Category: Reviews

burningambulance.com

Though this review is being published on Independence Day, the title of pianist Orrin Evans‘ latest release has nothing to do with sociopolitical freedom. It’s not about musical freedom, either, at least not if your definition of that idea tilts in the direction of Matthew Shipp,Cecil Taylor, or any other practitioners of hard-line keyboard pyrotechnics.

By titling his album Freedom, Evans is paying tribute to his hometown of Philadelphia. That’s the album’s theme, in a nutshell. The compositions are almost all by Philadelphia natives, including Evans himself; the bassist on the date, Dwayne Burno; Shirley Scott; Charles Fambrough, one of three people to whom the disc is dedicated; and Eddie Green. He also tackles the standard “Time After Time,” written by Jule Styne, and Herbie Hancock‘s “Just Enough.”

The majority of the music is straight trio work, featuring Evans, Burno and drummerByron Landham. On three tracks, though, the pianist lets a younger drummer,Anwar Marshall, take over, and on two tracks (“Gray’s Ferry” and “Time After Time”) saxophonist Larry McKenna, a figure of some renown in Philadelphia but not really a nationally known player, guests.

Here’s the thing: I like Evans’ playing. Just in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been listening to his work as an accompanist on Ralph Bowen‘s Power Play and Stacy Dillard‘s Good and Bad Memories, and in each case, he adds a lot to the ensemble and to the music. But piano trios are a major sticking point for me. I just have a hard time convincing myself to listen to them. Another example: Art Hirahara. His work on Nick Hempton‘s The Business (coming out July 5) is great, but his recent trio disc, The Noble Path, did almost nothing for me. Piano, bass and drums aren’t enough. I need more. (Weirdly, I can listen to solo piano all day when I’m in the mood. It’s just piano trios that turn me off.) So I was a little concerned that Freedom would bore me. But it didn’t.

It’s tough to pinpoint exactly why, though. I’m finding Evans’ music is resistant to analysis. He’s provided conceptual clues on this record, but there are few, if any, stylistic hallmarks I can pinpoint that make an Orrin Evans record an Orrin Evans record. He doesn’t hammer the low end the way Matt Shipp does, or focus as fiercely as Craig Taborn. He’s not a purveyor of misty nothingness like Brad Mehldau. He’s just a solid, swinging player, and that’s maybe more difficult to discuss than any of the other styles of jazz piano. I like Evans, but can’t say exactly why. I guess that’ll have to be enough, unless and until I can set up an interview with him.

Freedom is a hard-swinging record; “Oasis” gets into some rhythmic territory that verges on salsa or boogaloo. But Evans and company keep tempos and moods changing, switching from ballads to blues to a deceptively simple vamp that gives “Shades of Green” its endlessly captivating structure. His piano style is hard to pin down; it’s not as overtly churchy as some others of his generation (Cyrus Chestnut, say), but neither does it have the phony delicacy of players still in thrall to that other Evans. He’s his own man, finding new things to say in a very mainstream/classicist context. And yes, he manages to hold the listener’s attention all the way through, with Larry McKenna’s two appearances on saxophone serving as a bonus, not a respite from tedium. So yeah, this album is highly recommended. Check it out.

saxshed.com

www.allaboutjazz.com

Philadelphia was a symbol of freedom long before Elton Johnever penned his well-known tribute to tennis legend Billy Jean King. The city was a hotspot for American revolutionaries when the British were running the show, and Philadelphia played host to the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress, which signed the Declaration of Independence. This city has come to represent the ideals of freedom within American society, and its rich jazz history is a reflection of the city’s past, pointing to all that is right and good with the City of Brotherly Love.

Pianist Orrin Evans was a first-hand recipient of all that the city had to offer in the form of on-the-bandstand education and mentorship. Philly legends like organists Trudy Pitts and Shirley Scott, drummer Mickey Roker and pianist Sid Simmons imparted their hard-earned wisdom into Evans’ hands and head, and the pianist’s formal studies with William Whitaker, Charles Pettaway and Jack Carr helped to round out his hometown musical upbringing. While subsequent studies at Rutgers University and the lure of New York in the ’90s eventually drew Evans eastward, he never forgot where he came from.

