Ben Goldberg - Everything Happens to Be

Styles: Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2021
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:50
Size: 133,6 MB
Art: Front

(5:41) 1. What About
(6:14) 2. 21
(4:48) 3. Fred Hampton
(7:04) 4. Everything Happens To Be
(6:23) 5. Cold Weather
(9:53) 6. Chorale Type
(5:51) 7. Tomas Plays the Drums
(5:10) 8. Long Last Moment
(5:32) 9. To-Ron-To
(1:10) 10. Abide With Me

The music of Ben Goldberg seems to come from a place outside of time—or maybe it comes from several times simultaneously. Maybe it's the instruments he chooses; while the clarinet family has been on the comeback trail in jazz for a quarter century, it's a sound that invariably invokes the New Orleans of a century ago. That's especially true when Goldberg picks up the mellow, woody, Albert-system E-flat instrument on "Cold Weather." That tune's sweet melancholy wobbles perilously close to Hoagy Carmichael, but by way of "Pannonica" by Thelonious Monk, another composer who had a soft spot for sentimental old tunes.

If you're interested in a nostalgia trip, you don't choose guitarist Mary Halvorson, bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Tomas Fujiwara to be your traveling companions, and the tension they create between the retrogressive and the transgressive gives Everything Happens To Be. a low-key charge. On paper, Goldberg is following in the great tradition of hiring the All-Star rhythm section of the moment. They are certainly that and as the cooperative Thumbscrew, also one of the formidable bands of the last decade. But Everything Happens To Be. isn't a Thumbscrew+horns date.

Goldberg has worked with Halvorson and Fujiwara as The Out Louds, and with Formanek in a variety of settings. Tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin is a long-time Goldberg collaborator who shares the leader's affection for putting new wine in old bottles. His big tenor sound, slippery but warm, hearkens back to players such as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Gene Ammons and fits right in on the almost-vaudevillian bounce of tunes such as "21" and "To-Ron-To." If you've always wanted to hear Halvorson strum four-to-the-bar, Freddie Green-style, cue the latter, which seems to be based loosely on "Sweet Georgia Brown." It ends in a collective, New-Orleanean tangle that resolves into something like a 21st-century updating of the Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian and Georgie Auld. It takes iron control to play this loose.

But then there are knottier compositions such as "Fred Hampton," a lilting, 6/4 tune where Halvorson spins a songful line only to smudge it with a pedal effect, as if to say let's not make this too pretty. Yet beauty is never far away on Everything Happens To Be., though it seldom arrives in conventional fashion. Take "Chorale Type," which starts in church and detours to a middle-school gym where Goldberg and Halvorson circle each other warily like seventh graders at their first dance. The almost 10-minute cut ends in the mosh pit with Goldberg getting his metal on via a stomping bass line on contra-alto clarinet over Fujiwara's slamming 4/4. The exception is another chorale, "Abide With Me" which, inspired by Monk's 1957 septet version, is played straight in a single reverent chorus.

Though this session was recorded at New Haven's Firehouse 12 in 2018, that hymn tune is a perfect way to and a session that feels old and sounds fresh, that is joyful and melancholy. Just like life. By John Chacona
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/everything-happens-to-be-ben-goldberg-bag-production

Personnel: Ben Goldberg: clarinet; Mary Halvorson: guitar; Ellery Eskelin: saxophone; Michael Formanek: bass, acoustic; Tomas Fujiwara: drums.

Everything Happens to Be

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Harold Danko - Fantasy Exit

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:17
Size: 141,9 MB
Art: Front

( 9:08)  1. Hi-Fly
( 3:58)  2. Mrs. Parker of Kc
( 8:21)  3. Fantasy Exit
(10:21)  4. Born to Be Blue
( 8:17)  5. Smoke House
( 3:28)  6. Rocker
( 7:16)  7. Tea Time
( 8:00)  8. In and Out
( 2:23)  9. Lullaby

Trio dates are somewhat of a rarity for Harold Danko, but he makes the most of the opportunity on this 2002 session for Steeplechase. With bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Jeff Hirschfield, he chooses a wide range of jazz compositions, starting with a radically different, more free-flowing than usual approach to Randy Weston's "Hi Fly." Danko's arrangement of Jaki Byard's "Mrs. Parker of K.C." (first recorded by its composer on a date as a sideman with Eric Dolphy) adds many twists and turns to an already challenging work. On the other hand, he sticks closer to the beautiful melody of Mel Tormé's ballad "Born to be Blue," while proving that Gerry Mulligan's upbeat "Rocker" can be a successful vehicle without the presence of a horn. The leader's twisting post-bop original "Smoke House" is clearly inspired by Tadd Dameron's "Hot House" (which is in turn based on the chord changes to Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?"). This highly recommended date is easily one of the best of Harold Danko's long career. 

