Andrew Rathbun - The Speed of Time

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:56
Size: 135,8 MB
Art: Front

(6:48) 1. The Speed Of Time
(6:21) 2. Could It Be
(6:40) 3. Widen the Doorway
(7:19) 4. Wandering
(8:31) 5. Fast 5th
(7:01) 6. Velocity Unknown
(8:32) 7. Still A Thing
(7:39) 8. Tooth and Nail

Not one to avoid concepts and ambitious outings, Andrew Rathbun's to-date masterpiece, The Atwood Suites (Origin Records, 2018), explored the poetry of his countrywoman, writer Margaret Atwood. In 2023, he tackles time.

Time is a funny thing. Its perceived speed is malleable. It tends toward an increasing velocity as one moves into middle age and beyond. It can crawl at a snail's pace (during a root canal treatment, for example) and it can race ahead with wild abandon that raucous party under the stars around the swimming pool when the good cheer is flowing on a tidal bore of beer and wine. The Canadian saxophonist's 2023 release, The Speed of Time, an all-Rathbun batch of originals, uses the standard jazz quartet a saxophone and a rhythm section to examine the slippery concept.

First, familiarity with the backstory and the thoughts that inspired the music are not necessary. This is inspired by modern jazz in a quartet setting by four seasoned journeymen Gary Versace on piano, John Hébert on bass and Tom Rainey in the drummer's chair like Dexter Gordon or Sonny Rollins used to make. Or, to bring things into the now like saxophonists George Garzone or Virginia Mayhew make. Rathbun's tone is burnished, ringing and resonant. His articulation brings up unexpected phrasings. The title tune, that opens the disc, rides in on Hebert's implacable bass lines. Time is moving ahead at a brisk pace that pauses for Versace's sweet and lovely piano declaration, before a shift into a torrid horn/bass/drums segment. Versace sneaks back in with some spare chording. Momentum gathers.

On the other hand, "Could It Be" moves ahead at the pace of the flow of molasses in a Toronto winter. It is dark, the atmosphere foreboding. Rathbun's tenor sax is anguished. "Wandering?" finds Rathbun on his soprano sax, searching, time perhaps suspended, and "Tooth and Nail" sounds like a band of brothers scuffling down the alleyway on Rainy's ramshackle drums, throwing elbows and jockeying for position for what? Who knows. Time bumping and stumbling ahead, Rathbun sounding like the voice of reason in the melee.
An excellent album that can sit nicely on the shelf beside some of the great ones by Rollins and Gordon. By Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-speed-of-time-andrew-rathbun-steeplechase-records

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Andrew Rathbun; Bass – John Hebert; Drums – Tom Rainey; Piano – Gary Versace

The Speed of Time

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Andrew Rathbun - Days Before and After

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2004
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:33
Size: 145,1 MB
Art: Front

(8:53)  1. Darkness Before Light
(4:49)  2. Missing the Sea
(8:12)  3. Forward Motian
(6:47)  4. Life as Crystals
(4:36)  5. The Whole Enchilada
(7:02)  6. There Will Come Soft Rains
(8:01)  7. Nomad
(6:32)  8. Hiccup
(7:38)  9. Hinge

How does a jazz musician go about adding some zest and shine, and maybe a touch of modernity, to the old tried and true saxophone-and-rhythm-section format? Sometimes they use a Fender Rhodes instead the accoustic piano, and sometimes they put an electric guitar in the keyboard's place; and sometimes they add a guitar to the piano, to give a denser weave to the harmonics. Rare is the use of two guitars in the jazz world that's more of a rock thing, it would seem. But that's the way saxophonist Andrew Rathbun and drummer Owen Howard do it on Days Before and After. And it works, and it sounds fresh and sharp-edged, and brings to mind the question of why the two guitar approach isn't heard more often in jazz. The sound that guitarists Ben Monder and Geoff Young bring to the set is mostly subtle, crisp understated single noting in front of delicate ringing chords, along with some seamless unison work with Rathbun's saxophone on the opener, "Darkness Before Light." The guitarists, in fact, sort of steal the show. Geoff Young I hadn't heard before, but Ben Monder played wonderfully on the recent Maria Schneider masterpiece, Concert in the Garden (ArtistShare, '04); the two together create an original sound, adding a very interesting harmonic glow to the mainstream effort.Chico Hamilton, the great eighty-two year old drummer who is still going strong has always favored guitarists in his units, for the "sustain" that the instument brings to the ensemble sound. Monder and Young use their instruments' sustain properties fully here, painting metallic-hued washes to fill in all the spaces beneath the weave of the textures."The Whole Enchilada," an Owen Howard tune all the songs are either Rathbun- or Howard-penned gives the guitarists a chance to stretch out and wail on over into rock territory, while Rathbun gets a bit gritty on the tenor sax, with some of his most spirited playing on the set. Rounding out the successful components of the set is drummer Howard and bassist John Hebert, an assertive rhythm team that adds a vibrant organic bounce to the sound, a sort of sonic turgor. An outstanding set that should appeal especially to fans of jazz guitar. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/days-before-and-after-andrew-rathbun-fresh-sound-new-talent-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Andrew Rathbun - reeds; Owen Howard - drums; John Hebert - bass; Ben Monder - guitar; Geoff Young - guitar

