The
album, Ezra Weiss Sextet: Before You Know It [Live in Portland], out September
9 on the Roark Records label, is his seventh album as a leader, but marks
Weiss' first venture into live recording.
"I wanted to bring the energy of our live shows to the album, so
that you could listen to it and feel like you were sitting there at the
club." Beautifully recorded by Rick
Gordon and artfully mixed by Katsuhiko Naito, this album perfectly achieves
Weiss' goal.
Weiss
has earned wide critical acclaim for his previous CDs: 5 A. M. Strut (2003),
Persephone (2005), Get Happy (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2009), The Shirley
Horn Suite (2011), and Our Path To This Moment (2012).
Perhaps
more than any other composer of his generation, Ezra Weiss consistently writes
memorable melodies, which he creatively brings to the forefront with his
thoughtful orchestration. While his sextet
obviously pays homage to Horace Silver and Art Blakey's bands, Weiss brings the
spaciousness of Shirley Horn and the structural development of Maria Schneider
to his music. These influences clearly
emerge on the opening track, "Winter Machine," winner of the 2006
ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award.
"There's a lot that stands out for me about this performance of
'Winter Machine,'" says Weiss.
"Chris Brown's modern take on the drumming, Farnell Newton's heavy
blues, and especially John Nastos' alto sound - it's so virtuosic and still so
musical."
The
sextet then takes off on "The Crusher," a fast burner that brings to
mind both the intensity of Woody Shaw and the dynamic excitement of Charles
Mingus. Then in a sudden change of pace,
the band follows this with "Don't Need No Ticket," a soulful ballad
that takes its title from a Curtis Mayfield lyric. Perhaps this slow funk is the arena where
this band stands out the most, bringing together the sensitivity of the
Stylistics with the intensity of John Coltrane.
Again
changing things up, the sextet jumps into their modern take on the classic
Gershwin "A Foggy Day." Weiss'
arranging skills are obvious here, as he completely reimagines this great
standard. And in this live setting, the
band is able to stretch out, everyone finding new directions for
improvisational exploration. The band
continues with "Jessie's Song," a 7-minute masterpiece written for
Weiss' wife. The ensemble playing here is truly extraordinary, showcasing the
group's dynamics, intonation, and collective phrasing.
"The
Five A.M. Strut" was originally recorded on Weiss' debut album of the same
name. While that studio version was only
four minutes long, this performance is over fifteen minutes. Again, the live setting allows the band to
stretch out on the solos, making everyone's personalities shine through. For instance, Devin Phillips' New Orleans
background comes out loud and clear.
"This was the first tune I wrote when I moved to Portland,"
says Weiss. "I had a gig that
started at two in the morning. This tune
is about playing a gig like that, and then somehow having to figure out how to
get home."
"Alabama"
was originally composed by John Coltrane after the 1963 bombing of the 16th
Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in which four girls were killed. Weiss says, "After the shootings at
Sandy Hook, I was looking for some healing music to help me cope. I thought about John Coltrane, and then
thought of 'Alabama,' and suddenly felt very scared to listen to it. That's when I decided I needed to arrange
it." This arrangement, which treats
Coltrane's melody as a canon and features an extended solo by Devin Phillips,
is dedicated to the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting.
The band
closes out the set with "Before You Know It," a soulful piece Weiss
wrote for his first son before he was born.
Again, the sextet shines on this funky ballad with beautiful solos by
all of the horn players.
By the
end of the album, we feel as though we've been there in the club, taken on an
epic journey with these stellar musicians.
Recently
listed in the 2012 and 2013 DownBeat Critics Polls and three-time winner of the
ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award, composer/pianist Ezra Weiss has led bands in
many of the country's greatest clubs including Dizzy's Club Coca-Coca in NYC,
the Triple Door in Seattle, and Catalina's in Los Angeles. He holds a bachelor's degree in Jazz
Composition from the Oberlin Conservatory and a master's degree in Jazz Piano
from Queens College. His recordings
include The Five A.M. Strut, Persephone, Get Happy, Alice in Wonderland, The
Shirley Horn Suite, and Our Path To This Moment, all of which have garnered
significant international acclaim from press and radio. While living in New
York, Weiss worked as arranger and pianist for legendary drummer Billy Hart. He
currently lives with his wife and two sons in Portland, Oregon, where he
teaches at Portland State University.
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