~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/fantasy-exit-mw0000990767

Personnel: Piano – Harold Danko; Bass – Michael Formanek; Drums – Jeff Hirshfield

Fantasy Exit

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Marty Ehrlich, Peter Erskine, Michael Formanek - Relativity

Styles: Saxophone, Clarinet And Flute Jazz
Year: 1999
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:15
Size: 148,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:47)  1. Incident At Harpham Flat
(5:46)  2. Eloi Lament
(9:22)  3. Lucky Life
(6:53)  4. The Pivot
(5:55)  5. Holy Waters
(6:46)  6. Round The Four Corners
(8:36)  7. Jiggle The Handle
(3:43)  8. Relativo
(6:07)  9. Taglioni
(4:16) 10. In A Child's Eyes

You might justifiably expect sparks to fly on this collaborative effort, given the careers of Ehrlich and his compatriots, trio members Michael Formanek and Peter Erskine. Unfortunately, it rarely happens, and while all three are exquisite players individually, this disappointing, often tepid recording stands as an opportunity not fully realized. In part it might be the result of different styles: Ehrlich, of course, is the more adventurous of the group, but Erskine, whose heart is usually in more commercial ventures, seems comfortable with the music. The pieces are all originals by the trio members, but there are times when a certain boredom pervades the music. To be fair, there are some aggressive, exciting moments, too, but they are the exception. Ehrlich continues to show remarkable versatility on alto and tenor saxophones, clarinet, and flute (where he is particularly lyrical). ~ Steve Loewy https://www.allmusic.com/album/relativity-mw0000252729

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute – Marty Ehrlich; Double Bass – Michael Formanek; Drums – Peter Erskine

Relativity

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The Marty Ehrlich Quartet - Song

Styles: Saxophone, Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:26
Size: 116,2 MB
Art: Front

( 5:04)  1. Waltz
( 9:55)  2. The Price of the Ticket
( 5:29)  3. Day of the Dark Bright Light
( 8:20)  4. Blue Boye's Blues
( 6:00)  5. I Pity the Poor Immigrant
(10:20)  6. Fauve
( 5:16)  7. The Falling Rains of Life

Reedsman Marty Ehrlich enlists pianist Uri Caine, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Billy Drummond for this lyrical, swinging, accessible set. After opening with Robin Holcomb’s melancholy "Waltz" (a feature for Ehrlich’s brilliant bass clarinet), the quartet embarks on a trilogy of Ehrlich-penned pieces. "The Price of the Ticket," inspired by James Baldwin, begins with a beautifully orchestrated rubato section before breaking into a burning swing tempo, laying a foundation for incisive solos by Ehrlich (on alto), Caine, and Drummond. "Day of the Dark Bright Light" opens with duo ruminations from Caine and Formanek and evolves into a slow and straightforward waltz. And "Blue Boye’s Blues," dedicated to the late Julius Hemphill, is a bout of free jazz featuring special guest Ray Anderson on trombone. Chaotic sounds give way to an unaccompanied trombone passage, then an out-of-left-field, Motown-like progression that carries the piece to the end. Ehrlich then leads the band through a gospel-tinged reading of Bob Dylan’s "I Pity the Poor Immigrant." The song, from 1968’s John Wesley Harding, contains the immortal line, "who passionately hates his life, and likewise fears his death." Sustaining the penultimate chord with intensity before landing softly on the final, conclusive note, the group gets to the heart of Dylan’s bitterly told tale. Next is a ten-minute-plus original called "Fauve," the album’s high point, with the leader on soprano. The piece moves through an impressionistic rubato into fast, bright swing and eventually back again to rubato. Caine then introduces an unexpected 6/8 section, an inspired detour that ultimately concludes the piece. Wrapping up the session is "The Falling Rains of Life," with Ehrlich back on bass clarinet where he started, delighting in the contours of Jaki Byard’s achingly beautiful melody. Song is marred only by the fact that the piano and bass aren’t nearly present enough on the recording. Otherwise, it’s a major statement by Marty Ehrlich. ~ David Adler https://www.allaboutjazz.com/song-marty-ehrlich-enja-records-review-by-david-adler.php