Days Before and After

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Andrew Rathbun - Character Study

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:20
Size: 141,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:08)  1. The Golden Fool
(6:49)  2. Team of Rivals
(8:49)  3. Alphabet Deaf and Forever Blind
(7:09)  4. His Quiet Determination
(7:09)  5. Etcetera
(9:28)  6. The Long Awakening
(6:40)  7. Character Study
(9:05)  8. Turmoil

Jazz saxophonist Andrew Rathbun was born and raised in Toronto, in 1991 earning a Canada Council for the Arts grant to study in Boston, where he attended the New England Conservatory under the tutelege of Jimmy Guiffre and George Russell. Playing and recording with artists including Jeff Hirshfield, Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie and Ingrid Jensen, from 1994 to 1997 Rathbun also taught at the University of Maine before moving on to the Amadeus Conservatory in Westchester, NY; his solo debut Scatter Some Stones followed in 1999. The experimental True Stories came out the next year, offering two Margaret Atwood poems set to music. The heady and complex Sculptures was released two years later.~ Jason Ankeny https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/character-study/1444115015

Personnel:  Andrew Rathbun -  tenor saxophone; Tim Hagans -  trumpet; Gary Versace -  piano; Jay Anderson - bass; Bill Stewart - drums

Character Study

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Andrew Rathbun - Shadow Forms II

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 53:54
Size: 123.4 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 2013
Art: Front

[6:05] 1. Long And The Short Of It
[3:00] 2. Add And Subtract
[5:12] 3. Harmonicalls
[1:31] 4. Meltdown
[6:40] 5. Drums And Symbols
[4:16] 6. Stutter Step
[4:25] 7. All Ways
[3:22] 8. Subtract And Add
[3:15] 9. Strategery
[1:42] 10. Patty Melt
[2:49] 11. Hi And Lo
[4:28] 12. Speed Up
[7:06] 13. Beat Up

Andrew Rathbun – saxophones, electronics; Scott Lee – bass; Jeff Hirshfield – drums. Toronto-born and NY-based saxophonist/composer Andrew Rathbun returns to studio with his core group of “Shadow Forms” to explore further his musical concept of improvisation forming into written music.

"The album is another variation from Rathbun, who likes to experiment with instrumental settings; he has tried duets and big bands before this. The three musicians sustain their empathy throughout all of their explorations of these richly coordinated and melodic pieces and the improvisations are perceptive and incisive. This is a very good album indeed and the music adapts itself to quiet playing in the background or a full- frontal performance on your super hi-fi." ~ Ken Cheetham

“This outstanding release remains fresh with each hearing, as new facets of these performances become apparent to the listener.” ~Ken Dryden

Shadow Forms II mc
Shadow Forms II zippy

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Andrew Rathbun - The Idea Of North

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 57:56
Size: 106,6 MB
Art: Front

(8:37)  1. Echoes
(8:32)  2. Harsh
(8:23)  3. Across The Country
(5:14)  4. December
(4:25)  5. Teru
(9:48)  6. Rockies
(5:00)  7. Minuet And Dance Of The Blessed Spirits
(7:52)  8. Arctic

What effect does solitude have on a person? How can one grow as a result of being alone? These questions provoke a musical response from saxophonist, Andrew Rathbun, though the roots of his inspiration for this music lie over forty years ago. In 1967, legendary concert pianist Glenn Gould produced a radio documentary called "The Idea of North" where simultaneously played voices narrated five people's views on Northern Canada. Gould called this experiment "contrapuntal radio," an extension of his own musical voice and an exploration of the theme of solitude, a state which he needed creatively and craved personally. In his own way, New York-based Rathbun's six compositions explore the vast expanses of his native Canada, translating the extremes of geography, climate, and the idea of solitude into musical narratives of contrasting mood. Gould, by his own admission, was a failed composer, a charge however, which could not be leveled at Rathbun. The six pieces are as structurally challenging as they are melodically pleasing, and the tender rendition of saxophonist Wayne Shorter's beautiful ballad "Teru" can be seen in the wider context of Rathbun's approach to music as a meeting of like minds. Like Shorter whether on tenor or soprano Rathbun embarks on absorbing excursions of cerebral design and emotive import. Trumpeter Taylor Haskins, guitarist Nate Radley and pianist Frank Carlberg are no less impressive, but much of the music's appeal lies in the imaginative harmonic and contrapuntal lines that weave in and out of the ongoing narrative.

