Brad Mehldau drummer Jeff Ballard (whose Mehldau bass partner Larry Grenadier joins him in the Fly trio with subtle alto saxophonist Mark Turner here) calls Fly "an intimate band with teeth", and it's a good description. Ballard isn't usually called on to play such a contemporary mix of stretched jazz time, and funk and hip-hop grooves in Mehldau's laid-back world - and it's also surprising in Turner's, who has strong affinities with the oblique and slow-burning methods of Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh and the 1950s Cool School. But somehow, this close-listening trio manage to join Turner's long lines and airy speculations to Grenadier's busy countermelodies and Ballard's rattling polyrhythms without sounding like a forced marriage. The clipped and edgy melodies of hip-hop and rap-influenced jazz are woven into the lyrical forms of an earlier era, so themes resembling Steve Coleman or Dave Holland tracks have a deceptive gentleness that camouflages their roots. Tunes keep changing character, too, so a classical-sounding soprano part in which the sax suggests an oboe turns into crackling funk and then loose swing, or the languid alto melody of Dharma Days turns into a supercharged improvisation, or a folksy, theme becomes a funky strut, and then a dreamy drift over hip-hop. It's clever, expert, 100% engaged, and very musical. - John Fordham
Despite a debut that failed to generate much noise, Fly's sophomore effort—its first for ECM- -ought to. Dispelling the ECM myth of neglecting American music, this trio—featuring perennially undervalued saxophonist Mark Turner alongside Brad Mehldau Trio mates, bassist FLY and drummer Jeff Ballard— finds its own nexus of head and heart. Dave Holland's Triplicate (ECM, 1988) might be a precedent, but that was a harder swinging effort more closely linked to the American tradition. Fly swings in its own way, but is equally disposed towards integrating elements farther afield, all with a spare, less-is-more approach that, despite the trio's unequivocal virtuosity, avoids wasted demonstration merely for the sake of it.
Fly is also a democratic collective, with everyone contributing to the set of nine originals, although Turner dominates with four tunes that take up nearly half of the album's 67-minute running time. The trio revisits the title track from the saxophonist's Dharma Days (Warner Bros., 2001), one of the disc's most fiery and traditionally swinging tracks, but more concisely—a characteristic that defines the entire disc. While some tracks extend well into the 10-minute range, there's a noticeable lack of grandstanding; instead, it's about giving each piece the time to breathe and expand. Turner's episodic "Ananda Nanda" opens with a tenor solo that reaches so seamlessly and cleanly into the upper register that it's sometimes hard to believe it's not a soprano, which Turner employs on Ballard's lightly funky title track—propelled by the drummer's fluid interaction with Grenadier, as Turner shoots for the occasional rough-edge on a solo that's as focused and lyrical as it gets.
Light it may be, but Turner's "Elena Berenjena" possesses a light backbeat, while Grenadier's balladic "CJ" begins with a harmonic-driven bass solo that, when the group comes in, is played so gently that it rivals label-mate Tord Gustavsen's often whisper-like approach. Ballard, in particular, seems to be almost breathing on his drums, his brushwork so delicate that it's more often more felt than heard. Ballard's "Perla Morena" is reminiscent of some of the label's mid-'70s output, at once propulsive and dynamic but, with Turner's cued lines, open-ended and expressive. Ballard demonstrates his capacity for greater fire only occasionally, largely playing with remarkable restraint and complete attention to the nuances that this trio is capable of when serving the music, rather than having the music serve it.
Grenadier's "Transfigured" begins with a gentle arco in tandem with Turner's soprano, underscored by Ballard's gentle but turbulent underpinning before breaking into a more rhythm-centric solo section where Turner's debt to Wayne Shorter is in sharp focus even as his own voice remains clear and unmistakable.
Despite knee-jerk attempts to compare Fly to Sonny Rollins's trio work or, more recently, that of friend and occasional collaborator Joshua Redman—Fly carves its own niche. Delicate as a feather yet never lacking in substantive weight, Sky & Country is an album that will alter the perception of what saxophone trios can be. - John Kelman
Fly is a co-op trio of saxophonist Mark Turner, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Jeff Ballard, who have played together off-and-on, individually with many other bands, and can easily be pegged in the vanguard of young and experienced post-to-neo-bop jazz stars of the 2000s. Turner carries the post-Michael Brecker tradition proudly in a more restrained mood, Grenadier is as solid a current day bassist as there is since working with Brad Mehldau, and Ballard's experience with Chick Corea or bassist Avishai Cohen, among many others, has seen him develop into a top five jazz drummer, in demand and via the scope of his playing. This is not a typical ECM recording, as it is more straight-ahead modern mainstream jazz, and not nearly the European classical esoteric or ethereal music the label is known for. There's real teamwork in executing this type of jazz that borrows from Blue Note label styles, John Coltrane, or Wayne Shorter, and moves the music forward without a serrated edge or overtly complex harmonic blowing. Each musician contributes a handful of compositions, with Ballard as the lead soldier in that department. "Lady B" is prototypical, rambling N.Y.C. Brecker Brothers/Steps Ahead 1980s neo-bop, his "Perla Morena" a Spanish tinged, spirited tune in 6/8 with the drummer's amazing, ever changing rhythmic patterns over Turner's even keeled tenor, and the title track is the most atmospheric ECM-like track, somewhat funky and dark via Turner's soprano sax. Clever stairstep phrases identify the even funkier "Elena Berenjena," a rocking hard bop with a contemporary side centers the spiky, modal "Dharma Days"á la Coltrane, "Anandananda" is a long free solo tenor to bass to jazz tango, and "Super Sister" moves forcefully and urgently with Grenadier's booming bass, strong but not brash jazz, all composed by Turner. "CJ" and "Transfigured" are penned by Grenadier, the former a very slow, reticent, but true to soul ballad, while the latter is free and languid, with Turner's soprano sax and bowed bass tones evoking a mood of trudging carriage and slowly evolving life. For a first go this is a very credible effort and hopefully not a one shot, from a band that is touring in support of the music, which hopefully can grow into the top drawer ensemble it can easily be. - Michael G. Nastos
Tracks
01. Lady B (Jeff Ballard)
02. Sky & Country (Jeff Ballard)
03. Elena Berenjena (Mark Turner)
04. CJ (Larry Grenadier)
05. Dharma Days (Mark Turner)
06. Anadananda (Marc Turner)
07. Perla Morena (Jeff Ballard)
08. Transfigured (Larry Grenadier)
09. Super Sister (Mark Turner)
MARK TURNER tenor and soprano saxophones
LARRY GRENADIER double-bass
JEFF BALLARD drums
Recorded February and June 2008 at Avatar Studios, New York
ECM Records ECM 2067 179 5041