Personnel:  Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Marty Ehrlich; Double Bass – Michael Formanek; Drums – Billy Drummond; Piano – Uri Caine

Song

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Michael Formanek - The Rub And Spare Change

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:52
Size: 132.5 MB
Styles: Bop
Year: 2010
Art: Front

[ 8:31] 1. Twenty Three Neo
[ 9:25] 2. The Rub And Spare Change
[ 5:59] 3. Inside The Box
[ 7:27] 4. Jack's Last Call
[17:11] 5. Tonal Suite
[ 9:16] 6. Too Big To Fail

Michael Formanek: double-bass; Tim Berne; alto saxophone; Craig Taborn: piano; Gerald Cleaver: drums.

With a discography that's growing with each passing year—expanding into territories new to both the label and music in general—it's difficult to understand the need for some to apply a reductionist stance to the music of ECM, whitewashing it with descriptions like "melancholy," or "Nordic cool." One listen to bassist Michael Formanek's ECM debut, The Rub And Spare Change, quickly dispenses with these—and many other—mythic generalizations that simply cannot describe a label that, in its fifth decade and with over a thousand releases, represents the broadest purview in the history of jazz, improvised music, and beyond.

Formanek's diminutive discography as a leader contrasts with busy work as a sideman, extending from the modern mainstream of pianist Fred Hersch to saxophonist Tim Berne's left-of-center nexus of complex form and unfettered freedom, Bloodcount. The Rub And Spare Change gravitates more towards Bloodcount's avant-edged extremes; those accusing ECM of avoiding dense, angular free play need look no further than the 17-minute "Tonal Suite." Here, Formanek combines an intro that actually swings (another ECM myth debunked), with a gradually expanding improvisational radius, where pianist Craig Taborn's assertive stance gradually morphs into a time-based yet still temporally fluid free-for-all, as the bassist and drummer Gerald Cleaver somehow retain an undercurrent of groove, even as Berne, who rounds out the quartet, avoids the obvious—layering, instead, lines that range from pulsating, counter-rhythmic support to rapid-fire soaring ascensions—curiously kept out of the front of the mix to engender an even more completely collaborative ambiance.

Egalitarian it may be, but with Formanek contributing all of The Rub And Spare Change's six compositions, it still possesses a leader with perspicacious focus. Amidst the organized chaos of "Too Big Too Fall," Taborn's dissonant note block chords—with Berne layering slow-built but powerful lines—quickly contrast with darker passages, where spare but oblique melodies, working from the same premise of repetition as their more extreme thematic cousins, gradually intensify, signalling a return to Taborn's quarter-note voicings with relentless inevitability.

There are moments of beauty as well, though the persistent, irregular-metered piano figure that drives the mid-eastern-tinged "Twenty Three Neo" creates an unsettling foundation for Formanek's arco and Berne's equally considered alto, which move, in turns, from orbiting gravitational opposites to lucid, coincident partners. Cleaver—who, with his work alongside bassist Miroslav Vitous, both separately and in trio with guitarist Terje Rypdal, has emerged as a new percussion affiliate to the label—moves effortlessly across Formanek's always demanding music, combining textures, both atmospheric and grounded, with complex rhythmic subdivisions and attention to the smallest detail. The ubiquitous Taborn continues to posit an encyclopaedic stance, ready to turn on a dime with absolute precision.

The Rub And Spare Change is Formanek's first album as a leader since Am I Bothering You? (Screwgun, 1998). With a group this vibrant and instinctive, performing music that combines rigor and reckless abandon, on a label ideal for Formanek's expansive artistic purview, here's hoping another decade doesn't have to pass before the bassist reconvenes this group for another go around. ~John Kelman

The Rub And Spare Change mc
The Rub And Spare Change zippy

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