The leader's canny orchestration stands out on the expansive "Across the Country," which opens with a delightful bass line from the ever-inventive Jay Anderson, who forms an intuitive rhythm section with drummer Michael Sarin and Carlberg. Significant support also comes from Radley, who excels equally in the role of deft accompanist. Rathbun and Radley unravel solos of great fluidity and momentum either side of the richly harmonic collective voice which carries the tune's melody. Delightful too, is the pairing of soprano and muted trumpet against razor-sharp guitar lines on the vaguely melancholic "December." There are striking dynamics at play within the avant-garde "Harsh"; a slightly jarring ambience where nervy brass, chattering bass and choppy piano are punctuated by a sinister motif. The music becomes gradually more urgent, spurred by Carlberg, as the sextet flirts with swing of a restless nature. "Rockies" sounds like an expansion on these ideas, dark and brooding, though with an inescapable walking rhythm over which the front line instruments carve out taut solos, laden with tension. In contrast, lilting soprano, lyrical bass and gently cascading piano illuminate 18th century German composer Christoph Gluck's lovely "Minuet and Dance of the Blessed Spirit, while "Arctic" is a surprisingly warm-toned, straight-ahead piece with a strong melodic core to close the disc. Rathbun's music is intellectually challenging and yet immediately accessible. Rathbun enjoys outstanding support from his musicians, but if solitude even as an abstract idea serves up music this satisfying, then maybe he should spend more time alone in his special place. ~ Ian Patterson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-idea-of-north-andrew-rathbun-steeplechase-records-review-by-ian-patterson.php

Personnel: Andrew Rathbun: saxophones; Taylor Haskins: trumpet; Nate Radley: guitar; Frank Carlberg: piano, electric piano; Jay Anderson: bass; Michael Sarin: drums.

The Idea Of North

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Andrew Rathbun - Where We Are Now

Styles: Saxophone Jazz 
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:54
Size: 149,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:42)  1. Son Suite I
(7:12)  2. Son Suite II
(7:43)  3. Son Suite III
(4:08)  4. Son Suite IV
(7:57)  5. Film Under Glass
(7:22)  6. A Stern
(7:45)  7. Wheel
(8:30)  8. Lament
(7:32)  9. No Longer

It is quite insouciant to categorize jazz musicians as either composers or players. But jazz devotees sometimes typecast artists as writers or interpreters of music. With a mature talent such as composer/saxophonist Andrew Rathbun, categorizing him in one camp or the other is unwarranted. With Where We Are Now, his tenth disc as leader, he displays his growing maturity as a player and more of his acclaimed talents as composer/arranger. Like his last few discs, he sets aside his taste for poetry and vocalists to center the session on the music. That's not to say his writing isn't chock-full of versification. His "Son Suite" in four parts, written (of course) for his child, is a cohesive 26-minutes of music, showcasing both the writing and soloing. The mysterious opening gives way to a joyous music, Rathbun switching between the soprano and tenor saxophones to alter the mood. By the fourth section, bassist Johannes Weidenmuller's bowing is followed by a mallet solo from master percussionist Billy Hart's that reads like a fine verse. As for the remainder of the tracks, Rathbun sequences some passionate playing on "Lament," and a bit more introspective fair on "A Stern." The latter composition features Rathbun's considerate soprano saxophone driven (always driven) by Hart. 

The vigorous "Lament" allows the players to stretch out, signaling the opportunity for guitarist Nate Radley to lay down some simple clean lines in response to Rathbun's plush tenor. Pianist George Colligan, a regular companion of Rathbun's, supplies the steady accompaniment here. His solo on the closing "No Longer" follows a concise tenor statement from the leader, and begins with one hand before graduating to a two-handed speed solo. The music of Andrew Rathbun draws into the composition, but requires you to stay for the performance. ~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/where-are-we-now-andrew-rathbun-steeplechase-records-review-by-mark-corroto.php
 

Personnel: Andrew Rathbun: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Nate Radley: guitar; George Colligan: piano; Johannes Weidenmuller: bass; Billy Hart: drums.

