Mario Pavone (1940 - 2021)

Mario Pavone (photo by Peter Gannushkin)

By  Martin Schray

Mario Pavone was a fighter - in real life and in his music. For 17 years he has fought cancer and they way he played his bass looked a bit like fighting as well - with a lot of force, keeping his strings a little high and overplaying them. He said that his style was rather sculptural. In any ways, it was spectacular watching him.

Pavone, who was born in Waterbury/Connecticut in 1940, was actually an engineer and had no formal musical training in his youth. The initiatory experience that led him to music was something special: John Coltrane’s seminal residence at the Village Vanguard in 1961. Shortly after that he began playing the bass and settled in New York City, where he got to know pianist Paul Bley and trumpeter Bill Dixon. That’s how he became part what would later on be called the first loft era.

In 1968 he went on a European tour with Bley, with whom he worked until 1972. In the early 1970s he performed with vibraphonist Bobby Naughton and was a member of Bill Dixon’s Orchestra of the Streets, as well as John Fischer’s Interface. In 1975 he formed the Creative Music Improvisers Forum (CMIF) in New Heaven with Bobby Naughton, Wadada Leo Smith, Gerry Hemingway, and many others, before he began his 18-year collaboration with Thomas Chapin in 1980. His most important formation with Chapin was the trio with drummer Michael Sarin, one of the most important bands of the downtown Knitting Factory scene. From 1990 to 1996 the trio was very productive and toured in Europe and the U.S. After Chapin's untimely death in 1998, Pavone began a long recording career as a leader and worked with almost everyone who’s important in the New York free jazz scene - from Tony Malaby to Steven Bernstein, Gerald Cleaver, Craig Taborn, Oscar Noriega, Matt Mitchell, Tyshawn Sorey, to name only a few. 

 Recently, Pavone had focused his musical energies on the classic piano trio format, reconnecting with Paul Bley for a recording, releasing a live disc with Craig Taborn and Gerald Cleaver, recording 3 CDs with his Dialect Trio featuring Matt Mitchell and Tyshawn Sorey, the latest to be released in July 2019 on Clean Feed Records. In a recent interview with Downbeat Magazine he said that he planned to “make a final artistic statement, in two parts“. He recorded sessions in 2020, with two quartets including six new tunes approached from different perspectives. Blue Vertical (Out of Your Head) was for his ongoing “implied time” trio with pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, plus trumpeter Dave Ballou. Isabella (Clean Feed) was for the grooving “overt time” of Mario and “the three Mikes” - his son Michael Pavone on electric guitar, altoist Mike DiRubbo and drummer Michael Sarin, his longtime collaborator from the days with Thomas Chapin. “I’m just happy to get these two releases done,” Pavone said in the interview with Downbeat. “It took every bit of energy, and the music is what got me through. I’ve had a great life and I’m so appreciative of all the players who jumped in and generously contributed, from the heart. I’m grateful, happy, satisfied with my life, ready to move to this next cycle.”

On Saturday, May 15th, Mario Pavone lost his fight against cancer. It’s sad to know that he isn’t there anymore.

Watch a performance with his excellent trio with Matt Mitchell and Tyshawn Sorey:

 

Reflections on the Recordings

Writers of the Free Jazz Blog contributed their thoughts on some of their favorite Mario Pavone recordings.

Martin Schray  

Thomas Chapin Trio - Anima (Knitting Factory Works, 1992)

Pavone’s bowed for Chapin’s saxophone hook line in the title track is among the most beautiful moments of all the downtown scene releases.

Bill Dixon - Son of Sisyphos (Soul Note, 1988)

Pavone counters John Buckingham's ultra-deep tuba tones with his lightning-fast, scurrying intervals. Dixon's trumpet and Laurence Cook's drums float above things. Free jazz can be so beautiful.

---

Stephen Griffith

My first conscious exposure to Mario Pavone (I guess I'd heard him on Bill Dixon’s Son of Sisyphus previously but it didn't leave as immediate of a positive impression) was on one of the Thomas Chapin Trio’s seven releases on Knitting Factory Works; maybe Third Force. Whichever one it was (I eventually got them all) it grabbed me immediately with how full of a sound an alto sax, bass and drums (Steve Johns or Michael Sarin) achieved moving rapidly through post Ornette originals that were catchily complex and became immediately familiar. Pavone was the foundation rock on which all was built with his large but uniquely dancing sound. Ride (Playscape, 2006) sticks out in my mind because it was released in 2006 posthumously after Chapin’s passing, a 1995 North Sea Jazz Festival performance which brought back all the previous magic one last time.

I tried Chapin releases with other bassists on different labels who played well with other musicians I like but it just wasn't as good a fit as with Mario Pavone.

