Tony Malaby. Telling this name only is a guarantee in advance that you’re going to hear wonderful music. Either
playing straight-ahead or avant-garde jazz, Malaby’s distinctive mark and seal of quality will be there. Wonderful
and, we might say, different from everything done before by the saxophonist. In “Novela”, we have a first: this is a
reed/metal nonet, with just the piano and the drumkit in contrast with the blowing line formed by soprano, alto,
tenor and baritone saxes, bass clarinet, trumpet, trombone and tuba. For something completely new to him as this,
Malaby opted to use old compositions already put on record. “Floating Head”, “Floral and Herbacious” and
“Mother’s Love” were previously released on the album “Tamarindo”, “Warblepeck” comes from the CD with the
same title, “Cosas” and “Remolino” can be found in “Sabino”. Here, those pieces gain a new life and find other
configurations, thanks to the arrangements by pianist Kris Davis, Malaby’s partner for 10 years now. The
participants are some of the top musicians of the New York jazz scene, namely Michael Attias, Joachim Badenhorst,
Andrew Hadro, Ralph Alessi, Ben Gerstein, Dan Peck, John Hollenbeck and, of course, Tony Malaby and Davis. If you
already know that each Malaby recording is a new chapter in an on-going adventure, there’s an extra reason to not
miss this one: without it, you’ll loose the sequence of the story.
Recorded at Systems Two on February 27, 2011.
Review:
Novela by Tony Malaby is a real treat. It tantalizes the senses with its
complex yet accessible horn arrangements, burns with a restrained
energy that propels the soloists and builds so imperceptibly that by
time we are half way into the first piece, "Floating Head," and the
piano's slightly disjointed but flowing phrases come to the fore, we are
ready for a slight breather. The bass clarinet phrases with the horn
and drum hits below the soloing trumpet is fantastic -- it is easy to be
happily lost in the melodies, counter melodies, individual and ensemble
improvisations.
The arrangement of the second tune, "Floral and Herbaceous," with its
slow moving melody is a fraught affair, collapsing in the middle into
just a solitary voice. Then, slowly, evocatively, the tune rises again
from its own ashes. The playing and the arangements are inspired and
inspiring, covering the range from bouts of frenetic dissonance to
soaring climaxes.
The material comes from Malaby's discography, recorded in different
group settings over the years. This arrangements on Novela were done by
pianist Kris Davis and she is co-credited as such on the album. The
group is an octet, with Malaby on soprano and tenor saxophones, Michael
Attias on alto, Andrew Hadro on baritone, Joachim Badenhorst playing
bass clarinet, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Ben Gerstein playing trombone,
Kris Davis on piano and John Hollenbeck playing drums.
The extensive wind and brass section gives a lot of textures and colors
to paint with and the result is a fascinating album. The ideas are big,
the details are never lost, and the arrangements never overwhelm the
tunes, leaving much space for group and individual improvisation. |