Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Poband, rich music

Last year I touted CDs from drummer Lou Grassi and multi-reedist John Tchicai, as well as disks from CIMP in general, so when I saw "comPOsed," a CIMP CD from Grassi's Poband with Tchicai as a guest, I had to have it. Moreover, it's kind of an all-star CIMP lineup with trumpeter Paul Smoker, clarinetist Perry Robinson and bassist Wilber Morris along in addition to Grassi and Tchicai. Now all-star lineups, it seems to me, sometimes disappoint. But not these guys.

"Daddy No Mana" makes me think of Mingus' "The Clown," a piece that skirts the edge of the avant-garde envelope, moved somewhat beyond that edge. "Drunk or Happy" captures the dichotomy in the title musically and makes interesting use of the didgeridoo courtesy of Art Baron, whose main axe is the trombone. "Oxbow Incident" begins in kind of an eerie whisper, fitting if you know the short story or movie, and evolves into a quiet, haunting cross between a sad ballad and a Native American chant. I think bad free jazz frequently results from ham-handed handling of discordance. This group, which reminds me of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, shows how it should be done. A fine CD I'm likely to find something new in each listen.

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