With Freedom, Orrin Evans comes full circle, paying tribute to the mentors and friends that helped to set him on his path in jazz. While the music was recorded in New York, the roster of musicians on the date is all friends from Philadelphia. Bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Byron Landham—with drummer Anwar Marshall replacing Landham on a few tracks—are on hand to provide crisp rhythm work, and the trio is expanded into a quartet on two numbers, allowing for the addition of tenor saxophonist Larry McKenna’s full-bodied horn work.

The music itself, despite a title that might indicate otherwise, is actually Evans most conventional output in quite some time. The spiky intensity of The Captain Black Big Band and the left-leaning, in-and-out esthetic of Tarbaby’s work is nowhere to be found on this date. While Evans still injects his own personality into these pieces, his mission here is to honor others. Swing is a central element on a large number of the tracks, but it isn’t all that Evans has to offer. Dewy balladry built with glacial grace (Evans’ “Dita”), a rhythmically engaging workout on Shirley Scott’s “Oasis,” and an album-closing, solo piano take on Herbie Hancock’s “Just Enough” all exhibit different sides of the indefatigable Orrin Evans.

www.allaboutjazz.com

Orrin Evans’ first three Posi-Tone releases formed a diverse but high-quality trilogy: the piano trio (Faith In Action, 2010); the freer, more left-field small band (Tarbaby’s End Of Fear, 2010); and the hard-blowing and exciting big band (Captain Black Big Band, 2011). Hot on their heels comes Freedom, Evans’ fourth album in less than two years. The quality remains high.

Freedom harks back to the lineup and style of Faith In Action. Evans’ home town of Philadelphia looms large, with all of the band and most of the composers hailing from the city. If anything, the album’s accent is more strongly on melody, its emotional tone more romantic and less frenetic than Faith In Action, although the trio’s take on Chris Beck’s “Hodge Podge” shows that it can crank up the tempo and the tension whenever it wants.

Charles Fambrough’s “One For Honor” showcases bassist Dwayne Burno’s rich, fat-toned sound and the skittering, dynamic percussion of the impressive young drummer Anwar Marshall. Burno’s own “Gray’s Ferry” is a slinky blues, with a gently seductive swing courtesy of Byron Landham, who was also featured on Evans’ first recording, 1994’s self produced The Trio. Veteran saxophonist Larry McKenna adds a confident solo to this tune, while on Jule Styne’s “Time After Time” he takes the lead role, playing the melody line with warmth before kicking things into a higher tempo.

Evan’s own “Dita,” is a slow ballad characterized by his spacious and considered piano and Landham’s inventive percussion. Evans’ solo performance of Herbie Hancock’s “Just Enough” is a beautiful valediction, a delicate and controlled approach that draws out the tune’s romance and lyricism.

Evans’ body of recorded work is both extensive and impressive. His previous three Posi-Tone albums are among his most mature and rewarding works, with a breadth of imagination that few other contemporary jazz musicians can muster. Freedom is a beautiful creation, a work of great strength and musical perception.

Track Listing: One for Honor; Gray’s Ferry; Shades of Green; Dita; Time After Time; Hodge Podge; Oasis; As Is; Just Enough.

Personnel: Orrin Evans: piano; Dwayne Burno: bass; Byron Landham: drums, percussion; Anwar Marshall: drums (1, 6, 7); Larry McKenna: tenor saxophone (2, 5).

http://steptempest.blogspot.com

The past year has been quite a musical ride for pianist/composer Orrin Evans, especially when it comes to his relationship to Posi-Tone Records.   Early in 2010, the Los Angeles-based label released the pianist’s tribute to saxophonist Bobby Watson, “Faith in Action” followed in late October by “The End of Fear” from Tarbaby, the “trio collective” with Evans, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Nasheet Waits (plus some fine guests.)  2011 has already seen the release of the Captain Black Big Band, arguably one of the 5 best CDs of this year.