---

Kenneth Blanchard

Mario Pavone’s passing reminds me of how easy it is to take something for granted. I do not recall listening to one of his recordings over the last year because… they will always be there. I won’t. This morning I am listening to Orange (2003) one of the Nu Trio recordings. What a wonderful piece of music! Pavone’s playing is superb and you can hear his softly singing behind his solos. He is one of those leaders whose genius was contagious. Every member of the band is sharp and luminous. I can also highly recommend Deez to Blues (2006).

---

Lee Rice Epstein

Ancestors ‎(Playscape Recordings, 2008)
Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po (Playscape Recordings, 2010)

Early in his career, Mario Pavone joined Bill Dixon, beginning with the iconic November 1981. Starting with this group, it was clear Pavone and Dixon had one of those deep and special connections. Twenty-five years later, Pavone recorded “Half Dome (For Bill Dixon)” a gorgeous two-minute tribute. These back-to-back albums, Ancestors and Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po, feature the larger groups Double Tenor Quintet and Orange Double Tenor are undeniably modern classics. Both showcase the depth and sensitivity of Pavone’s compositional approach. Tony Malaby and Jimmy Greene tease out the warmth and these melodies. On the second album, Dave Ballou extends the groups sound, but he had already been arranging for Pavone for a while, and continued to do so for several albums following. Pavone and Ballou clearly shared a deep connection, much like his earlier one with Dixon. The arrangement of “Iskmix” for example, brings a spaciousness to the complex, overlaid time signatures and free rhythms. Space was a specialty of Pavone’s  playing and composing, and his sounds and silences will be missed equally.

---

Paul Acquaro

Does it make sense to post Understanding by Bobby Naughton Units? The vibraphonist's 1974 JAPO release features both a young Mario Pavone or Richard Youngstein on bass - the album was a mix of a live and studio recording. Regardless, it's an early document of Pavone's recorded work and puts him in the company of the late great Perry Robinson and Mark Whitecage. Pavone's solo on the track 'Snow' is a lovely, slowly unfolding part within a lovely, slowly unfolding piece.

---

Past Reviews:

Mario Pavone – Vertical (Clean Feed, 2017) 

By Troy Dostert

A reunion record of sorts, with bass legend Mario Pavone getting together with some long-time colleagues of old in a sextet format. And the results are predictably excellent: multiple horn parts giving life to Pavone’s thorny compositions, a strong yet occasionally unpredictable rhythmic current, and superb musicianship throughout. Read more.

---

Mario Pavone's Dialect Trio - Philosophy (Clean Feed Records, 2019)

By Olle Lawson

Double bassist Mario Pavone’s latest album Philosophy could equally have been entitled ‘Aphorisms’ considering how concise these eight mini manifestos are. Pavone is a selfless leader who none the less stamps his authorial mark on all of his multifaceted line-ups. This is the third Dialect Trio LP with pianist Matt Mitchell – best known for his work with Tim Berne – and the inimitable Tyshawn Sorey. Read more.

---

Mario Pavone Dialect Trio - Chrome (Playscape, 2017) 

By Derek Stone 

 For me, 2014’s Blue Dialect was one of those releases that, merely by virtue of the players involved, absolutely insisted on being heard. In particular, two names grabbed my attention: Tyshawn Sorey (on percussion) and Matt Mitchell (on piano) ... Chrome is another fantastic entry in Pavone’s discography, and it offers yet more proof that he is one of the finest composers/bandleaders around. Read more.

 

---

Thomas Chapin - Night Bird Song ('Olena Productions, 2016) 

By Paul Acquaro

The film, using footage, photos, documents and interviews, presents Chapin's life in two parts: the first a rather chronological log of his life growing up in Connecticut, his family, his growing musical interests, and his studies at Rutger's in the early days of its renowned jazz program. The film moves on to his work as music director of the Lionel Hampton big band, the fury of his group Machine Gun, and finally the creation of the Thomas Chapin Trio with bassist Mario Pavone and drummers Steve Johns and Michael Sarin. In watching the arc of Chapin’s foreshortened career, you cannot help but see how his ambition and focus were always underscored by his humanity and genuine curiosity. It can be humbling to watch. Read more.

---

Mario Pavone – Blue Dialect (Clean Feed, 2015) 

By Troy Dostert

It’s great to see Clean Feed adding a veteran of Mario Pavone’s stature to its roster.  The label has done such a fine job in recent years of documenting many of the most creative and forward-thinking artists in jazz and free improvisation, and bassist Pavone certainly deserves to be in the conversation as one of them, especially when it comes to the piano-bass-drums trio format, arguably the most appropriate showcase for Pavone’s distinctive talents.  A couple years ago Pavone released Arc Trio, an exceptionally fine outing with Gerald Cleaver and Craig Taborn. Read more.

---

Mario Pavone – Arc Trio (Playscape, 2013) 

By Troy Dostert

On this terrific piano trio record, veteran bassist Mario Pavone unites with pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver for a live outing from Greenwich Village, allowing us to gain a fascinating glimpse into the levels of musical collaboration possible between three masters of their respective instruments. Read more.

