NEA Jazz Master George Coleman has been involved with
notable bands throughout his remarkable career. As a leader, he’s worked with
such estimable players as Ray Drummond, Billy Higgins, Mike LeDonne, Bob
Cranshaw, Hilton Ruiz and Sam Jones. As a sideman, Coleman has wielded his
powerful tenor alongside such legendary artists as Miles Davis, Max Roach,
Elvin Jones, Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock, Charles Mingus, Cedar Walton, and B.B.
King, among many others.
So when the saxophone giant christens an album The Quartet,
those two simple words speak volumes about the esteem in which he holds the
musicians that make up his band. Coleman’s latest album, due for release
September 27 on Smoke Sessions Records, more than backs up that typically
understated compliment with a captivating session of bristling swing, lively
interplay and deep communication.
That fact isn’t particularly surprising considering the
musicians involved. On this all-too-rare excursion into the studio, Coleman is
joined by pianist Harold Mabern, with whom the 84-year old master shares an
almost lifelong relationship, bassist John Webber, and drummer Joe Farnsworth.
This quartet has been sharing the bandstand for the better part of two decades,
though this release marks their debut recording as a unit. That fact alone
lends considerable heft to that seemingly straightforward title.
Coleman and Mabern share roots in the fertile musical soil
of Memphis, Tennessee, and have known each other since their days in high
school studying under swing-era saxophonist Jimmie Lunceford. The two have been
recording together sporadically for more than 50 years, ever since Mabern’s
1968 debut A Few Miles From Memphis.
“We’ve kept that connection through the years,” Coleman
says. “We’re still alive and halfway healthy, and there’s a certain amount of
maturity that we’ve developed through the years. He and I share a lot of
experience and knowledge.”
The rhythm section’s profound chemistry can hardly be
overstated; in addition to their work with Coleman, the three have logged
countless hours on stage under Mabern’s leadership and as a quartet with
saxophonist Eric Alexander. “I’ve had some great people in my quartets over the
years,” Coleman says. “These guys are all great musicians. I don't have to
rehearse with them; we just get on the stand and play, and they keep their ears
open.”
That relaxed approach is evident throughout The Quartet,
which manages to feel warm and effortless while never for a moment losing the
scintillating surprise of in-the-moment discovery. Coleman’s impassioned
strains, sounding over Mabern’s emphatic chords, immediately grab the
listener’s tension on opener “Paul’s Call,” a new piece dedicated to Smoke Jazz
Club owner Paul Stache. The title stems from the deep mutual respect and
longstanding friendship held between the saxophonist and the club. Coleman’s
quartet opened Smoke in 1999 and has remained a favorite on its stage ever
since.
“Recording George Coleman and his quartet is the reason we
have a label,” Stache says. “They represent a certain musical ideal that we
hope to promote.”
Coleman’s supple fluidity with melody is evident in his
breezy take on the standard “I Wish You Love,” highlighted by his solo, its
fluttering figures tracing curves through the air like the path of a butterfly
alighting and lifting off again. Mabern responds with a playful, toying turn.
The quartet’s heartrending sensitivity comes to the fore on the Ellington
classic “Prelude to a Kiss,” with Farnsworth’s whispering brushwork and a
winking quote of “Take the A Train” during Mabern’s solo.
“Lollipops and Roses,” best known for singer Jack Jones’
Grammy-winning 1962 rendition, is an unexpected choice but yields a lilting
romp that builds in intensity before erupting into Farnsworth’s compelling
solo, a spotlight-stealing tour de force. The whole band gets a chance to
stretch out on the 12-minute “East 9th
Street Blues,” an
example of in-the-moment composition of the sort only a band with this kind of
longevity and virtuosity can pull off.
Over nearly as long a take, “When I Fall in Love” takes a
turn from ballad (with some of Coleman’s most exquisite playing) to jaunty
swing. Benny Golson’s immortal “Along Came Betty” showcases the rhythm
section’s steely vigor, contrasted by the airy elegance of “You’ve Changed.”
Jobim’s “Triste” closes the album, beginning in an intimate duo dance between
the leader and Webber; the bassist takes the melody out for a fleet, nimble
spin, engaged by Mabern’s witty comping.
The Quartet is Coleman’s second release for Smoke Sessions,
following 2016’s acclaimed quintet outing A Master Speaks. That title could
apply to any number of releases throughout the tenor great’s breathtaking
career; a man of few words, he’s stunningly eloquent when he lifts his horn to
his lips.
That’s evident when one considers the landmark albums on
which Coleman has been a key player over the last 60 years: Miles Davis’ Seven
Steps to Heaven, Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage, Booker Little and Friend,
Charles Mingus’ Three of Four Shades of Blues, Lee Morgan’s City Lights, and
Cedar Walton’s masterpiece Eastern Rebellion, along with great album’s by a
who’s who of jazz masters: Max Roach, Chet Baker, Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff,
Elvin Jones, Ahmad Jamal, Johnny Hartman, Slide Hampton, and on and on.
The Quartet adds a new chapter to that considerable
discography, one that reflects the wealth of experiences and encounters that
George Coleman has enjoyed over the decades. Most importantly it captures a
stellar band at the height of its powers, a tantalizing glimpse of an
extraordinary quartet only previously enjoyed by those who’ve been awestruck by
seeing them in person.
"The Quartet" was produced by Paul Stache and
Damon Smith and
recorded live in New York at Sear Sound's Studio C on a
Sear-Avalon custom console
at 96KHz/24bit and mixed to ½" analog tape using a
Studer mastering deck.
Available in audiophile HD format.
