Tag: David Weiss

steptempest.blogspot.com

“Venture Inward” (Posi-Tone Records) is the third release in 3 years by trumpeter David Weiss and his Point of Departure quintet. Coincidentally, all the music was recorded in 2008 but this release is the first “studio” album (the others, “Snuck In” and “Snuck Out” were recorded live on March 25th and released on Sunnyside Records, one day after 4 of the 6 tracks on “Venture Inward” were recorded – the remaining 2 cuts come from a June 2008 session.) Another interesting difference between the live and studio sessions is that bassist Matt Clohesy appears on the former and Luques Curtis on the latter. The rest of the lineup remains the same with J.D. Allen on tenor saxophone, Nir Felder on electric guitar and Jamire Williams on drums.

Compared to the live recordings where the majority of the songs clock in at over 10 minutes, this session, with the exception of Charles Moore’s “Number 4” (16:17) and Herbie Hancock’s “I Have A Dream” (11:36) has 4 songs under 8:25.  Then again, Weiss ties the Hancock song to Tony Williams’ “Black Comedy” (7:18), a song that first appeared on Miles Davis’s “Miles In The Sky.”  Both pieces are propelled by the dynamic drumming of Williams – when he and Curtis lock in, this music soars. Felder’s rhythm work is also worth mentioning.  His is the only chordal instrument and Felder is the foundation of this music, allowing the rhythm section to roam at will.  He eschews louder volume for a more mellow tone and his solo work is excellent. On “Black Comedy“, the guitarist plays against the beat as well as riding atop it to great effect.  It’s illuminating to hear Allen stretch on these songs as his own Trio material is usually fairly short and filled with interplay.
“Snuck In” has appeared on all 3 CDs – the song, also composed by trumpeter Charles Moore for Kenny Cox and the Contemporary Jazz Quartet (a group based in Detroit, Michigan, that was active on the 1960s and 70s), has a compelling forward motion.  Curtis, Felder and Williams really drive this peace hard and the front line does an excellent of floating the melody over the energetic rhythms.  “Number 4” has a similar feel but, here, it’s Williams and Curtis who lead the charge through the song. The bassist dances beneath Allen’s expansive and thoughtful solo.  Weiss, who is also the catalyst behind The Cookers (the “super” group with Billy Harper, Dr. Eddie Henderson, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Craig Handy and George Cables), displays the influence of Freddie Hubbard in his lengthy yet quite coherent solo.  Felder and Williams play a fiery duo before the drummer takes the spotlight for his excellent solo.

The quintet recorded “Erato” by Andrew Hill on “Snuck In“,  this CD includes 2 Hill compositions including the title track (first recorded on Hill’s “Grass Roots” Lp) and “Pax” (a piece from 1965 that was not released until 1975).  The latter is the “ballad” of the recording, with a melody from the trumpet and saxophone that weaves in and around the counterpoint of the guitar.  Williams is quite active but also somewhat subdued, serving to “color” the work of the front line and guitarist.

“Venture Inward” has the sound of American jazz in the mid-to-late 1960s but these renditions are not slavish recreations.  David Weisswisely uses younger musicians, ones who bring fresh ears and minds to this music.   The housing market may have collapsed in 2008, the banking industry suffered great losses but Weiss’s Point of Departure quintet gave the jazz world 3 excellent recordings.

www.allaboutjazz.com

If music can be described as either masculine or feminine, then recordings by trumpeter David Weiss and his Point of Departure quintet are simply testosteronic. Built upon the legacy of trumpeter Miles Davis’ second great quintet and saxophonistBilly Harper’s Black Saint inheritance, Weiss presents dexterous arrangements of muscular, second wave hard bop music.

This studio session, Venture Inward, was recorded in 2008, one day before the stunning live date at the Jazz Standard, released as Snuck In (Sunnyside, 2010) and Snuck Out (Sunnyside, 2011), with follow-up pieces made the following June for all three releases.