---

Mario Pavone - Arc Suite T/Pi T/Po (Playscape, 2010)

By Stanley Zappa

Calling Mario Pavone's Double Orange Tenor arc suite t/pi t/po commodity jazz is hardly meant to be an insult (unless you're offended by he notion of such a cleve) because as far as commodity jazz concerned, this is as good as it comes. Yet clever arrangements with latin sections, well crafted solos with themes, variations and other well loved compositional elements have an ability to asphyxiate in our post-Coltrane day, despite the level of craft and dedication required in their realization. Read more.

---

Mario Pavone - Ancestors (Playscape, 2008)

By Stef Gijssels

Bassist Mario Pavone has been in the forefront of modern jazz for the last four decades, and even if many of his generation got stuck in the style for which they were once in the vanguard, Pavone has kept evolving, and still does. He is most known from his collaborations with Paul Bley first, and Bill Dixon later, then Thomas Chapin, yet his own Nu Trio/Quintet and sextet bring his music, in an always very recognisable style. Read more.

---

Thomas Chapin Trio - Ride (Playscape, 2006)

By Stef Gijssels

 
This is Thomas Chapin's last recorded live date, at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague in 1995. Chapin died from leukemia in 1998 at the age of 40. This is one of his better albums, and as often his trio consists of Mario Pavone on bass and Michael Sarin on drums. The band is at its peak, after having toured for years, and they play with conviction and with joy. Read more.

Read More

Mario Pavone – Vertical (Clean Feed, 2017) ****

By Troy Dostert

A reunion record of sorts, with bass legend Mario Pavone getting together with some long-time colleagues of old in a sextet format. And the results are predictably excellent: multiple horn parts giving life to Pavone’s thorny compositions, a strong yet occasionally unpredictable rhythmic current, and superb musicianship throughout.

Pavone was quite fond of medium-sized groups on his early records as a leader: sextets, septets, and octets were commonplace. And a number of the personnel here are veterans of those albums, specifically drummer Michael Sarin, saxophonist Tony Malaby, and trombonist Peter McEachern. Trumpeter Dave Ballou is a more recent partner, having played on Pavone’s 2014 release Street Songs; and clarinetist Oscar Noriega is only now joining Pavone on record for the first time. It’s a wonderful ensemble, in any event, and it marks a departure from most of Pavone’s recordings during the last several years, as with the exception of Street Songs, he’s been working heavily in a piano-trio format. To be sure, they’ve been some outstanding piano trios: when your recent resume entries include outings with colleagues like Craig Taborn and Gerald Cleaver (Arc Trio, from 2013) and Matt Mitchell and Tyshawn Sorey (Blue Dialect, from 2015), you know you’re at the top of the heap. But it’s a treat to hear Pavone returning to the larger group context in which so many of his excellent records, like Song For (Septet) (1993), Dancers Tales (1997), and Deez to Blues (2005) were made.

One crucial difference here from those earlier records, however, is the absence of a pianist. On almost all of his medium and smaller-group projects, pianists (especially Peter Madsen, a ubiquitous presence on lots of Pavone records) were there to complement Pavone’s lyrical side, enhancing the accessibility of Pavone’s catchy but sometimes challenging compositions. Without that role in this group, Pavone’s pieces are somewhat less immediately satisfying; they take a bit more work to grab ahold of. But while the pleasures of the music aren’t as quickly forthcoming, there are still some fine moments of collective music-making on this record.

Pavone’s skill at harnessing the strengths of his partners has always been a hallmark of his music, and it’s certainly evident here. Ballou should get a good deal of the credit in this regard, as he’s listed as the primary arranger on these eleven cuts.   His charts utilize the four-horn format splendidly, with interweaving parts that set up intriguing harmonies and rhythmic nuances. The compositions are also nice and compact, with no meandering: most clock in at around 5-6 minutes, rendering solo statements potent and focused. Even so, there’s an open feel to much of the music, as Pavone allows space for spontaneity as well. Especially memorable tracks are “Suitcase in Savannah,” where Sarin’s and Pavone’s airtight rapport sustain an intricate groove that supports feisty soloing from Ballou and Malaby; “Cube Code,” a catchy piece that features some riveting mutual improvisation between Ballou and Noriega; “Start Oval,” an irresistible track built around a sinuous ostinato phrase that will definitely get the toes tapping; and the closer, “Voice Oval,” which gives all four horns some room for stimulating group improvisation.

All in all, a welcome and highly worthy addition to Pavone’s substantial catalog of impressive mid-sized group recordings.

