Jamie Saft - You Don't Know the Life

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:14
Size: 95,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:30)  1. Re: Person I Knew
(5:41)  2. Dark Squares
(4:22)  3. Water from Breath
(6:09)  4. You Don't Know the Life
(2:13)  5. Ode to a Green Frisbee
(4:19)  6. The Cloak
(3:16)  7. Stable Manifold
(3:56)  8. The Break of the Flat Land
(3:07)  9. Moonlight in Vermont
(3:37) 10. Alfie

Since his 1997 recording debut, keyboardist Jamie Saft has carved out a dynamic profile, first (mostly) with John Zorn's Tzadik label and, since 2011, with RareNoise Records. A string of four releases on the label set the stage, beginning with 2014's trio outing The New Standard, through Loneliness Road (2017) (another trio set, with Iggy Pop sitting in on a few tunes), Solo A Genova (2018), and the quartet recording, Blue Dream, featuring saxophonist Bill McHenry. It was a busy and artistically fruitful few years for Saft. You Don't Know the Life has Saft switching gears, plugging into Hammond and Whitehall organs and an electric Baldwin harpsichord. The organ trio tradition is a long one Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Jack McDuff but You Don't Know the Life doesn't sound like an attempt to adhere to that groove-based, urban, soul-drenched template. The Saft Trio, with the team of bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bobby Previte, seems to be pushing through on a new path breezy and freewheeling at times, reverential and church organ-like at others, and even psychedelic, on the opening cut, pianist Bill Evans' "Re: Person I Know," where Saft breaks out the electric harpsichord.  "Dark Squares" is attributed, songwriting-wise, to Saft/Swallow/Previte, so it is most certainly a trio improvisation, a measured and contemplative music that seems like a trip to church. "Water From Breath" flows down the same path, in a more lighthearted manner. The title tune from ZZ Top-er Billy Gibbons' pre-ZZ Top psychedelic blues band, Moving Sidewalks sounds like a lonely stroll down a midnight alleyway, immersed in the pondering of a love just lost. The album wraps up with a couple of unexpected considering the eclectic batch of tunes that precede them familiar standards, "Moonlight In Vermont," taken at a loose and leisurely pace, and Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Alfie." Pure loveliness, Saft's organ a cool and cleansing breeze. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/you-dont-know-the-life-jamie-saft-rarenoiserecords-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Jamie Saft: Hammond organ, Whitehall organ, Baldwin electric harpsichord; Steve Swallow: electric bass; Bobby Previte: drums.

You Don't Know the Life

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Bobby Previte - Too Close to the Pole

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:01
Size: 128,5 MB
Art: Front

( 4:14)  1. Too Close to the Pole
(13:02)  2. 3 Minute Heels
( 8:24)  3. The Countess' Bedroom
( 7:32)  4. Save the Cups
(14:16)  5. The Eleventh Hour
( 8:29)  6. Too Close to the Pole (reprise)

From its opening eccentric fanfare (which pops up briefly in other selections) through the wild group vocal on "Save the Cups" and "3 Minute Heels" (which sounds like Indian music for belly dancers), drummer Bobby Previte's Weather Clear, Track Fast band on this Enja release is continually colorful, cinematic (one can easily imagine crazy adventures occurring), and unpredictable. Although quite advanced, the expert use of repetition, complex but catchy rhythms, and echoey call-and-response riffing results in a complete lack of forgettable or routine moments. In addition to the six listed selections, there is an odd extra "bonus": an unidentified seventh song that is a five-part, 15-minute suite mostly featuring Andrew D'Angelo's bass clarinet. Although there are strong individual heroics from the sextet (such as Jamie Saft's organ and retro Fender Rhodes playing, Andy Laster's versatile flights on baritone, and Previte's stirring percussive work), it is the chance-taking spirit of the musicians and their performances as a whole that make this a memorable release well worth several listens. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/too-close-to-the-pole-mw0000093699

Personnel:  Bobby Previte – drums, voice; Lindsey Horner - electric bass, tin whistles, voice; Andy Laster - baritone saxophone, clarinet, flute, voice; Cuong Vu - trumpet, voice; Jamie Saft - piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond organ, clavinet, voice; Curtis Hasselbring - trombone, voice; Andrew D'Angelo - alto saxophone, bass clarinet, voice

Too Close to the Pole

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Jamie Saft Quartet - Blue Dream

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:19
Size: 128,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:38)  1. Vessels
(6:00)  2. Equanimity
(3:50)  3. Sword's Water
(5:56)  4. Violets for Your Furs
(3:37)  5. Blue Dream
(4:31)  6. Infinite Compassion
(2:50)  7. Sweet Lorraine
(3:54)  8. Walls
(3:07)  9. Decamping
(4:41) 10. Words and Deeds
(4:24) 11. Mysterious Arrangements
(6:47) 12. There's a Lull in My Life

