flights of Fancy: Trio Fascination, Vol. 2 (2001). Filled with untapped potential, Spalding, Brown and Mela are unafraid to venture into unfamiliar territory, forcing Weidman and Lovano to challenge their own concepts of expression.
An elder statesman with a mastery over both inside and outside approaches, Lovano draws upon an array of jazz traditions, dedicating a number of tunes to fellow artists. "Ettenro" is a bracing free meditation for the Harmolodic innovator whose spirit hovers over this set, while the funky and primal "Dibango" honors the famous Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, featuring Lovano's pungent double soprano, the aulochrome. "Song For Judi" unveils his romantic side in the guise of a lush tenor ballad dedicated to his wife, vocalist Judi Silvano.
Although Lovano and Weidman take the lion's share of the spotlight, the session gives ample attention to the rhythm section. Spalding, Brown and Mela execute their roles with aplomb, whether providing crisp boppish undercurrents to the rousing opener "Powerhouse," lithe conversational interplay to "Drum Song" or tender accents to the tranquil "Wild Beauty." Weidman's opulent excursions lend a stately air to the proceedings, while the leader's rough-hewn tenor flights veer from brisk linearity ("Powerhouse") and hazy impressionistic torrents ("Ettenro") to mellifluous refrains ("Wild Beauty").
While Lovano's new ensemble is impressive, his open-ended compositions are especially noteworthy. Generally eschewing head-solo-head formats, many of the tunes are episodic, knitting fragments of divergent melodies and variable rhythms together into narrative threads rather than recurrent themes. The sly title track is emblematic; after introducing an infectious serpentine vamp, the band abruptly recedes, spotlighting a scintillating percussion discussion between Brown and Mela. Their kaleidoscopic dialog intensifies and the quintet suddenly reconvenes with a bracing bop run featuring dazzling choruses from Weidman and Lovano. The careening tempo is quickly displaced by melodious abstraction and the opening theme then returns for a brief coda.
Other tunes follow similar strategies, incorporating saxophone-percussion duets ("Us Five"), spare rhythm section dialogs ("Page 4") and controlled collective improvisation that works towards a unified, harmonious goal ("Ettenro"). Balancing freedom with convention, Folk Art is one of Lovano's most adventurous and appealing sessions. - Troy Collins
Jazz is essentially an African-American folk art, elements not lost on Joe Lovano as he presents this all-original program of progressive music. His updated quintet Us Five is one of his freshest units in some time, with bassist Esperanza Spalding, the criminally underrated pianist James Weidman, and two stir-the-pot drummers in Francisco Mela and Otis Brown III. Together they fulfill Lovano's vision as a band that is not afraid to take many chances, stay within a bop-based tradition, and cut loose on many levels in terms of adding diverse elements to this mix of music. Lovano is noticeably restless, using his reliable tenor sax, but also straight alto, clarinet, and taragato. The drummers not only play their standard kits, but ethnic percussion instruments from many continents, while Spalding is maturing and growing exponentially into a formidable voice on her instrument. Weidman is simply brilliant throughout, largely ignored since his early days with Abbey Lincoln until now, but there's no reason he should be so underestimated or slighted. The title track is as intriguing as its concept, dipping into modal jazz via a stairstep melody and slipstream steady swing that staggers slightly (influenced by one beer?) punctuated by the drummer's "solo" and Weidman's outstanding bop step out. Always an outside-the-box thinker, Lovano's tenor stretches in unique, post-Coltrane mannerisms for "Us Five" surrounding his rhythm makers and the chords of the piano, while the band explores improvisation in no time during the wondrous "Ettenro," completely untethered by any standardized structure. The distinctive and most enjoyable "Dibango" is a slightly squawky funk with Lovano on taragato, up in a high, sustained register, a bit goofy, and very reminiscent of Don Pullen's great tune "Big Alice.""Powerhouse" is the straitlaced neo-bop tune à la Thelonious Monk that Lovano has always favored, his clarinet comes out on the delicate, serene soul blues "Page 4," and the appropriately titled "Wild Beauty" is not so much exotic as it is edgy within a ballad framework. Of the many excellent and diverse projects Joe Lovano has produced and won critical acclaim for, this ranks with his very best, as strong an album as he has ever produced, with musicianship at an extremely high level, and well-conceived compositions that continue to identify him a true original. Folk Art, close to his definitive statement, is highly recommended, and should be considered a candidate for Jazz Album of 2009. - Michael G. Nastos
Tracks
1. Powerhouse
2. Folk Art
3. Wild Beauty
4. Us Five
5. Song for Judi
6. Drum Song
7. Dibango
8. Page 4
9. Ettenro
JOE LOVANO tenor saxophone, straight alto saxophone, taragato, alto clarinet, aulochrome, gongs
JAMES WEIDMAN piano
ESPERANZA SPALDING bass
OTIS BROWN III drums, ankle bells, opera gongs
FRANCISCO MELA drums, pandero, dumbed, Ethiopian drums, ankle bells
All music by Joe Lovano
Recorded 18-19, 2008 at Sear Sound Studios, New York, NY
Blue Note Records 0946 3 91528 2 7