Read More

Mario Pavone Dialect Trio - Chrome (Playscape, 2017) ****½

By Derek Stone

For me, 2014’s Blue Dialect was one of those releases that, merely by virtue of the players involved, absolutely insisted on being heard. In particular, two names grabbed my attention: Tyshawn Sorey (on percussion) and Matt Mitchell (on piano). Both of these musicians have carved out an important place for themselves in the world of contemporary jazz - Sorey has achieved this by way of increasingly complex investigations of various modes of expression, from relatively straight-ahead jazz to contemporary classical and, in the case of pieces like “Permutations for Solo Piano,” stark minimalism. While perhaps best known for his astounding work with Tim Berne, Mitchell too has gone on to prove himself as a one-of-a-kind compositional talent, most recently brewing up an mesmerizing, electronics-infused stew on last year’s A Pouting Grimace. Admittedly, though, up until hearing the stunning Blue Dialect, Mario Pavone’s music had eluded me. A few of his works have been glowingly reviewed on the Free Jazz Blog, but I just, well, never got around to hearing them. That’s all in the past. Having spent the last few weeks familiarizing myself with Pavone’s output, I can now count myself as a fan. Chrome is another fantastic entry in Pavone’s discography, and it offers yet more proof that he is one of the finest composers/bandleaders around.

Structurally speaking, many of the pieces on Chrome seem fairly straightforward and traditional; for instance, there’s often a head to which the players can return, an anchor that keeps some of their flightier impulses at bay. The music here is not so much free, then, as it is intoxicatingly loose. “Cobalt,” for instance, finds Matt Mitchell riding lightly on the dense and robust waves stirred up by Sorey and Pavone. Rather than attempt to match Mitchell’s dizzying capers, Pavone prefers to punctuate and undergird them - that is, until he too engages in his own fascinating elaboration of the main melody. Throughout all of this, Sorey is relentless. While some of his other projects find him exploring the intersections of noise and emptiness, here he seems eager to be as densely rhythmic as possible - the result is a giddy sense of movement that injects even the more abstract moments with a joyful, swinging rush. The successfulness of this combination - Pavone’s steadfast approach, Mitchell’s light-footed explorations, and Sorey’s knotty, yet danceable, rhythms - is perhaps largely due to the compositions themselves. In pieces like “Ellipse” and “Beige,” extraneous matter is boiled away and we’re left with bare-bones repetitions (often courtesy of Pavone) and, as things develop, slightly mutated restatements of the theme. Within that space, however, the players explore their own avenues of interest, whether those explorations involve unrestrained romps (as is often the case with Mitchell) or focused outpourings of energy (Sorey). It’s a wonderful formula that the group wisely sticks to on most of the tracks.

Not every piece is a high-octane explosion, of course. The aforementioned “Beige” moves at a decidedly relaxed pace, the various elements unfolding in languid, outward-expanding ripples. Instead of the rhythmic bursts he releases on some of the other pieces, Sorey conjures up airy exhalations, each cymbal crash landing like a sign on the dust-blown terrain that Mitchell and Pavone sketch out. The brief and surprisingly tender “Bley” is an elegy for its namesake, and one that likely has a particular resonance for Pavone - the two worked together on 2007’s incredible Trio Arc (with drummer Matt Wilson). Coming as it does between between the breakneck “Conic” and the jagged rhythmic phrasings of the title track, it very much feels like a “moment of silence” for the late, great pianist. The album concludes with “Continuing,” a piece which, fittingly, continues on with the modus operandi found on the rest of the album: Pavone’s supple bass-work, Mitchell’s exploratory cascades, and Sorey’s limber and responsive rhythmic flurries.

For those, like me, who have overlooked Pavone’s past work, Chrome is as good a chance as any to get your feet wet. If you like what you hear, it’s highly recommended that you move on to this trio’s other release, Blue Dialect . Pavone, Mitchell, and Sorey are absolutely electric together, and their combination of influences and styles makes for some of the most inviting, yet adventurous, jazz today.

Read More

Clean Feed @ 20: Reviews (part 2 of 2)

Today we continue our series of reviews celebrating Clean Feed's 20th anniversary, with more to come in the near future. Be sure to check out the first installment here. 

Happy Anniversary Clean Feed!

Mario Pavone - Isabella (Clean Feed, 2021) ****

By Kenneth Blanchard

Mario Pavone had no intention of going quietly. He battled cancer for almost two decades. As the end approached, he recorded two albums Blue Vertical and Isabella. The latter was dedicated to his granddaughter, who passed away last year when she was only 23. It features his son, Michael, on guitar; Mike DiRubbo on alto saxophone, and Michael Sarin on drums. That’s one trio of live mikes!

The music is impressionistic, with a bit of melancholy but without sorrow. The most conspicuous feature is the tandem solo: two instruments playing the same melody closely enough for each pair of notes to blend together. Most often and most impressively, guitar and horn; sometimes, bass and horn…

This one is worth a careful listen. Pavone’s double bass is persistently brilliant. You never forget who is laying down the logic. DiRubbo and Sarin lay down notes like pieces on a Go board. Michael Pavone has that enviable talent that allows him to make the guitar seem like three different instruments. Mario Pavone was a great loss. He has left behind a lot of the riches he produced over the years. This wealth will not soon be exhausted.

