This
is the debut album by Fundementia, a quintet of lesser-known but eminently
talented New York jazzmen led by saxophonist Andy Parsons and drummer
Gene
Lewin. Parsons studied with Bob Mintzer, Bobby Watson and Jerry Bergonzi
and has performed with David Sanborn, Dave Liebman, Claudio Roditi, the
Glenn Miller Orchestra and others. His saxophone technique is rooted
in
developments from hard bop through contemporary jazz, and he is one
of the most impressive EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) players I’ve heard
since Michael Brecker. Lewin is a former student of Bob Moses and George
Russell, and his style reflects all the eclecticism and variety associated
with those jazz legends. Pianist Mike Holober, leader of the Gotham Jazz
Orchestra, is an award-winning composer and sideman with Nick Brignola.
Bassist John Hebert has a long resume including work with Greg Osby, Uri
Caine, John Abercrombie, Brian Blade, Matt Wilson and Tom Rainey. Guitarist
Pete McCann’s background is more unorthodox, having worked with Bobby
Previte, Ed Ware and Tom Varner in addition to Maria Schneider’s orchestra,
Kenny Wheeler, John Patitucci and many others. (McCann’s own album,
You Remind Me Of Someone, is reviewed in the Fusion section this month;
it also features John Hebert on bass.) Though their experiences run the
full gamut of modern jazz, here the players concentrate on a comfortable
brand of music that avoids both avant-garde pretentiousness and smooth-jazz
barrenness.
These players
work together with the oneness of a band that’s been together for
decades, and the compositions (all by Parsons) are an engaging mix.
Parsons’
EWI conjures warm synthesized sounds on the title track, carefully avoiding
Brecker’s prior wind-synth paths which might make it come off as
stale. Shortly he switches to tenor, his main horn for most of the
album.
There is a typical contemporary-jazz flair and polish to the tunes, although
they don’t suffer from the sterile production that curses the “smooth
jazz” industry. I was surprised at the number of devious
turns in the music here. "Slush Piranhas" begins with a McCann
guitar vamp that sounds drawn from African highlife patterns, but once
the rest
of the band enters
that African vibe is lost. Similarly, the bass pattern that kicks off
"What They Do In Tents" echoes "Lester Leaps In," but the tenor/guitar
melody sounds more like
a present-day Pharoah Sanders tune. This isn’t a complaint, mind
you, just observing some unexpected turnabouts. The initial chilled-out
theme of "Like Weeds On The Ruins" would be at home on a number of ECM
Records releases, though Holober’s Fender Rhodes and McCann’s
edgy guitar solo warm things up. Parsons is the predominant voice throughout,
and Lewin
offers up the
ideal kind of rhythmic support, dead-on-target for each musical style
and twist.
The last
three selections were recorded live at the Irish Arts Center in New York
City. McCann and Hebert are replaced here by guitarist Chris Tarrow
and
bassist Doug Weiss. Parson blows warm soprano on "A Reasons For Raisins"
over Weiss’ and
Lewin’s gently booting rhythms. "Jaded" is a tenor ballad in the
firm tradition of all tenor ballads, beginning with an unaccompanied
intro
that dissects the melody and burbles through some quick scalar runs.
The closing track is almost 13 minutes long; its theme transmutes oh-so-subtly
from temperate modern jazz to minor clashes to Latin hip-shaking and
back
again.
Fundementia’s
sound is smoother than some presently popular types of fusion, but certainly
more adventurous and inviting than much music that clutters the contemporary
jazz market. These cats aren’t just in it for the cash and attention,
and the live tracks here show they don’t need studio wizards to
clean up after them and make the album sound presentable. Their act is
all together
and highly entertaining.
~ Todd S.
Jenkins
Copyright © 2001
All About Jazz and contributing writers. All rights reserved.
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