Now, we have “Freedom“, basically a trio date released under Evans’ name, featuring bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Byron Landham with Anwar Marshall taking over the drum chair on 3 cuts (1 of which features Landham on persussion) and tenor saxophonist Larry McKenna on 2 tracks.  While not as dramatic and forceful as the Big Band recording, this CD contains a multitude of pleasures.  The project is dedicated to the memories of Trudy Pitts, Sid Simmons and Charles Fambrough, all who passed near the end of 2010 (Fambrough on New Years’ Day 2011.)  The first track on the CD is Fambrough’s “One for Honor“, a delightful romp that gives the musicians plenty of space to let loose – and they do play with fire.  Burno is one of the more melodic contemporary bassists as well as being a strong foundation.  He supplies “Gray’s Ferry” ( a neighborhood in South Philadelphia), a medium tempo blues featuring a bluesy solo from McKenna, a veteran of the “Philly” jazz scene who has worked with Clark Terry, Tony Bennett and many others in his long career.

Other highlights include “Shades of Green” from the pen of the late Philadelphia-based pianist, Eddie Green (he passed in 2004) and the classy, poly-rhythmic, “Hodge Podge“, composed by Chris Beck, a drummer from Philly and featuring Marshall in the drum chair.  Marshall and Landham lead the way into “Oasis“, an atmospheric work from Shirley Scott. The only tune without an overt Philadelphia connection is Herbie Hancock’s “Just Enough” that Evans plays sans accompaniment to close the CD. Filled with rich, resonant, chords, the pianist creates a fine musical tour-de-force as he works through the melody line into his excellent solo.

In the shadow of the Big Band recording, “Freedom” may seem a bit low-key but pay attention.  Like much of what Orrin Evans has been giving to the world lately, this CD pays tribute to his city, his influences and his contemporaries.  It’s mature music yet never loses its spirit and the joy of playing. It’s yet another “winner’ in a streak that stretches back to Evans’ fine sextet of recordings for Criss Cross.  For more information, go to www.posi-tone.com/orrinevans/freedom.html.

revivalist.okayplayer.com

While it is common to take for granted the ease with which we find forever in our favorite tunes, the human experience dictates that the musicians creating those songs be regarded with equal parts admiration and immortality.  Everyone expects to lose a grandparent, but people rarely anticipate the eventual loss of a musical hero.  When people lose loved ones, they return to items and places specific enough to the deceased to placate their grief.  Music is often employed as the great salve in everyday life, the creative medium employed as both memorial and marker of fond memory.  What then, do musicians do with the loss of their forebears, mentors, teachers, and favorite players?  While grief could be carefully woven into some magnum opus of influence and woe made to crest at a fever pitch, the more likely outcome is that the grieving pianist will do the same as the grieving rock enthusiast; electing to play the songs that initially made him a fan instead of observing that personal void with an equally empty moment of silence – one that would not be of service to the memory of anyone who has spent their life in tireless service to the idea of making a joyful noise.  Returning to the legacies, fond memories, and teeming catalogs of recently deceased Philadelphia jazz legends, Charles Fambrough, Sid Simmons, and Trudy Pitts, Orrin Evans attempts to do the same.

Continuing up the mountain he has built from a multitude of projects, conceptual outfits, and critical acclaim, pianist Orrin Evans returns to front a trio including Dwayne Burno on bass, and Anwar Marshall and Byron Landham splitting time on drums, for the nine track Freedom.  He opens with “One For Honor,” a tune by bassist Charles Fambrough, who died before Evans’ project was released.  The track, much like many of the jazz tunes that have originated in Philadelphia, feels like it was born to score the city itself in movement and timing – the individual and very distinct voices of each musician providing a balance of grit and class that lend to the abundant charm of the piece.  Every series of notes and chords seems well placed by Evans and expertly orchestrated by the band as a collective.  If this piece were meant to honor Fambrough in life, it has given his sound and composition new life in light of his absence.

Saxophonist Larry McKenna guests on “Grays Ferry,” a song that is just close enough to the cigarettes, sex, and cool aesthetic of once-legendary Ortlieb’s Jazzhaus to accurately represent the rough hewn beauty of the Philadelphia neighborhood the title references.  McKenna provides a very raw star power on the tune, which may be heightened immensely on the off chance his instrument was miked well enough that the sound of his fingers pressing the keys of the saxophone is as audible as the sound of his breath forcing energy through the brass.