The Selva + - Barbatrama (Shhpuma, 2021) ****½

By Paul Acquaro

Last summer at Jazz 2020 - the pandemic edition of Jazz em Agosto - I was baptized in the sonic waters of The Selva. The trio of cellist Ricardo Jacinto, drummer Nuno Morão, and bassist Gonçalo Almeida bathed my senses with acoustic/electric enlightenment. Afterwards, I went back to the two recordings from the trio, 2017's self titled debut, and 2019's Canicula Rosa (both also on Clean Feed). On the first, they were mainly acoustic, generating both melodic and textural sounds from the wood and steel in their hands. The second recording introduced more electronic enhancements and manipulation of the acoustics, with the acoustic still being first and foremost. Now, here we are with 2021's Barbatrama, and the equilibrium is shifting, titling further in the direction of electronics with Rutger Zuydervelt, a/k/a Machinefabriek, providing electronics and post-production work. Undeniably the sonority of the acoustic instruments - the low end of Almeida's bass, the arcing tones of Jacinto's cello, and the fractured pulse of Morão percussion work still underpin everything, but there an digital edge to the sound, and overt electronic effects that extend the group's sonic and emotional range.

One may not even hear the electronics at first, the opening 'barbatrama' is a quick intro that brings us to 'ramatarba', which takes on a threatening sheen as the strings blur and crackle with electricity. Track three, 'babarmatra," descends like a flock of twisted seagulls onto a meshwork of thick bass tones. Other tracks like 'tramabarba' build energy from short repetitive melodic phrases that eventual decay, while the eight and half minute centerpiece 'mabartrama' begins with a classical sounding series of phrases played defiantly over abstracted percussion and growing electrical interference. The musicians come closer together in the middle of the piece, their sound flows like dark river through the aural jungle, with new adventure around every bend. The Selva is an exciting trio, extending their concept without loosing their vision.

Oker - Susurrus (Clean Feed, 2021) ****½

By Nick Metzger

On their second album Susurrus the Oslo quartet of Adrian Fiskum Myhr, Jan Martin Gismervik, Torstein Lavik Larsen and Fredrik Rasten deliver just that, and then some. Using extended techniques and all-acoustic instrumentation the group sculpts unexpected and mysterious pieces that are built on timbre and mood rather than melody. Despite that descriptor's possible allusions, the album is an extremely pleasant and intriguing listening experience. To my ears their sound has more in common with chamber music and/or EAI than jazz. I really enjoyed their first album Husene våre er museer (2018), so I was excited to see this one released and wasted no time in procuring a copy. Each individual contributes a composition, the first two pieces are subtle and ambient, finding the group luxuriating in sonic decay and expertly stacking sounds. The third piece starts small as well but then unexpectedly builds into something resembling a groove, while the fourth is a lumbering pseudo-chamber piece whose tension pulls the barn doors closed. An outstanding new release, highly recommended.

Space Quartet – Directions (Clean Feed, 2021) ****

By Lee Rice Epstein

On the second album with this lineup, Rafael Toral’s Space Quartet again makes the case for space, not outer but between. In other words, as electro-acoustic instrumentalist Toral has explored for years, the space inside Space Quartet’s often transcendent playing is amplified by its silence. Directions marks this lineup’s second recording. Double bassist Hugo Antunes and drummer Nuno Morão are a fantastic free rhythm section, and saxophonist Nuno Torres rounds out the group. Torres brings innovative phrasing and a playful sense of collaboration to the quartet’s collective compositions. The title track, “Directions,” hints at a possible Miles Davis influence, but Toral, Torres, Morão, and Antunes seem less interested in direct homage. Instead, “Directions” begins the process of churning, bubbling movement that extends throughout the album. Toral’s trade-off with Torres on the centerpiece “Southern Grooves” shades the group with a blue-toned twilight hue. As hinted at by the title “Moonlight through the pines,” Space Quartet excels at a kind of multisensory performance, representing physical space, mental space, and even overlapping, layered spaces filled with rich colors and buzzy momentum. But it’s the very human, emotional center where Space Quartet succeeds, where the messiness of being alive collides with the expressivity of free jazz.

Roots Magic - Take Root Among the Stars (Clean Feed, 2020) ****

By Matthew Banash

Straight out of Italy via Ellington with a layover in South Africa then channeling into Chicago, Take Root Among the Stars, quoting the words of the great science fiction writer Octavia Butler, here is Roots Magic’s third installment for Clean Feed and about as appropriate a title I have ever encountered. The quartet adds special guests, historical wind player Eugenio Colombo and vibes maestro Francesco Lo Cascio, for the album as they plumb depths and scale heights. The new repertoire includes reworked tunes by Skip James, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Charles Tyler, and Ornette Coleman plus new works on some of the band’s favorite composers, Charley Patton, Phil Cohran, John Carter, and Sun Ra.