If RareNoise Records has a characteristic sound as ECM Records has a characteristic sound, that sound is defined Jamie Saft. Whether it is the unholy ministry of Slobber Pup or the plaintive solo piano of his recent Solo A Genova (RareNoise, 2018), multi-instrumentalist Saft has brought Giacomo Bruzzo's and Eraldo Bernocchi's eclectic-electric British label front and center of not just the jazz world, but the music world.  Saft has recorded widely, most notably with John Zorn, Wadada Leo Smith, Roswell Rudd, Iggy Pop, Marc Ribot, Bill Laswell, Cyro Baptista, and Dave Douglas. He is responsible for producing the most magnificent noise as evidenced on recordings like, Berserk!'s Berserk! (RareNoise Records, 2013) and Slobber Pup's Black Aces (RareNoise Records, 2013) and Pole Axe (RareNoise Records, 2015), along with his collaboration with guitarist Joe Morris on Plymouth (Rare Noise, 2014). Overlapping with his noisemaking is Saft's redefinition of acoustic jazz over the past five years as heard on: The New Standard (RareNoise, 2014); Ticonderoga (Clean Feed, 2015); Strength & Power (RareNoise, 2016); Loneliness Road (RareNoise, 2017); and Solo A Genova (RareNoise, 2018).  

Jamie Saft's penetration of acoustic jazz continues with his present quartet recording Blue Dreams. Immediately, I thought of John Coltrane's great 1960's quartet, circa A Love Supreme. "Vessels" opens with sustained bass notes in a simple harmonic figure by Saft, very much in keeping the McCoy Tyner style of the time. Tenor saxophonist Bill McHenry plays Coltrane's part, without the screeching and loss of mind. Like an early '60s Coltrane solo, the ensemble begins simply before setting out to make a sonic statement, both musically and dramatically. "Equanimity" is introduced by drummer Nasheet Waits, when, at the 1:36 mark the rest of the band enters, anxious and excited. Bassist Bradley Jones carefully chooses his figures and times in such a way to propel the music in a swinging and unpredictable manner.  The first of three standard's, "Violets for Your Furs," reels the band back into mainstream mode, capturing the sound of 1950s Miles Davis. 

It is a beautiful revelation. "Sweet Lorraine" is taken at a loping pace, Saft playing between the lines with Jones' ever near-the-beat pulse avoiding temp tachycardia. McHenry plays as straight as Saft, quaint and beautifully. "Walls" offers an expansive answer to "Lorraine" with Jones providing a continuo arco. McHenry barley rattles the reeds, a sound like stretching parchment, while Saft favors his beloved low notes with sustain. Like a Coltrane performance, the piece is all introduction. It is worthwhile to consider that there is no resolution in music like this, only an extended consideration. "Words and Deeds" follows the same formula of the opening "Vessels," brooding and impressionistic. The final standard "There's a Lull in My Life" completes the recording beautifully and appropriately. McHenry first duets with Jones, Waits brushing in the background. By the time Saft gets there, things are well underway, introspectively. Within this musical microcosm, Saft and company blow the dust off of and update a storied method of performance. ~ C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/blue-dream-jamie-saft-rarenoiserecords-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel: Jamie Saft Piano; Bill McHenry: tenor saxophone; Bradley Christopher Jones: acoustic bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.

Blue Dream

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Jamie Saft - Solo a Genova

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:58
Size: 148,7 MB
Art: Front

( 3:36)  1. The Makings of You
( 4:41)  2. Human / Gates
( 5:42)  3. Naima
( 7:10)  4. Sharp Dressed Man
( 4:35)  5. Overjoyed
( 4:05)  6. Po'Boy
(12:43)  7. The New Standard / Pinkus
( 6:10)  8. Blue Motel Room
( 4:09)  9. The Housatonic at Stockbridge
( 3:33) 10. Blue in Green
( 7:30) 11. Restless Farewell

Pianist Jamie Saft's Solo A Genova is a revelation. It is, in an extensive discography, his only alone-in-the-piano-chair outing. Saft has made a wide-ranging mark in collaborations with Slobber Pup, Metallic Taste of Blood, The Spanish Donkey and Berserk! These group names don't say it all, but do probably say something (Brash? Unconventional? Loud?) about the sounds they make. But for the jazz fan of the more purist persuasion, his piano trio discs are probably the ones that find their way to the stereos: Asorath: Book of Angels, Vol 1 (Tzadik, 2005), The New Standard (Rare Noise, 2014), and the terrific Loneliness Road (Rare Noise, 2017). These trio sets feature commanding instrumentalists in the bass and drum chairs, making for a satisfyingly egalitarian approach to the craft. Jamie Saft solo is different. Absent the driving rhythms of the trio sets, he proves himself strikingly virtuosic, lushly harmonic, and beautifully fluid. Solo A Genova, as the title suggests, was recorded live in Genova, Italy, but it seems a celebration of America. The pianist covers tunes by quintessentially American artists (with a Canadian, Joni Mitchell slipped in), and he doesn't limit himself to Jazz Standards. 

