Paired down
| Paired Down, Volume One & Two | ||||
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| Studio album by DD Jackson | ||||
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Publication |
1997 |
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| Label (s) | Justin Time Records | |||
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Format (s) |
2 CD |
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Title (number) |
10/9 |
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running time |
64: 18/63: 20 |
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| occupation |
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DD Jackson, Jim West |
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Studio (s) |
Sound on Sound, New York City |
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Paired Down ( English for reduced ) refers to two jazz albums of Canadian pianist DD Jackson in which he duets with Ray Anderson , Billy Bang , Hamiet Bluiett , Jane Bunnett , Don Byron , James Carter , Santi Debriano , David Murray and Hugh Ragin played. The recordings were made on November 30, December 1 and December 2, 1996 in New York City and were released in 1997 on Justin Time Records .
The album
Paired Down was created during the three recording sessions mentioned in November and December 1996, during which pianist DD Jackson recorded largely his own compositions with a total of nine musicians.
The album Volume One begins with a variation on the jazz standard I Got Rhythm , with James Carter playing the C melody saxophone , here referred to as Rhythm and Things . According to Gary Giddins, African Dreams borrows from Horace Silver's Song for My Father , Peace of Mind from Abdullah Ibrahim . Hugh Ragin's Ballad for Miles reflects the song Motherless Child , while Fanfare and Fiesta is reminiscent of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme . Chick-ism alludes to Chick Coreas Spain ; in Bang's Dream the violinist is stylistically reminiscent of Stuff Smith . Don Byron's Spiel in Time contains Middle Eastern Klezmer allusions. Murray's play in Easy is heavily steeped in gospel music ; his interpretation of Love Song from a lyricism reminiscent of Albert Ayler .
Trombonist Ray Anderson appeared on three tracks in Volume Two , Jackson's former mentor, and tenor saxophonist David Murray on two more. The flutist Jane Bunnett was partner in the 7/4 bar flute song ; Violinist Billy Bang in Pleasure and Pain, which resembles Wayne Shorter's footprints . Clarinetist Don Byron played Time with the pianist in an almost classical style.
Jackson had recently worked with Santi Debriano on an album by David Murray ( Long Goodbye , DIW Records ) dedicated to Don Pullen and was a member of his regular trio; The pianist worked with Billy Bang and Murray on Kip Hanrahan's projects in the early 1990s .
In an interview that was made shortly after the recordings, the pianist commented on the background:
- I think I'm showing a more contemplative side here than the 'insane stuff' I've played before. But even then I always wrote my own material and always tried to be as diverse as possible in my influences - of course Don Pullen, but also Keith Jarrett, Abdullah Ibrahim , Chick Corea , Oscar Peterson , Monk , Jaki Byard (who is another important teacher for me) and classical music etc. pp. So there has always been more than one influence, a fact that I'm sure people will increasingly see as I move on.
Track list
- DD Jackson: Paired Down, Volume One (Justin Time JUST 99-2)
- Rhythm and Things (C melody saxophone: James Carter) -4: 46
- Ballad for Miles (Trumpet: Hugh Ragin) -8: 28
- Reflections (tenor saxophone: James Carter) -7:15
- Chick-Isms (double bass: Santi Debriano) -4: 48
- Fanfare and Fiesta (Trumpet: Hugh Ragin) -6: 09
- Subliminal Messages (Trumpet: Hugh Ragin) -4:24
- African Dreams (baritone saxophone: Hamiet Bluiett) -9: 38
- For Don (baritone saxophone: Hamiet Bluiett) -6: 58
- Bang's Dream (violin: Billy Bang) -6: 00
- Easy (tenor saxophone: David Murray) -5: 52
Ballad for Miles and Fanfare and Fiesta are compositions by Hugh Ragin; all other compositions are by DD Jackson.