Take Root Amon the Stars has a big sound, as in BIG, forceful with a rumbling crashing groove. “Still Screaming for Charles Tyler” is a standout for me, relentless but soulful with the group making a glorious, fervent, pulsing noise.

Highlights include but are not limited to: “Frankiphone Blues” by Phil Cohran leads off with an especially tasty Afro-Vibe seasoned well by Lo Casio’s vibes. “Mean Black Cat Blues” filters Charley Patton through roughhewn soul of contemporary Chicago musicians like Ken Vandermark with a healthy dose of Ellingtonian “Jungle” to create something original and satisfying. “A Girl Named Rainbow” saunters and parades in true style never afraid to wander off the path because that is what makes returning to the groove even more alluring.

Roots Magic blur the lines between originators and progenitors filling your head with timbres of energy and soul not just finding connections but expanding on them as well. It is a worthy addition to the Clean Feed catalogue.

Innanen, Pasborg & Piromalli - This Is It (Clean Feed, 2021) ****

By Paul Acquaro 

Oh this is sweet. It's got guilty pleasure written all over it. But actually, why be guilty? What's wrong with a drum, sax, and Hammond organ trio unafraid to lean into the head-bopping groove? The trio is Mikko Innanen on alto, baritone and sopranino saxophones, Cedric Piromalli on Hammond organ, and Stefan Pasborg drums, all musicians who together have a web of collaborations ranging from Han Bennik to Wadada Leo Smith to John Tchicai (and many more) and on This is It, they reflect the tangled web of the jazz influences, from traditional to modern, to gospel inflected, to avant-garde and back again. The opener, 'Mocking Bird' could be a standard played by Lou Donaldson and Dr. Lonnie Smith, but then something else happens - Pasborg introduces a groove and Piromalli dig in with a thick chord driven solo, leading back to the tunes head, but now played with a driving feel, launching Innanen into a rock-tinged solo. Even the drummer gets some in the seven minute opener, as Pasborg scatters the pulse up without losing momentum. The title track begins with a yearning cry from the sax, over the rumble of the drums and soulful chords of the Hammond. What happens next is a guided tour of what the Hammond organ can do led by an excited Innanen, and a calm, consistent Pasborg - we hear the colorful, somewhat edgy tones of the single note runs, church-like open valve exclamations and throaty hallelujahs. 'Manic Zigamen' is a timeless anthem, it could easily be from an early 70s prog-rock group as it is from right now. The organ playing is dense, propulsive, and the sax cuts through with precision. There is more on This is It to luxuriate in as you contemplate - Is it an anomaly among Clean Feed's output, or sign of a big-tent approach to what is current jazz? Actually, who cares, this stuff just makes you feel damn good.

The Killing Popes - Ego Kills (Shhpuma, 2021) ****

By Paul Acquaro 

Berlin based drummer Oliver Steidel has an extensive list of collaborations as well as his own groups like Soko Steidel and Oliwood, which can be generally be considered in the jazz vein. However, with The Killing Popes, Steidel drops the Ego and lets the Id go wild. Their first recording consisted of the Steidle on drums, Frank Möbus on guitar, Phil Donkin on bass, and Dan Nicholls and Kit Downes on keyboards. This time, maybe because of Corona, maybe because it's just what happened, The Killing Popes is the duo of Steidel and Nicholls, but the credits also name Jelena Kuljic on voice and sampler, Phillip Gropper on saxophones, Frank Möbus on guitar, Phil Donkin on bass, Nathalie Sandtorv with voice on one track, and Liv Nicholls with backing vocals. Is it a consolidation of the band or expansion? Seems like maybe both, but what has not changed is the uninhibited cut and paste of styles, sounds, and substance the made up 2019's Ego Pills. 

The short opener, 'Disclaimer,' hovers like a UFO over the Devil's Tower for a quick moment, leading to the exemplary 'Bling Bling Frog$', which features slippery, exacting drum work along with fizzles of electronics and composed horn passages. 'Butcher' begins with a rather threatening sample, followed by pointy sax line and prickly guitar work. 'My Life is Not Your Game' is dominated by Kuljic's provocative half-spoken word/half-sung lyrics about abusive power in relationships, underscored with sound-track like music atmospherics. The track 'Hi Five' is an interesting example of the Killing Popes getting into some avant-garde territory through a trance-like beats and synths. There is a lot more to discover in the impulsive seeming work on Ego Kills - the biggest might be that there is actually a lot of structure below the surface.

Read More

Mario Pavone's Dialect Trio - Philosophy (Clean Feed Records, 2019) ****

By Olle Lawson

“A lesson about how to live in society.” (Liner Notes.)

