Alex Pope Norris, who has appeared on close to 90 recordings as a sideman (many of them on Steeplechase), now celebrates the ten-plus year anniversary of his Quintet, with Fleet From The Heat, his debut on Steeplechase Records, and his third recording as a leader. The album is comprised of a combination of old and new material, much of it workshopped and performed at Smalls in NYC since 2008. The members of the band, Norris’ “go-to Quintet,” tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose, pianist Jeremy Manasia, bassist Paul Gill and drummer Brian Floody, are all veteran New York City jazz musicians. “We’ve known each other in various contexts for more than 25 years,” Norris states proudly, and you can hear their history in how the musicians breathe and connect; the way that one solo dovetails with the next; and the seamlessness of the rhythm section, which provides a supportive springboard for dazzling improvisations.
If these virtues recall the classic bands of Horace Silver and Art Blakey, and recordings by Freddie Hubbard and Wayne Shorter, mission accomplished. Norris worships that sound, and capturing the spirit of those bands was a goal for Fleet From The Heat. Norris explains, “most of my career in jazz has been as a sideman. I have played in many of the top big bands, countless small group projects ranging from the traditional to the highly complex and experimental, covering a wide range of styles, and have been deeply involved with a plethora of Latin Jazz projects over the years. With this Steeplechase release, I’m trying to represent a side of my playing and writing that draws on my love for swinging, straight-ahead Jazz, with an old spirit for an ever-changing world.”
The opportunity for Norris to record his Quintet came directly from Nils Winther, owner of Steeplechase. “He knew my playing through my sideman appearances on other Steeplechase sessions by George Colligan, Ari Ambrose (who appears on this recording), and saxophonist Gregory Tardy. In fact, it was Tardy who recommended to Nils that he record me as a leader for Steeplechase,” explains Norris.
Fleet From the Heat – Norris composed the title track in 2008 upon his return to New York City after living in Miami, Florida for four years. “I look at this tune as a reclaiming of New York City as my home, physically and artistically.”
No Fair, It’s Mine – A jazz waltz composed circa 2013, on the piano while visiting his father in the D.C. suburbs. “I was hearing some kids play ball outside, and one of them exclaimed, ‘No Fair, It’s Mine,’ which seemed like a good title to me.
Tracks 3-6 (“What Normal,” “Quarandemic,” “Ballad For 2020,” & “Dude, Where’s My Deli”) comprise a suite that Norris calls, “The Famous Original Pandemic Suite.” It’s a tongue-in-cheek title, as many musicians and artists created works during the COVID lockdown of 2020 with references to COVID (such as, “The Pandemic Suite,” “The COVID Suite,” “The Pandemic Symphony,” “The Lockdown Opera,” etc . . .). “I was thinking about how in New York there are (or were) many pizza shops all over Manhattan claiming to be the “Famous Original Ray’s Pizza,” or same variation. I never knew which Famous Original Ray’s was the original! So, I decided to title this suite of new tunes the “Famous Original Pandemic Suite,” knowing full well that it’s not the first . . . that’s how it is tongue-in- cheek!” In naming the suite as he did, Norris affectionately tweaks this minor absurdity of New York life – a small detail that helps solidify Fleet From the Heat as an unsentimental love letter to New York City, in rough times as well as good.
What Normal? – Norris’ reaction to the plethora of news bearing the advice or instruction about how we all have to get used to this “new normal.” “I thought to myself . . . we’re Jazz musicians, we have no normal. What Normal?!?!
Quarandemic – A portmanteau combining quarantine and pandemic. “I have the rhythm section repetitive ostinatos representing the sameness and repetitiveness of life during lockdown times, with a floating melody overtop representing the search and desire for change in the monotony.”
Ballad for 2020 – 2020 was a devastating year for people around the world; from the loss of lives to the upheaval of our ways of life, sources of income, and being closed off from friends and family. “I’ve never written a ballad before, so I felt this was a good opportunity to challenge myself, artistically, to write a piece of music in dedication to everything we all went through.”
Dude, Where’s My Deli? – “I had a deli across the street from my apartment. It was overpriced and funky, and it was open 24 hours, always there when you needed it! Like so many businesses in my neighborhood, it closed during the pandemic. This song, a boogaloo (a groove that I’m a fan of) is an homage to the little spots in NYC we loved that left us during the pandemic.
Holiday Blues – Norris composed this during the Winter of 2008, close to Christmas, and it serves as an ad-hoc homage to Norris’ Seasonal Affective Disorder. Simultaneously, it’s a simpler tune from Norris that’s obviously fun to play.
Night Bus – “This tune was written in the 1990’s. I came up with the opening three-note motive while riding on a bus at night. The next day, when I was able to get near a piano, I was able to develop the rest of the tune with a productive flow that I haven’t been able to replicate yet.”
The Untamed Land – Norris created this theme while touring the Midwest. “The theme sort of overlaps itself, which reminds me of the rolling fields of the Midwest that seem to overlap each other. I was also inspired by Jackie McLean’s writing on this one.”
Grapple With A Snapple – As most people who know jazz can guess, it’s a line composed over the changes to “Scrapple From the Apple” (Norris hates the word “contrafact”).
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