Andy Biskin - Trio Tragico

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:00
Size: 146,3 MB
Art: Front

(5:33)  1. Boomerang
(6:13)  2. I Should Talk
(5:05)  3. Hey Day
(5:28)  4. Walking Distance
(4:15)  5. I Think Not
(5:18)  6. You That Knew Him
(4:32)  7. Paging Mr. Yes
(2:59)  8. Night Shade
(4:52)  9. Over the Years
(6:10) 10. Top Left Corner
(4:04) 11. Still Busy (the Honk Honk Song)
(5:38) 12. You Who
(2:48) 13. Plaything

Released in tandem with Early American (an exploration of the music of Stephen Foster), Trio Tragico showcases clarinetist Andy Biskin working within the confines of an unconventional chamber-jazz trio. With characteristic wit, the composer delivers an album that is not nearly as melodramatic as the title implies. Biskin enjoys a sublime foil in the rich and classically pure trumpet of Dave Ballou. Ubiquitous Downtown bassist Drew Gress is the fulcrum on which the two horn players pivot. With no drummer present, his lines support not only the pulse, but the principal melody and implied harmonies as well. A mercurial writer and economical improviser, Biskin's sense of humor seeps into his music in subtle ways. While the trio occasionally flirts with melancholy, it never sounds morose. Embracing postmodern irony, but without the cool detached attitude, Biskin and company plot a lyrically poignant course that's unfettered by stylistic conventions.

"Boomerang" opens the album with a solemn refrain, recalling an Old World dirge by blending mournful clarinet, somber trumpet and plangent bowed bass. Suddenly, the tune comes alive; the bass bounds into a brisk walking pattern, launching a jubilant clarinet flight, followed by an equally ebullient trumpet solo. The horns weave a sonorous web, accompanying each other throughout, and Gress takes a brief statement before the collective finish. The baroque-inspired composition "Over The Years" follows a similarly whimsical strategy. Biskin maintains straight-laced classicism, intermittently inserting searing Yiddish doina laments, then just as abruptly returning to the formal structure. The trio generates more than just pleasant melodies; compare the rich harmonies of "Hey Day" to the folksy, see-saw jauntiness of "Walking Distance," with its fractured lullaby ambience. The infectious "Paging Mr. Yes," while outwardly reminiscent of an early two-step, employs shades of an impulsive, Ivesian nature. Biskin's pieces are enigmatic but always accessible, from the gorgeous balladry and Middle Eastern flourishes of "I Should Talk" to sprightly bop pieces such as "I Think Not" and "Plaything." The trio blends subtle improvisation and nuanced group interaction so seamlessly into Biskin's compositions that the dividing line between the two vanishes. With creative arrangements and stellar interplay, Trio Tragico invokes a broad sonic palette, bringing these enchanting pieces to life. Whether exploring tangos, marches, Dixieland, bebop or any number of early American song forms, Biskin's trio handles it all with respect and good humor.~ Troy Collins https://www.allaboutjazz.com/trio-tragico-andy-biskin-strudelmedia-review-by-troy-collins.php

Personnel: Andy Biskin: clarinet, bass clarinet; Dave Ballou: trumpet; Drew Gress: bass.

Trio Tragico

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Art Van Damme - A Perfect Match

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:33
Size: 87,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. Bye Bye Blackbird
(3:04)  2. In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
(2:27)  3. Tickle-Toe
(3:45)  4. Gone with the Wind
(2:34)  5. Valse Hot
(2:28)  6. The Best Thing for You
(3:48)  7. Satan's Doll
(3:05)  8. Bluesy
(4:06)  9. Spring Is Here
(3:47) 10. Tangee
(3:15) 11. Poinciana
(2:04) 12. Nicollet Avenue Breakdown

Jammed with writing assignments this week, I spent yesterday working and listening to accordionist Art Van Damme. It makes no sense to tell you how much Van Damme swings, since all great jazz accordionists swing. What made Van Damme singular were his thick chord voicings and his groovy attack, which sounded almost vocal. So teaming with guitarist Johnny Smith on A Perfect Match (1962) was a brilliant pairing. Van Damme's meaty, sighing chords and Smith's ringing, bell-like guitar notes sound like five people instead of two. Van Damme was born in 1920 in Norway, Mich. He was classically trained on the piano and began playing accordion at age 9, performing regularly at a local theater. After his family moved to Chicago when he was 14, Van Damme added concerts for the Sante Fe Railroad between the Midwest and California. At age 18 in 1938, he became fascinated by swing and started a trio with accordion, bass and guitar. He was hired in 1941 for a few months by bandleader Ben Bernie and left to become a solo act before forming another trio this time with accordion, vibes and bass. Drums were added in 1944.

Van Damme's impeccable playing style and one-man band approach landed him a steady job with NBC Radio in 1945 a spot that lasted until 1960. Thanks to his ability to craft small-group arrangements on the fly, he played on more than 100 episodes of The Art Van Damme Show, a 15minute segment for NBC (I wish someone would haul these out for a fresh listen). He also appeared regularly on TV in the '50s on celebrity-hosted variety shows. His visibility on the radio in the post-war years inspired a generation of jazz accordionists. After NBC, Van Damme opened a music studio and store in suburban Chicago in 1960, moving to Northridge, Calif. in 1968, spending his spare time playing golf. From the 1970s on, Van Damme regularly toured Japan and Europe, where the accordion was a familiar instrument, Van Damme died in 2010 at age 89.~ Jazzwax By Mar4c Myers https://news.allaboutjazz.com/art-van-damme-a-perfect-match

Personnel: Accordion – Art Van Damme;  Guitar – Johnny Smith

A Perfect Match

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