Double bassist Mario Pavone’s latest album Philosophy could equally have been entitled ‘Aphorisms’ considering how concise these eight mini manifestos are. Pavone is a selfless leader who none the less stamps his authorial mark on all of his multifaceted line-ups. This is the third Dialect Trio LP with pianist Matt Mitchell – best known for his work with Tim Berne – and the inimitable Tyshawn Sorey.

The opening track 8/18/18. – named for the day the record was cut – is Philosophy’s calling card tune: a classic, sprightly Pavone head that sets up a path for Mitchell to bring the piano to the fore. I was surprised to hear such straight-ahead clarity here but two minutes in the trio winds together finding its collective centrifugal force, suddenly locking in to an utterly contemporary intricacy. Mitchell even ascends to that Bill Evans ‘singing’ upper register before Mario signs his statement with a paced, probing mid-range solo.

The title-track whirls open with an Ellingtoned locomotive piano, bringing a distinct New York vibe as Sorey’s drumming spits and rolls, moving into hypnotically breaking down the beat, before ushering the whistle-call motif back in.

'Circles' by Annette Peacock was most memorably showcased on Paul Bley’s ultra-modern ’67 ECM release Ballads (with whom Pavone played ’68 -’72). This version maintains the beauty and melancholy minimalism inherent in the writing, whilst equalling the original’s crystalline, intervallic spaciousness; though with an additional warmth from Sorey’s detailed brush work.

A second Peacock tune – 'The Beginning' – is boiled down here to a hundred-and-three second rampage predicated on Sorey’s tumbling vortex of drums with Mitchell firing notes in all directions; the bass running and punching beneath.

'Everything There Is' – the center piece of the album – is an evolving triangular improvisation from all three members of the Dialect Trio. A never-resting interplay revolving around an oblique central tension. Mitchell’s upward swirls mapped out with sparse bass prods and underpinned with interwoven maelstromic drumming that both swaggers and provokes. This is Sorey at his finest – and for me the strongest piece on the album.

With its classic bass walk, 'Two Thirds Radial' elicits a distinct swing – Mario audibly vocalizing at the feel-point, as the band pulls from the beat.

The opening head of 'Iskmix' is archetypal Pavone: bouncing and rousing before slowing into a more complex interlocking dialogue.

At seventy-nine (it’s hard to believe from the recorded evidence here; and the ongoing work rate) Pavone retains a knotted, woody, punchy bass tone with a propulsive muscularity and relentlessly solid precision – playing with a vitality and energy of someone less than half his age. His looping, descending bass line on Noka, comprehensively deconstructed by Mitchell, brings the LP to a close.
Equal now to Pavone’s preceding Arc Trio, Philosophy presents the Dialect Trio in their most concentrated form: tightly principled dialogues, sculpted back to the essentials with structured, enquiring intensity. We should all be taking notes.

Special mention to Clean Feed, for the pitch perfect art work.

Read More

Mario Pavone - Blue Vertical (Out of Your Head, 2021) *****

By Ron Coulter

Blue Vertical is a posthumous release from bassist, Mario Pavone (1940-2021) and his Dialect Trio + 1. The +1 here is trumpeter, Dave Ballou joining the trio of Pavone, Matt Mitchell (piano), and Tyshawn Sorey (drums).

Dialect Trio has been working together since 2014 and that history is apparent in their playing, as the group has developed a distinct musical dialect that is most apparent in their concept of time (periodic/in-tempo and aperiodic/free). They have a beguiling way of eliding into and out of a unified tempo into free playing or multiple, simultaneous tempi. They do this so smoothly, so fluidly, that the development is often unnoticeable; at moments the listener is left unsure of what is in-tempo and what is free, not to mention what is in between. The album’s final track, 'Face Music,' showcases the organic nature of the group’s approach to time, with very patient free playing, polytemporal playing, and moments of in-time playing from two or three members converging to a single tempo…or perhaps that is an assessment of hindsight and it’s just four great musicians improvising together at the highest of levels.

Six of the tracks on this record use the traditional jazz form of head/solos/head as their basic structure. The opening track, 'Twardzik' is a clear example of this, where the constrained playing of an angular, composed melody abruptly drops into beautifully organic improvising led by Pavone’s low, rich bass lines. The track concludes with a restatement of the melody following an open drum solo. 'Philosophy Series' utilizes the same form and features a churning bass line worthy of mention.

The second track, 'OKWA' is a fine example of this group’s ability to move almost indistinguishably from composed material to improvised material and from a single tempo into free playing and back again with ease and total continuity.

The final two tracks on the album, 'Legacy Stories' and 'Face Music' appear to be freely improvised with no composed elements. 'Legacy Stories' starts free and develops into medium-up swing with interruptions of free playing and ultimately resolves into a medium swing groove that dissolves back into free playing. 'Face Music' presents as ballad-like, becomes pointalistic and then briefly develops into one of the most rhythmically dense textures on the album.