Compositions by Curtis Mayfield, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis/Bill Evans, Stevie Wonder and Charles Ives are played out with playfulness (Dylan's "Po' Boy), doom (ZZ Top's Sharp Dressed Man); life affirmation (Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed") and solemn majesty (Ives' "Housatonic At Stockbridge). While Saft's previously mentioned trio discs are uniformly excellent, playing the show alone seems to have freed his artistry. Solo A Genova showcases his uplifting, steeped-in-the-American-sound soul, closing with a gorgeous, got-religion take on Dylan's "Restless Farewell."  As a whole, the reverent nod to America serves as a balm for pains that come from our country's troubled times. ~ Dan McClenaghan https://www.allaboutjazz.com/solo-a-genoa-jamie-saft-rarenoiserecords-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php

Personnel: Jamie Saft: piano.

Solo a genova

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Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte - The New Standard

Size: 134,4 MB
Time: 57:38
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz
Art: Front

01. Clarissa (4:06)
02. Minor Soul (6:18)
03. Step Lively (6:45)
04. Clearing (4:50)
05. Trek (4:09)
06. The New Standard (6:34)
07. I See No Leader (5:38)
08. Blue Shuffle (6:40)
09. All Things To All People (6:08)
10. Surrender The Chaise (6:26)

From a record label that’s decidedly askance from the mainstream, RareNoise dispenses with the noisy (Mumpbeak) and the experimental (Chat Noir) to release a record that’s, well, pretty darn jazzy. Entitled The New Standard, it features young New York Downtown pianist Jamie Saft as bandleader and chief composer, working out a handful of straight-ahead jazz charts with the venerable rhythm section of bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bobby Previte.

Recorded and mixed on the fly, direct to ½-inch analog tape, The New Standard feels like a late night eavesdropping session from behind the living room drapes, as if the listener were a 12-year old kid, sneaking down the midnight stairs to hear the grownups kicked back with a little food, maybe a little wine and a whole lot of inspiration.

From Previte’s point of view, that’s very much how the session felt in the studio. "It was the simplest, chillest record I have ever done. We set up, went out and had a nice lunch, went back to the studio and three hours later it was all done in one take. It's kind of incredible it actually worked out as it did. And my 1965 Rogers Holiday model tubs, which I got when I was 14 years old, have never, and probably will never sound better. The sound is so full, so creamy I feel like licking it!"

For Saft, whose Plymouth collaboration with Joe Morris we reviewed back in April, the relaxed atmosphere of the recording session started with Previte’s idea they’d work off of simple strong structures. "Bobby suggested that I put together simple structures for us to use as starting points," he explains. "I tried to put together pieces that were super soulful and honest. I wanted compositions that would highlight Steve's absolute mastery of melody and Bobby's incredibly soulful approach to groove. They took my simple pieces and made them into grand structures on which to improvise. Beginnings and endings were all improvised and this gives the album a special type of magic."

The New Standard begins with “Clarissa,” the first of seven Saft compositions included in this 10-song set. As with all the tunes on the record, it’s a compact no-nonsense, sparsely appointed jazz tune, this one built on Previte’s shuffling brushes and Swallow’s easy going electric bass in support of Saft cuddling up to all the notes he could find behind the back beat. “Minor Shuffle” is a head-bobbing, body-weaving waltz that’s not really a waltz, anchored by the booming bass drum of Previte’s Rogers Holidays, a comfortably melodic tune with no overtly showy improvisational choices from Saft’s corner of the room.

“Step Lively,” one of three trio-penned tunes of The New Standard, boasts Previte’s heavy right foot and Swallow’s subtle yet gritty bass playing in a modified Latin blues configuration…until they kick into a straight swing groove about midway through the tune. "Clearing," another band co-write, is a straight-ahead slow blues hallelujah, a time to get religion, with Saft wheeling out the B3 and the swirling Leslie cabinet. “Trek” sounds like a tall walk up a slow hill, around the corner from that restaurant in Chinatown, Saft’s flittery piano playing the part of the noodles and Previte’s bass drum going “kung pow.” The title cut’s not the most interesting tune on the record but its successor, “I See No Leader” is a fun, double-time swing set that may well be an homage to that white plastic tape that spins around the recording hub before the session rolls in earnest.

Though it was the first musical meeting of these three players – and their stellar engineer Joe Ferla – it sounds as if they’ve been playing together for years. So it goes with the legacy of jazz music, where like minds are usually meeting in spirit before they meet in person.

The New Standard is a classy record of cool compositions, played with style and fun and spirit. ~By Michael Verity

The New Standard

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