Clarinetist Don Byron once again mixes post-bop, swing, and funk into a unique concoction on Ivey-Divey. Just like Bug Music wasn't necessarily '30s swing and A Fine Line: Arias and Lieder wasn't exactly a classical album, Ivey-Divey isn't truly a straight-ahead, mainstream jazz album, although purists and avant-garde fans alike should find much common ground here. To these ends, Byron gets humorously rambunctious and a little "out" on such tracks as the swinging "I've Found a New Baby," the reverent and bluesy "Himm (For Our Lord and Kirk Franklin)," and the funky downtown jam "'Leopold, Leopold...'." Backing Byron here are the always adventurous talents of pianist Jason Moran, drummer Jack DeJohnette, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, and bassist Lonnie Plaxico. - Matt Collar
Jazz is deep into a critical phase, through which all mature art forms must pass—look out rock, your time is coming!—the point at which the music either changes or dies, becoming something different or a dusty museum piece. All who choose to enter the field at this time face this challenge, whether they know it or not (especially if they hope to get signed to Blue Note and sell a few records). A player/composer as smart as Don Byron must be well aware of it, and he faces it with wit, courage and skill.
On Ivey-Divey he demonstrates once again his commitment and feeling for the music's roots, forging ahead with a rare combination of caution and daring. The personnel list alone cues the savvy listener to what might lie ahead: his choices of excellent veteran drummer Jack DeJohnette, fine trumpeter Ralph Alessi (for two solid tracks), and young firebrand pianist Jason Moran foreshadow music that is both finely wrought, true enough to tradition, yet progressive enough to be noteworthy. Byron takes on Lester Young, an odd pair of Miles Davis tunes, and his own material, managing to freshen up the oldies well enough so they live comfortably aside the new material.
This is a record likely to satisfy listeners who love Lester Young but are open minded enough to hear him interpreted, and those who are hanging in there with mainstream jazz to see where it might be headed. DeJohnette is in great form, and Moran relaxes into his role as sideman, handling the traditional forms capably while stretching them ever so carefully to make room for his own sophisticated harmonic ideas. Alessi is a technically flawless trumpeter, and he delivers his two cents with plenty of fire, eliciting at least one audible, approving grunt from a band mate.
Ivey-Divey is a noble new addition to the Blue Note continuum. Mainstream jazz, and especially Blue Note's blue chip roster, is by nature rarely at the leading edge of new music. Rather, at its best it has offered up works that carry on the lineage, adding small touches of originality that nudge the music gingerly forward without outraging purists. Ivey-Divey is such a document. Ty Cumbie
Clarinetist Don Byron has fashioned a career something akin to a great jazz history lesson. With albums like Plays the Music of Mickey Katz and Bug Music , he demonstrated some of its traditional roots, whereas Music for Six Musicians and You are #6 explored the Latin and Afro-Cuban legacies. TuskegeeExperiments and the frighteningly good live record No Vibe Zone demonstrated where jazz might be going, at least in one person's view. Now, with Ivey-Divey , Byron consolidates it all into a recording that tells of the music's past, present and possible future all in one seventy-five minute stretch.
With a core group featuring piano wunderkind Jason Moran and drummer Jack DeJohnette, inarguably one of the most stylistically broad players of the past forty years, Byron pays homage to the similarly bass-less trio of Lester Young, Nat "King" Cole, and Buddy Rich. But this is no mere tribute record; in fact, Byron is quick to point out that "this is less of a repertory record than some of my others, I didn't want this just to be 'Don Byron Plays Lester Young.'" Nor is it. Instead, Byron, Moran and DeJohnette take five pieces commonly associated with Young, and stretch them to their limits.
Take "Somebody Loves Me," which is presented in two vastly different takes. Moran's modernistic stride takes both versions to places Cole might only have dreamed of, in particular on the alternate take, where the trio plays loose and free with time in ways that would have been unheard of in the '40s, while still maintaining a reverence that clearly draws a line from the past to the present.
Elsewhere Byron contributes four originals that deliver on everything from the absurd Bugs Bunny-influenced funk groove of "Leopold, Leopold!" with bassist Lonnie Plaxico providing some nice contrast to the trio pieces, to the lyrical "Himm (for Our Lord and Kirk Franklin)," a stately duo between Byron and Moran, which extends gospel into the 21st century.
nd to draw a link between the distant past and the present/future, Byron tackles two pieces associated with Miles Davis, from two different periods. The bluesy "Freddie Freeloader," another trio piece, begins with a cool yet slightly disjointed groove, but soon picks up steam, heading for reaches farther afield. "In a Silent Way," with Plaxico once again sitting in, is an interesting take on the original, with an approach that is more organic yet, when DeJohnette comes in with his take on Tony Williams' signature drum beat, completely on target.
Ivey-Divey manages to succeed on many fronts, but mostly it's a consolidation of sorts, one that looks to the future without neglecting the past. The clarinet may not be the most popular instrument in jazz these days, although it does seem to be making something of a comeback, but in the hands of Byron, it's as vital and significant as any other. - John Kelman
Tracks
01. I Want To Be Happy (I. Seasar/V. Youmans)
02. Somebody Loves Me (McDonald/DeSylva)
03. I Cover The Waterfront (E. Hyman/J. Green)
04. I've Found A New Baby (J.Palmer/S. Williams)
05. Himm (For Our Lord And Kirk Franklin) (Don Byron)
06. The Goon Drag (Sammy Price)
07. Abie The Fishman (Don Byron)
08. Lefty Teachers At Home (Don Byron)
09. "Leopold, Leopold . . ." (Don Byron)
10. Freddie Freeloader (Miles Davis)
11. In A Silent Way (J.Zawinul/M.Davis)
12. Somebody Loves Me (Alternate Take) ( McDonald/DeSylva/Gershwin)
DON BYRON clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
LONNIE PLAXICO bass (6-9, 11)
JACK DeJOHNETTE drums
JASON MORAN piano
RALPH ALESSI trumpet (6, 9)
Recorded May 23-24, 2004 at Allaire Studios, Shokan, NY.
Blue Note – 7243 5 78215 2 0