Harriet Tubman: The Terror End of Beauty

Following the great Oceans And, comprised of Aurora Nealand, Hank Roberts and Tim Berne at last week's double bill at Zebulon in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles was the phenomenal power trio, Harriet Tubman.  The group includes guitarist Brandon Ross, who I knew from his work with Henry Threadgill, starting thirty years ago with the phenomenal Too Much Sugar for a Dime by the Very Very Circus group and on several subsequent albums through the early 2000s; Melvin Gibbs, who stood out to me for his work with the incredible Sonny Sharrock on the Seize the Rainbow album (1987) and the Live in New York recording from two years later; and J.T. Lewis, whom I'd also heard on the Threadgill collective Make a Move (also featuring Ross) 1996 album, Where's Your Cup?

There was a huge contrast between the acoustic and contemplative work of Oceans And, which played one continuous piece during its approximately 50 minute set, and the bracing electric intensity of Harriet Tubman, which flexed its considerable muscle through the powerful work of Lewis cymbal-focused drumming, Gibbs' dexterous and deep bass work, and Ross' pedal-heavy explorations of the guitar.  At two points in the show, Gibbs paid homage to two of their most admired influences and favorites of this blogger: Sharrock and the sublime Alice Coltrane.

This band could do it all—nimble jazz, reggae-inspired riddims, the heaviest of metal and far more—and they had many in the audience dancing, headbanging, nodding and demonstrating engagement in all kinds of physical ways, not to mention hearty applause that grew louder as the set progressed.  By the time they finished, including a guest appearance by a remarkable vocalist who stepped on the stage from the audience and scatted, screamed, crooned and evoked in many ways, the crowd was roaring with appreciation.

The Terror End of Beauty is the fourth of five Harriet Tubman albums and the 2018 release features several songs rendered at the concert including "The Green Book Blues" and the title track (which evokes Sharrock in composition and Ross' playing), both show highlights.  The album captures the range of the band's tonal palette, including contemplative guitar treatments by Ross, the deep-end playing of Gibbs and the solid percussion work by Lewis.  It is very well recorded, mixed and engineered and is the product of a band the other recordings of which I definitely need to explore more.

The live show, though, demonstrated that Harriet Tubman is a trio that needs to be experienced live to be fully appreciated as the group takes their studio work and applies a much greater level of power, intensity and drive to move an audience to the types of reactions seen at last week's concert.  It would be very interesting to hear the band recorded live and to compare that with the studio work and I would love to see them again!

Tim Berne/Hank Roberts/Aurora Nealand: Oceans And

After 32 years of following an incredible array of immensely creative and intensely restless musical explorations from the amazing Tim Berne, I finally got to see him perform live last night at Zebulon in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles with long-time collaborator, cellist Hank Roberts, and accordionist, clarinetist and vocalist Aurora Nealand under the banner of Oceans And.

The concert was one extended piece featuring the remarkable interplay between these three master musicians and it was striking to hear the tonal relationships between Roberts and Nealand, especially when he was playing arco, with Berne demonstrating his usual stunning excursions on his alto.  To see all three listening intently, eyes closed, as the performance unfolded was interesting to observe as well as to hear what they offered up.

Often, Roberts would turn to playing the cello pizzicato, as well as tapping and drumming on his instrument, sometimes with breathtaking variety.  Nealand made the most of the accordion in terms of her solos and accompaniment, including as a drone.  The interplay between these two was often staggering as they provided an underlayment to Berne's playing.

There were long passages of quieter performance as well as those with a boiling intensity and it ebbed and flowed (perhaps this is where the ocean metaphor comes in?) and Berne's weaving in and out, sometimes with a plastic bottle inserted in the horn was often very powerful.  So, too, were sections in which overtones were employed and the three instruments were so in sync that it sounded almost orchestral.  Beautiful, mysterious, contemplative, unnerving—a wide range of emotions were expressed, including when Nealand offered wordless vocalizations that echoed what her bandmates were playing.

In many ways, the Oceans And album, released by the Swiss label Intakt in April, is what was heard in the concert, but longer and divided into a dozen tracks.  All of the qualities and characteristics are there, but it doesn't really seem to matter that there are individual pieces and titles and listening to the recording, which is beautifully rendered, recorded, mixed and engineered, it felt like the breaks into the tunes didn't matter because the performance of this highly immersive music made it seem like time was being stretched.

After the playing stopped, a man in front of me commented that, if someone was looking to discover jazz, this was probably not the place to start.  Perhaps—but Tim Berne's immense discography should be part of any primer even if a major recalibration is needed in terms of how to listen to music not observing standard conceptions of time, rhythm and harmony.

The other act performing last night was the power trio Harriet Tubman, so the next post will feature that amazing group and its latest recording, The Terror End of Beauty.

Gloria Coates: String Quartet No. 9/Sonata for Violin Solo/Lyric Suite for Piano Trio

The great composer Gloria Coates died in Germany two months ago and we've lost another giant of contemporary classical music, whose work is deceptively simply, compelling and powerful.  An enthusiast of glissando, the sliding between two notes up or down a scale, as well as a sparse though dramatic use of tone clusters and overtones, Coates created a large set of symphonies, as well as many smaller ensemble pieces that stretches time and draws you into sound worlds that are distinctive and highly immersive.

Beautifully performed by the Kreutzer Quartet with Roderick Chadwick on the piano for the lyric suite, this Naxos release features the two-movement ninth string quartet, spanning 25 minutes and rich with contemplation and evocative in its emotional depth.  Following is the 13-minute violin solo sonata in four short movements, which also maintains a deliberate pace and weight of the simple yet intense dissonance.  Lastly, there is the 25-minute lyric suite, in which piano provides a dramatic change in texture and melodic expression that both contrast and complement the woodwind instruments.

A great American composer who spent more than a half-century in Berlin, Coates built an impressive canon of diverse works, though best known for her 15 symphonies, that set her apart as a master of economy and emotive expression.  She left an amazing musical legacy, which, hopefully, will be more recognized as time goes on.