# An archival gem by David S. Ware & New Sounds from Ethan Iverson, Marc Copland: Videos, Sounds, Photos

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/10/14/archival-gem-by-david-s-ware-new-sounds-from-ethan-iverson-marc-copland-videos-sounds-photos/
- Published: 2019-10-14T12:59:20+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Also: Dick Hyman and Ken Peplowski finesse the songs of Lerner & Loewe, and Tyshawn
Sorey goes deep with Marilyn Crispell.**

**David S. Ware Quartet, “Crossing Samsara, Part 2”**

It has been seven years since the death of David S. Ware, whose legacy as a saxophonist
and bandleader, within the spirit-seeking avant-garde, burns almost as brightly 
as he did. Ware’s former label, AUM Fidelity, has smartly tended those fires with
a series of posthumous archival releases — the latest of which is _Théâtre Garonne,
2008_, releasing on Nov. 8.

A concert recording made in Toulouse, France, it documents what was then a new band,
and something of a departure. The acclaimed, long-running David S. Ware Quartet 
had featured pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker, and a succession of 
drummers; this subsequent edition retained Parker and drummer Warren Smith but swapped
in a guitarist, Joe Morris. The result, first chronicled on a studio album called
_Shakti_, was a leaner, often spikier sound.

Ware’s composition “Crossing Samsara” appears on that album as a loose, bobbing 
theme, with the musicians feeling each other out in real time. The same piece can
be found on _Théâtre Garonne, 2008, _in a more episodic approach that sprawls nearly
to a half-hour. The second part, which has its premiere here, is notable not only
for Ware’s pugnacious unaccompanied improvisation, but also for the terrific melodic
solo that Morris unfurls on guitar.

**Dick Hyman & Ken Peplowski, “I Talk to the Trees”**

How trusted a songbook interpreter is Dick Hyman? His new album _Counterpoint Lerner&
Loewe_, a duo effort with clarinetist Ken Peplowski, was made at the request of 
the Frederick Loewe Foundation, which manages the composer’s copyrights. They knew
that Hyman, an NEA Jazz Master, would bring deep insight to the project — and that
at 92, he’s still a pianist of rare dexterity, sensitivity and poise.

Loewe and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner were the duo behind legendary Broadway successes
like _My Fair Lady _and _Brigadoon._ “Not all of the songs we’ve recorded are part
of the jazz lexicon,” Peplowski observes in the liner notes. “One of the issues 
with Lerner and Loewe songs is that they’re written very specifically for the shows.”

[[

A case in point is “I Talk to the Trees,” from the musical _Paint Your Wagon_, which
opened on Broadway in 1951, and was later covered by the likes of Robert Goulet.
It appears on _Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner & Loewe_, but I know of few other
jazz interpretations. Hyman and Peplowski turn it into a conversation piece; they
may be talking to the trees, but they’re also clearly bantering with each other.

**Ethan Iverson Quartet with Tom Harrell, “Wee”**

_Common Practice, _the new release from pianist Ethan Iverson, is a love letter 
to “the jazz tradition,” as it’s broadly understood. So this album — recorded at
The Village Vanguard in 2017, by a quartet featuring veteran trumpeter Tom Harrell—
includes a heavy quotient of 12-bar blues, and [ballads associated with Billie Holiday](https://youtu.be/eEQb-CpzqCw).
The track list includes two songbook standards with the word “sentimental” in the
title.

[[

And then there’s “Wee,” a bebop staple by Denzil Best (also known as “Allen’s Alley”).
In this bassist Ben Street and drummer Eric McPherson initially set the tune in 
a Caribbean groove, before shifting into swing. Harrell’s solo rides both waves,
Iverson’s adheres to a walking 4, and McPherson’s does a little of everything. The
enthusiastic response at the end should be no surprise.

**Marc Copland, Joey Baron, Drew Gress, “Day and Night”**

Pianist Marc Copland, bassist Drew Gress and drummer Joey Baron have history together:
they were the final rhythm section for guitarist John Abercrombie, and have also
recorded under Copland’s name. Their new album, _And I Love Her_, due out on Oct.
25, confirms the intuitive ease of their rapport as a trio, on a program that ranges
from the title track (a Beatles cover) to jazz standards to band originals.

[[

“Day and Night,” by Copland, may sound familiar: this trio recorded it for his 2017
album Better By Far, featuring trumpeter Ralph Alessi. The new version is different
mainly in the details: Copland sets a more laid-back tempo, and Gress’ bass solo
warrants a special citation. Each member of the trio is in deep-focus mode, and 
it shows.

**Tyshawn Sorey and Marilyn Crispell, “The Adornment of Time” (excerpt)**

Speaking of deep-focus mode: _The Adornment of Time _is a mesmerizing new album 
by percussionist Tyshawn Sorey and pianist Marilyn Crispell. Recorded in concert
at The Kitchen last year, it’s a gradually shapeshifting duo improvisation that 
Pi Recordings has chosen to format as one long, unbroken track. The grave, shimmering
beauty of the music has already earned accolades in prominent places, including 
Pitchfork and The New York Review of Books.

This five-minute excerpt captures some of the feeling of the performance, especially
its balance of delicate gestures and brooding suspense. But here’s an instance where
a small taste will only get you so far. _The Adornment of Time _is an experiential
creation, and for those of us who couldn’t be in the audience on that evening, the
album is our chronicle.

!['Theatre Garonne, 2008' is an archival recording by the David S. Ware New Quartet](
https://i0.wp.com/www.wbgo.org/sites/wbgo/files/styles/medium/public/201910/DSWvilnius15_by_Dimitry_Medvedev-
CROP.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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