Saxophonist David Liebman and pianist Richie Beirach were among the brightest musicians to emerge in the ‘70s. They were among the first generation of musicians to be profoundly influenced by the music of the Coltrane quartet and the Miles Davis quintet as well as musical influences outside jazz (Indian, classical, R & B etc).
Their creative life together falls into three chapters, each of which is represented by a CD of live and previously unissued music on this set. In the ‘70s, their eclectic group Lookout Farm with Frank Tusa and Jeff Williams made its debut on ECM Records in 1973. The six extended pieces on this set come from San Francisco’s Keystone Korner in 1976.
The chemistry between Liebman and Beirach ran so deep that duet performances were a natural outgrowth of Lookout Farm. These duos, four of which are contained here from 1976 and 1990, were fascinating musical dialogues in the language of modern jazz that both men love and share.
The last chapter of this collaboration is Quest, a quartet with Ron McClure and Billy Hart that spanned 1982 to ’91. This group wasted little time building up steam and deliver one brilliant, intense piece after another. They tackled challenging compositions and the improvisations and interaction were of the highest order. The five masterpieces here are from 1988 and 1991.
The ‘70s and ‘80s were a confusing time for jazz and artists like Liebman and Beirach, as busy and prolific as they are, stand the chance of being overlooked when the history books are written. Hopefully the superb music on this set will help change that. |