Where We Are Now

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Andrew Rathbun - Affairs of State

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:49
Size: 148,9 MB
Art: Front

(6:10)  1. Fragmented
(8:16)  2. We Have Nothing But Tears
(7:14)  3. Around the Same Circles, Again and Again
(6:04)  4. Break the Chains
(6:38)  5. 5th Anniversary
(6:34)  6. Fiasco
(8:30)  7. Ongoing
(6:21)  8. Folly (Of the Future Fallen)
(8:58)  9. Paint Peelings

Andrew Rathbun is a Canadian-born tenor saxophonist resident in New York, a Brooklyn regular who has garnered support from fellow tenorists Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman as well as trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. That should give some sense of Rathbun's lineage. He's a thoughtful player and true to the influence of Wheeler (and Booker Little) and the mid-'60s Miles Davis quintet a skillful composer, honing a refined lyricism that explores challenging harmonic patterns. He’s also interested in consistent partnerships. The quintet heard here includes two musicians, trumpeter Taylor Haskins and bassist John Hebert, who played on Rathbun's first quintet session, Scatter Some Stones (Challenge, 1998). Returning the favor, Rathbun has also appeared on Haskins' two Fresh Sound CDs. As one might expect, there's a close-knit feeling that extends from hand-in-glove ensemble playing to some understated contrapuntal improvising.  

Rathbun likes extra-musical themes (two of his previous CDs have been poetry settings), and the pieces here reference the decline of America in the Bush years, from the Iraq war to collapsing infrastructure and luxury condos; however, the album's dominant moods are melancholy and resilience rather than rage, an introspective lyricism that wouldn't otherwise suggest the political theme. Rathbun's compositions use contrasting elements to create tension and develop texture, as in the antiphonal voicings of "Fragmented," the dissonant elegy of "We Have Nothing But Tears" and the effective use of sparkling electric piano on "Folly." His tenor sound possesses significant flexibility, from warm calm to gritty resistance; it's a fine match with Haskins, whose pitch inflections can add a sudden illumination. The rhythm section Herbert joined by pianist Gary Versace and drummer Mike Sarin is a model of support, a loose and engaged presence balancing empathy and aggression with an almost orchestral breadth. The result is consistently thoughtful, well-crafted music in a mature idiom. ~ Stuart Broomer https://www.allaboutjazz.com/affairs-of-state-andrew-rathbun-steeplechase-records-review-by-stuart-broomer.php
 

Personnel: Andrew Rathbun: tenor saxophone; Taylor Haskins: trumpet; Gary Versace: piano; John Hebert: bass; Mike Sarin: drums.

Affairs of State

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Andrew Rathbun - Shadow Forms

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 65:02
Size: 119,2 MB
Art: Front

(5:18)  1. Street Talk
(3:54)  2. To The Matt
(6:14)  3. Scatter Scott
(5:12)  4. Drewsie
(6:10)  5. Pass It In
(4:55)  6. Herbie At Sixty
(6:18)  7. Ripple
(4:09)  8. This Fall 9/11
(4:12)  9. Elmo
(8:08) 10. Look Again
(6:34) 11. Fifteen Minute Drill
(3:52) 12. Onmo

Canadian jazz musicians are frequently overlooked by American jazz fans unless they record for a US-based label, but ignore Andrew Rathbun at your own risk. There is a lot to like about Shadow Forms, as there are plenty of surprising twists within these intimate performances. This talented multi-instrumentalist, primarily heard on tenor sax, also doubles on soprano sax, clarinet and keyboards during this studio session, where he is joined by bassist Scott Lee and drummer Jeff Hirshfield, with veteran George Garzone adding a second tenor on several tracks. Rathbun and Lee contribute five originals each, in addition to interpretations of works by two contemporaries. The full quartet is heard on a brisker than usual setting of Joe Lovano's "Street Talk that features both tenor players delivering turbocharged solos. Their light-hearted run through Kenny Wheeler's "Onmo is something that Rathbun played with its composer on an earlier CD, so he thought it was worth revisiting.  Among the trio numbers, Lee's "Drewsie (a fine tribute to reed player Billy Drewes) showcases Rathbun's whimsical clarinet and the composer's humorous arco bass line, while Rathbun switches to soprano for the subdued ballad "Herbie at Sixty. Rathbun overdubs a soft keyboard line behind his robust tenor in his tense "Elmo, which is actually named for the famous puppet on Sesame Street. This outstanding release remains fresh with each hearing, as new facets of these performances become apparent to the listener. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allaboutjazz.com/shadow-forms-andrew-rathbun-steeplechase-records-review-by-ken-dryden.php
 

Personnel: Andrew Rathbun: tenor and soprano saxophone, clarinet, keyboards; George Garzone: tenor saxophone; Scott Lee: bass; Jeff Hirshfield: drums.

Shadow Forms

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