The second track on the last release of Philadelphia pianist, Eddie Green, “Shades of Green” is strikingly beautiful.  The synchronicity and peaceful force with which the bass and piano operate, is subtly impressive as the otherwise dulcet piano melds with the rich vibrato of the bass to bring a somber tone to an otherwise joyful but very soul stirring piece.  The ultimate victory is found in the band’s ability to allow Burno to shine; the piano acting as the massive delicate landscape the bass has been charged to illuminate.  It is a song that reaches back to reference the tone and thematic emotion present in Bill Evans’ interpretation of Miles Davis’ classic, “Nardis” – especially as it pertains to the relationship between the two foremost melodic voices, as the pianist and bassist share space.

“Dita” is Evans’ only original track on the release and is an interesting utilization of the bass, at a barely detectable whisper of an introduction, as piano draws upon the ethos of songs like “Blue In Green” and “Mood Indigo” to produce a short piece that is uniquely spare and overflowing with suggestions of pain against a fanfare of brushes and cymbals.  This could be Evans’ way of saying goodbye or maybe even posing a very deliberate word of thanks, but whether his exact intent is ever made clear, Evans’ sentiment is absolutely obvious.

The album continues with several more up-tempo pieces, including “Time After Time” and “Hodge Podge”, both exercises in playful fingering and syncopation.  The rhythmic execution on Evans’ cover of Herbie Hancock’s “Oasis” is not to be missed.  It is not obnoxiously loud or overpopulated with textures, but it harbors a diversity of sound and movement that make it one of the standout pieces on the release.  This may very well be Evans’ effort to give Hancock his flowers while he is still living.  Obviously impressed and influenced by Herbie Hancock, as most modern pianists seem to be, Evans and company do a fantastic job of providing the musical traction that allows the entire band complete deference to the composition and each other.

By the last two tracks, Evans has managed to display a range of skill and technical knowledge without ever making his efforts seem even remotely self-serving.  “As Is” is the type of crowd starter known to warm a jazz club up after a few somber numbers or remarkably slow hours.  Playing trio for anyone who plays in or patronizes a working Jazz trio, the band make good use of the classic elements of group style and creative exchange, maneuvering in and out of a theme that quiets rather suddenly on the repetition of a very simple but memorable theme.  “Just Enough” is solo piano working in its most overlooked capacity, as melody and rhythm section for itself – Evans playing on the sporadic virtuosity and dissonant chord changes that have come to typify much of fellow Philadelphian, McCoy Tyner’s style – an ode that is as beautiful and brash as it is an exercise in humility.  A fitting end to an album concerned with preserving and honoring the works and careers of past musicians, by doing nothing more than continuing to play their songs with the same dedication to the music and passion for the art that they once did.

blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com

Orrin Evans – Freedom (Posi-Tone): It’s been a good year for Philly jazz pianist and composer-performer Orrin Evans. Back in March, Evans’s Captain Black Big Band – an ensemble sometimes boasting up to 38 musicians from New York City and Philly – released their self-titled album of recordings from live dates in NYC and Chris’s Jazz Cafe in Philly, and without wasting any time, in marches Freedom. Evans’s resume features many famed and diverse collaborators – Mos Def, Common, Pharoah Sanders, Branford Marsalis – but on Freedom, his goal’s to reflect on his development specifically within Philly’s jazz tradition. During informal encounters and his years as a student at Girard Music Academy and the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University, he has studied and worked with local musicians like Trudy Pitts, Sid Simmons, Bobby Durham, Kenny Barone, Robin and Duane Eubanks, Mickey Roker, and a long list of others whose impact has shaped his sound and perspective. His core trio for theFreedom sessions is bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Byron Landham, with saxophonist Larry McKenna sitting in on two tracks and drummer Anwar Marshall on three. Among compositions by Philly jazz artists like Charles Fambrough and Eddie Green, the trio bangs out pieces written by Evans and Burno, thus articulating the perpetual expansion of the local jazz canon. Highlights include the rollicking piano phrases and drummer Marshall’s lively shifts and breaks on “Hodge Podge,” a piece composed by Chris Beck, and the hard-hitting swing of Duane Eubanks’ “As Is.”