Despite a long association, bassist Mark Dresser and trombonist Ray Anderson make an unusual pair. The quintessentially New York Dresser is known for his deep, soul-stirring improvisations (his suite “The Five Outer Planets” here hints at his enormity of scale); Anderson, despite being born in Chicago and an early tenure in Anthony Braxton’s quartet, is more a southern boy with a love for New Orleans jazz. The pair began playing as a duo nearly thirty years ago, however, and Dresser appears on four of Anderson’s previous recordings. Nine Songs Together is their first disc of duets, and it finds them able to share a wide terrain of material and some themes laden enough with emotion that only a long-standing partnership such as theirs could save it from becoming maudlin on the one hand or sloppy on the other.
The disc was recorded on Dresser’s 51st birthday (in September of last year) and marked Anderson’s first session since the death of his wife of 22 years, dancer and poet Jackie Raven, in 2002. Furthering the emotive import, there are tracks dedicated both to Raven and to Anderson’s new fiancée. There was, no doubt, a lot on the players’ minds during the sessions.
As a result, the nine songs truly are together. Four of the pieces are penned by Dresser and three by Anderson (with their arrangements of “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” and “I’m Confessin’ That I Love You” rounding out the set). But selective tracking could have convinced you that there were at least twice as many songs on the program. The pair move seamlessly between resonant explorations and swinging jaunts, often within the same piece, and it’s a joy to hear each move into the territory more associated with the other. Anderson sputters, accentuates and holds low tones through the thicker passages, and Dresser’s familiar slapping, strumming and register-hopping provides a sweet, unusual setting for Anderson’s Dixie hops. A slide trombone and a contrabass hold the potential of being as slippery as an oiled-down willow tree, but they play simply and solidly. If there were a canon of trombone/bass duos, they would surely rank among the best. The fact that there isn’t, yet Dresser and Anderson sound so natural doing it, speaks volumes. - Kurt Gottschalk
Although this is billed as a duo album with Mark Dresser's name listed first, Ray Anderson's trombone is the dominant voice. Anderson is one of the few trombonists who can sustain interest for a full hour, with ideas tumbling from his horn like soap bubbles from a blower. Here he is highly exposed, forced to turn inward to experiment with sounds and techniques that exploit his unique style. Anderson devotees will not be disappointed, as his usual swagger and box of tricks are in full bloom; however, they are tempered by the pull of Mark Dresser's acoustic bass, which grounds Anderson, tying him to a structure yet permitting him to soar as if he were a bird in flight. The pull of the spiritual is heard throughout, often with an insistent blues element, as exemplified explicitly on Billy Taylor's "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" and Anderson's own "The Feast of Love," part of a larger work for trombone choir and gospel choir with lyrics contributed by his recently departed wife. Some might hear a more subdued and more mature Anderson than usual, as each track is no longer an opportunity, as was sometimes the case in his early years, to cram everything he can do in every improvisation. Many of the pieces, such as the serious and utterly remarkable "Taps for Jackie" (dedicated to his wife), are performed at tempos much slower than usual, and the trombonist carefully fills in the cracks and defers appropriately to Dresser, who waxes gorgeously. This is an important project for the talented Anderson, not only because it is his first recording on CD as part of a duo, but also because it shows a sophistication and evolutionary development that take him a step further than anything previously. While his trademark trills and intervallic leaps are evident, he also explores crevices that he had not always considered, in part due to the inspiration and prodding of Dresser. The best duo performances require close, even empathetic, listening between participants to avoid the sense of two performers going separate directions. The trombonist and bassist listen to each other with uncanny concentration, and although most of the pieces are not formally connected, there is a sense that they share a common thrust. - Steve Loewy
Tracks
01. One Plate (Mark Dresser)
02. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (R. Lamb/Billy Taylor)
03. Ekoneni (Mark Dresser)
04. Taps for Jackie (Ray Anderson)
05. Slipinstyle (Mark Dresser)
06. Jupiter (Mark Dresser)
07. Saturn (Mark Dresser)
08. Uranus (Mark Dresser)
09. Neptune (Mark Dresser)
10. Pluto (mark Dresser)
11. The Feast of Love (Ray Anderson)
12. Insistent (Ray Anderson)
13. I'm Confessin' That I Love You (Don Dougherty/Ellis Reynolds)
MARK DRESSER bass
RAY ANDERSON trombone
Recorded at The Spirit Room, Rossie, NY, September 25 & 26, 2003)
CIMP Records - CIMP 295