Russ Nolan Sanctuary
from the Ordinary Saxophonist Russ Nolan has been documenting his explorations of
Latin rhythms and modern jazz harmony on record since the release of his 2004
debut, Two Colors. He has worked with special guests like percussionist Victor
Rendon and pianists Kenny Werner and Manuel Valera while deepening ties with
players who eventually coalesced into his working group.
For his sixth CD, Nolan set himself up for a new challenge
by recording the session live in performance. The inspired results may be heard
on Sanctuary from the Ordinary: Live at Firehouse 12, which will be released on
the saxophonist's Rhinoceruss Music label on February 12.
In the company of pianist Mike Eckroth ("one of the
best in combining jazz and Latin and salsa"), bassist Daniel Foose (a
fellow University of North Texas alum), and longtime drummer Brian Fishler
("he sounds good on everything"), Nolan presented his music to the
appreciative audience at the popular New Haven, Connecticut jazz
venue/state-of-the-art recording studio. "It was both an exciting and
scary endeavor," he says. "We had one night and one take per tune,
but there is no substitute for playing in front of people that gave back as much
as we gave them. I believe it's our best effort to date."
The program opens with a striking reworking of Thelonious
Monk's "Green Chimneys," keyed to bata drum and New Orleans second
line accents. On the title song, mambo and straight-ahead funk commingle. On
the amusingly titled original "Stravinsky's Mambo," a 12-tone row is
combined with a mambo beat -- and a Bitches Brew-type groove.
Nolan gained proficiency in Latin rhythms in an unusual way
-- by not only learning salsa dancing, but also becoming a stylish expert at
it. "The Latin dancing made me stronger rhythmically," he says.
"Playing good time is usually the last thing horn players develop, and
dancing has helped me get the rhythm in my body much in the same way a drummer
develops four-way coordination."
Sanctuary from the Ordinary offers a wide variety of
Latin-influenced sounds -- including tango on the lovely "Take 2,"
written for his wife while they were honeymooning in Buenos Aires -- as well as
some non-Latin surprises. "Memorial Day" is based on the haunting
recurring theme of the Netflix series, House of Cards. "It's slow and
incredibly simple, as written," he says. "I was inspired by the
changes in harmony."
The Illinois native (b. 1968) started out on clarinet at age
10 while attending school in Gurnee, but sports took precedence and Nolan
envisioned becoming a professional athlete. Albums by Weather Report, Herbie
Hancock, and the Brecker Brothers turned his head around, however, and he
eventually entered the esteemed jazz program at North Texas State (now the
University of North Texas).
Nolan moved to Chicago after graduation and studied with local
saxophonist Rich Corpolongo and with visiting New Yorkers Dave Liebman, Chris
Potter, and Kenny Werner. Nolan also studied with Dave Bloom, founder of the
Bloom School of Jazz, whose words of wisdom have reverberated through the years
for him. "I learned a lot about appealing to non-musicians from Dave, to
the people who were paying to see you," he says. "One of his messages
to musicians was to stop babbling, stop playing all those notes. People were
drawn to melody and rhythm, not to how fast or complicated you could
play."
Since relocating to New York City in 2000 (encouraged by the
visiting pros he'd taken lessons from in Chicago), Nolan has put the pieces of
his career as a saxophonist, writer, arranger, and clinician together. He's
emerged as a prolific recording artist. And he's connected with the city's
burgeoning pan-American scene, for the last three years leading a salsa band
that performs for dancers.
Nolan also tours regularly, with the following dates in
support of Sanctuary from the Ordinary presently in place: 4/1 Duke's Southern
Table, Newark, NJ; 4/9 BLU Jazz, Akron, OH; 4/13 Jazz Showcase, Chicago; 4/17
Redstone Room @ River Music Experience, Davenport, IA; 4/21 Black Hawk College,
Moline, IL.
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