- DD Jackson: Paired Down, Volume Two (Justin Time JUST 104-2)
- Catch It (trombone: Ray Anderson) -6: 34
- One of the Sweetest (Bass: Santi Debriano) -6:39
- Flute song (flute: Jane Bunnett) -6: 00
- Pleasure and Pain (violin: Billy Bang) -11: 30
- Peace of Mind (tenor saxophone: David Murray) -7: 32
- Love-Song (tenor saxophone: David Murray) -6: 13
- Time (clarinet: Don Byron) -7: 14
- Interlude (trombone: Ray Anderson) -1: 28
- Closing Melody (trombone: Ray Anderson) -8:10
Interlude is a composition by Ray Anderson and DD Jackson; all other compositions are by DD Jackson.
reception
Bill Bennett noted in JazzTimes in 1998 that in their best moments, D. D. Jackson's excursions have both "thoughtful composition and a fire of spontaneity." Taken in isolation, Jackson's performances have an integrity that is truly amazing. The less exciting dimension of his playing is the tendency to "span the bow from the presentation of the topic to an outside improvisation to the recapitulation ". Working with other musicians seems to vary the contours of his performances, as evidenced by the second episode, which brings Jackson and his compositions together in a convincing grid with top musicians. So Ray Anderson creates "funny and melismatic zeal" in the process. Similarly, David Murray forced the performance into unexpected twists. With Don Byron's playing on the clarinet, one of the most reserved and at the same time most fascinating pieces of the "colorful and provocative" album was created.
Scott Yanow gave the first album in Allmusic 4½ (out of five) stars and emphasized the abundance of variety, demands and humor. " Vol. One gets the edge due to the particularly fine playing of Carter and Ragin. An intriguing set that grows in interest with each listening ”.
Yanow also gave the second album 4½ (out of five) stars in Allmusic and emphasized in his review the influence of Jackson's mentor Don Pullen , whose method of both free and percussive play Jackson had adopted but gradually developed his own voice. “Jackson's compositions explore a variety of moods, timbres, and grooves . The colorful interplay between Jackson and his fellow musicians always keeps the listener interested. While Volume One is slightly sharp, the second CD is also worth noticing and almost serves as a guide through the avant-garde of the late 90s. "
Richard Cook and Brian Morton , who rated the album with the second highest rating of 3½ stars in their Penguin Guide to Jazz , highlight Jackson's duet with Santi Debriano, which is reminiscent of Red Mitchell's encounters with various pianists.
The Rough Guide: Jazz (2004 edition) highlights Paired Down: Volume One as one of the pianist's most important albums. According to Gary Giddins (1997), Jackson emancipated himself from the role of a protégé with these two albums. However, the critic expressed reservations about Jackson's ballad play in titles such as One of the Sweetest or For Don :
- His balladic originals are soft and indistinct, relying overmuch on Keith Jarrett-style gospel grace notes to the point of sentimentalizy (Don Pullen deflected such clichés with his punishing attack and rangy harmonies). This is especially true of his laments. 'One of the Sweetest' is sticky with blues notes, displaying the affect but not the substance of a reflective song. The trenody for Pullen, 'For Don', is even sappier, thouigh redeemed in his increasingly poignant improvisation, heightened at the dramtic finish by Bluiett's pitch-perfect cries and the whisper of air rushing through his baritone sax.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Gary Giddins : Weather Bird: Jazz on the Dawn of its Second Century. Oxford University Press, Oxford, etc. 2004, ISBN 0195304497 . P. 176 ff.
- ↑ a b Review of the album in JazzTimes
- ↑ DD Jackson, Liner Notes, Volume Two
- ^ Peace and Loss: An Interview with DD Jackson in Alliance for Improvised Music
- ↑ Review of the album Paired Down (Vol. 1) at Allmusic (English). Retrieved November 17, 2013.
- ↑ Review of the album Paired Down (Vol. 2) at Allmusic (English). Retrieved November 23, 2013.
- ^ Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 , p. 764.
- ↑ The Rough Guide to Jazz, ed. by Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley , Charles Alexander . 2004