While duplicating four tunes heard on the live discs, these studio sessions do not lack for that in-person sensation. Weiss’ arrangements are tight and deceptively simple. Drummer Tony Williams’ “Black Comedy” starts with the Miles In The Sky (Columbia, 1968) sound of the original, but expands out toward Williams’ quintets of the late ’80s and early ’90s. Drummer Jamire Williamsand bassist Luques Curtis power JD Allen’s brawny tenor saxophone and the nimble fingers of guitarist Nir Felder. This macho music is felt in the rush of “Number 4,” with Weiss drawing equal parts from trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan.

Much like the septet, The Cookers that Weiss organizes around hard bop veterans Billy Harper, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, saxophonist Craig Handy, bassist Cecil McBee, pianist George Cables, and drummer Billy Hart, Point Of Departure is a younger version, with perhaps a bit more fire in its belly. Weiss chooses pieces by pianist Herbie Hancock (“I Have A Dream”), and two each from Chicago pianist Andrew Hill and Detroit trumpeter Charles Moore. Weiss is able to simplify Hill’s often abstract pieces and proffer them within the post-bop tradition. This band loves its music to be brawny and powerfully robust.

midwestrecord.com

DAVID WEISS & Point of Departure/Venture Inward: We just finished listening to the latest entry in the Miles Davis authorized bootleg series and this young trumpet man captures that 1969 Miles spirit quite nicely. Lingering in the vaults for five years since it’s recording, it’s music that exists outside of time lines so it doesn’t sound dated, especially since it’s capturing a sound and fury from another time and place. When you’re standing the shadows of Miles, it takes a lot of chops not to come across as a copy cat and Weiss is doing a fine job of chopping away. A must for the bitches brewing in everyone.
8104

http://www.criticaljazz.com

David Weiss…Perhaps the best trumpet player some of you may never have heard of but there is a good reason. From his most recent recording The Cookers to Point of Departure and their latest release Venture Inward, Weiss has trumpet will travel. My musical easy button to the point when I see his name associated with any recording then I know I have a winner and Venture Inward is no exception and hits the street on 02/26/13.

Old school is a fairly common term on jazz from the late 1960’s. During this turbulent decade jazz experienced what may arguably be the most influential growth and development of any genre of music to date. Venture Inward is not “old school” is the strictest or perhaps literal sense of the word but instead a sonic exploratory of some of the most innovative music of that particular point in time combined with some intriguing ideas of perhaps how some of this music may have been developed to a more influential dynamic. A sonic exploratory of what might have been. Joe Lovano attempted this with a Charlie Parker release last year and with mixed reviews. Weiss takes advantage of  odd time signatures, evocative rhythms and a harmonic direction that while seemingly subtle by nature is in fact deceptively complex in presentation. 

This formidable quintet includes young tenor minimalist J.D. Allen, guitar wizard Nir Felder, a rising star in bassist Luques Curtis and holding down the drum chair we find Jamire Williams. Together this quintet easily rises to the top of heap when it comes to working quartets with this academic yet incredibly open ended look at some great music with most being in excess of 45 years of age. Venture Inward opens with a look at the Herbie Hancock piece “I Have A Dream” yet ironically David Weiss & Point of Departure have no pianist. Felder and Weiss open with a more traditional call and response and are quickly joined by J.D. Allen. The comp work by Felder gives the illusion of the rhythmic pulse that is Herbie Hancock but adds a more contemporary layer of texture. “Black Comedy” is a tune from the legendary Tony Williams that kicks off with Allen and Weiss and while they hand out in an odd meter they avoid the pretentious attitude of the self indulgent academia that seems to plague some younger players. The improvisational display put on by Allen is a master class in playing from the soul and J.D. Allen has never sounded better. Showing versatility and great intimacy the tune “Pax” is a complex ballad where the group dynamic comes to the front without the need for Weiss to feel as though he needs to drive the train on every tune. Nir Felder’s solo is open ended and bordering on the abstract while remaining surprisingly accessible. Luques Curtis and Jamire Williams are rock solid in rounding out the rhythm section and adding the subtle nuances needed to make a good album better and a better album become great. 

Intense yet subtle. Dynamic yet subdued. David Weiss & Point of Departure take what some might consider the classic Impulse sound and reinvent tunes long since forgotten and allow them to have a second chance at life roughly forty years later. 

An exemplary performance by a working band that has the rare ability to hit one on both the visceral and cerebral level.