Jane Ira Bloom is a rarity in jazz, a full-time soprano saxophonist instead of doubling on it from a separate horn. Bloom has long pushed the envelope with her provocative compositions and deft use of electronics to twist her notes, though she retains a gift for creating memorable melodies when not exploring the avant-garde outright. For this session, she is joined by up-and-coming pianist Dawn Clement, along with veterans Mark Helias on bass and her frequent drummer Bobby Previte. The opener, "Her Exacting Light," is much like a dramatic sunrise interpreted in musical form, with Bloom projecting its beauty. "Life on Cloud 8" seems like a mini-suite, taking the listener on a journey through several different styles. The whimsical nature of the bluesy "Freud's Convertible" is immediately apparent, with Bloom's creative use of electronics to add harmony a bonus. "Wingwalker" is full of sudden twists in a free setting, a captivating work that sounds totally improvised, even if it isn't. The one standard is Bloom's unaccompanied interpretation of Lerner & Loewe's "I Could Have Danced All Night," with her spacious, melancholy playing needing no backup, as it would have shattered the mood she created. There are no slips on Jane Ira Bloom's ambitious Wingwalker. - Ken Dryden
The soprano saxophone often gets a raw deal. Many people see it as a relic from the early ages of jazz, a smooth jazz delivery method or a secondary axe that's only to be used when their alto saxophone, tenor saxophone or clarinet needs a break. While these attitudes are prevalent throughout a large portion of the jazz community, a few artists have bravely soldiered on, making the soprano their instrument of choice. Jane Ira Bloom—along with a few other singularly gifted artists like Sam Newsome and Dave Liebman—continues to bring legitimacy to the idea that the soprano saxophone can serve as an artist's primary instrument.
While Bloom has the prettiest tone, hands down, of the three masters listed, she uses it in a variety of manners on this, her fourteenth date as a leader. Several pieces are explorations of serenity ("Ending Red Songs" and "Adjusting To Midnight"), while other songs feature skulking soprano work ("Life On Cloud 8"). Her use of live electronics is tasteful, not tacky, and simply thickens the group sound, occasionally mimicking the presence of another horn moving in unison, or creating a slight tail on her notes.
Bloom's support team is filled with longtime musical colleagues who share her artistic inclinations and help to shape each song in different ways. Drummer Bobby Previte's cymbal rolls on "Her Exacting Light" help to accentuate the positive, and his mid-track decision to rock out on "Freud's Convertible" changes its rhythmic topography. This song, which shows the quartet working its way through a variation on the blues that finds clever disarray toward the end of the line, is a clear album highlight. Bassist Mark Helias delivers paranoid patterns on "Live Sports" and guitar-like strumming on "Rooftops Speak Dreams," always managing to find the right part for each piece. Dawn Clement proves to be Bloom's secret weapon, demonstrating great flexibility in her support. She moves in tandem with Bloom on angular, introductory matters ("Frontiers In Science" and "Rookie), matches Bloom's contemplative mood on the softer material, and delivers scattershot chordal placements on "Rooftops Speak Dreams."
Wingwalker, with its positive energy and inspired ensemble connections, proves to be another feather in Bloom's cap and one of the best recordings to surface at the dawn of 2011. - Dan Bilawsky
For her 14th album as a leader, Jane Ira Bloom offers pieces-all are original compositions except for one-that might best be thought of as sound sculptures. That description applies even to the sole standard, a closing version of the Lerner and Loewe ballad “I Could Have Danced All Night” that finds Bloom’s graceful and resonant soprano saxophone unaccompanied on the retro melody and adornments. Her horn really is a thing of beauty, dancing through and around the theme and hanging in the air, as if it might be carrying the ghostly remainders of the tune, echoing down through the cavernous great hall of one of those grand hotels where the song once was regularly featured. On repeat listens, it grows even more haunting.
Pianist Dawn Clement, bassist Mark Helias and drummer Bobby Previte, all regular associates, join Bloom on the other 11 pieces, several of which have titles referencing air flight-not surprising from someone who has written several compositions commissioned by NASA. “Wingwalker” finds Bloom climbing and falling over Previte’s artful tumbles and small explosions before the full band begins moving together, slowly and steadily but unpredictably. “Life on Cloud 8” is built on a repeating blues-edged vamp, over which the electronics-enhanced soprano darts around before shifting to a quick leapfrogging riff. “Airspace” begins with several elongated unison lines, each separated by moments of silence, before being driven by Helias’ gritty walking bass.
In addition to the tunes with titles referencing aviation, there are those suggesting motion, and at least one suggesting great heights: “Rooftops Speak Dreams,” which shifts from a free-minded ballad feel to a groove with a punchy backbeat. More often than not Bloom soars, applying a distinctive instrumental voice to compositions that are unpredictable and challenging, and usually quite inviting. - Philip Booth
Tracks:
01. Her Exacting Light {Jane Ira Bloom}
02. Life On Cloud 8 {Jane Ira Bloom}
03. Ending Red Songs {Jane Ira Bloom}
04. Freud's Convertible {Jane Ira Bloom}
05. Airspace {Jane Ira Bloom}
06. Frontiers In Science {Jane Ira Bloom}
07. Rooftops Speak Dreams {Jane Ira Bloom}
08. Rookie {Jane Ira Bloom}
09. Adjusting To Midnight {Jane Ira Bloom}
10. Live Sports {Jane Ira Bloom}
11. Wingwalker {Jane Ira Bloom}
12. I Could Have Danced All Night {Alan J. Lerner/Frank Loewe}
JANE IRA BLOOMsoprano saxophone, live electronics
DAWN CLEMENT piano, electric piano
MARK HELIAS double bass
BOBBY PREVITE drums
Recorded 5th & 6th June, 2010 At Studio B, Avatar Studios, New York City
Outline Records – OTL140