'Blue Poles' is unique on the album with its very short composed melody (three bars of 4/4 or six seconds in length) played in unison by all four players that is stated once at the beginning of the track and never restated. This track also demonstrates Pavone’s playful and tricky use of rhythmic displacement audible within the first few seconds of in-time improvisation after the short melodic statement.

It must be noted that the sound quality of this album is superb. The audio capture, mixing, and mastering is excellent, making it a pleasure to return to for repeated listenings.

Ultimately, this is a fascinating and highly enjoyable record, finely created, from the audio production to the compositions, arrangements, and especially the improvising. It is another high quality release from Out of Your Head Records, which showcases striking artwork on each album it releases–Blue Vertical is no exception. The beauty of this record is the ensemble playing, which is creative music making of careful listening, empathy, and deft reflexivity. Listening to this record is like eavesdropping on a casual conversation between old friends where there is much more than just the words heard–there is a deep history and understanding there too.

For listeners that may be new to Pavone’s work, this is the kind of album that will compel them to search out more of his recordings, as well as more work from the Dialect Trio and Dave Ballou. This is also the kind of album that will seduce those unfamiliar with creative music to fall in love with it.

Read More

Mario Pavone – Blue Dialect (Clean Feed, 2015) ****½

By Troy Dostert

It’s great to see Clean Feed adding a veteran of Mario Pavone’s stature to its roster.  The label has done such a fine job in recent years of documenting many of the most creative and forward-thinking artists in jazz and free improvisation, and bassist Pavone certainly deserves to be in the conversation as one of them, especially when it comes to the piano-bass-drums trio format, arguably the most appropriate showcase for Pavone’s distinctive talents.  A couple years ago Pavone released Arc Trio, an exceptionally fine outing with Gerald Cleaver and Craig Taborn.
 
And with this iteration of Pavone’s trio (what he calls “Arc Trio Blue”) we have Blue Dialect, this time with the no-less-impressive Tyshawn Sorey on drums and Matt Mitchell on piano.  It’s another superb entry in Pavone’s catalog of expertly-crafted post-bop recordings.

As expected, the trio’s musicianship is first-rate.  Mitchell in particular is a revelation, with a seemingly endless array of patterns and phrases at his command; his two-handed runs are especially convincing and effective.  He’s able to articulate the serpentine logic of Pavone’s compositions while at the same time pushing them forward, putting his own stamp on them.  Sorey’s understated, sympathetic and fluid drumming is the perfect rhythmic foundation for pieces that sometimes develop unpredictably, with subtle shifts in dynamics and tempo.  And as always, Pavone is a marvel, staying in close rapport with Sorey and Mitchell even while undertaking his own high-wire explorations.

Highlights include the second cut, “Xapo,” a Monkish piece, deceptively simple, that allows plenty of room for Mitchell’s relentless investigations; “Silver Print,” featuring Sorey and Pavone in extraordinary near-telepathic conversation, both goading and responding to Mitchell; and “Trio Dialect,” a forceful, propulsive group improvisation with far more ideas than seems possible in under five minutes.   

For a compelling glimpse of the trio in action, see the following clip from a performance from last year:

Read More

Matt Mitchell - Sunday Interview

Photo by Peter Gannushkin

1. What is your greatest joy in improvised music?
   
   Perceiving the music as it flows past in time, feeling connected, whatever that may consist of in context.
   
   
2. What quality do you most admire in the musicians you perform with?
   
   I value most when musicians exhibit singular focus, resulting from intense and continued study, to achieve something new.
   
   
3. Which historical musician/composer do you admire the most?
   
   Way too many. Xenakis, Cecil Taylor, Zappa, Miles. Bach, Chopin, Scriabin. Duke Ellington. Morton Feldman. Monk. Stravinsky. Sun Ra. Also, deep admiration is probably a prerequisite when voluntarily studying someone. Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett. Andrew Hill.
   
   
4. If you could resurrect a musician to perform with, who would it be?
   
   I’d rather frame it as getting to play with them when they were still alive but I’m “still me”. Eric Dolphy, Sam Rivers, Joe Henderson, Tony Williams, Tony Oxley. Richard Davis, Gary Peacock. Derek Bailey would have been a hoot. I feel like I’d have done well in Zappa’s band. Wayne Shorter is probably an obvious choice but he was never less than goosebumps-inducing and being in the midst of that would have been something.
   
   
5. What would you still like to achieve musically in your life?
   
   Lots of things - continuing the search for new forms and sounds, maximizing what is possible for me to do in my waking hours.
   
   
6. Are you interested in popular music and - if yes - what music/artist do you particularly like?
   
   Music often doesn’t do well when money dictates the content even a tiny bit, which in one sense is the definition of pop music - music where financial viability is part of the goal. But there is tons of pop/rock/soul/ music from the 60s to the present which I love. Metal and punk probably count as a special case since they originally had their popular/populist elements but continue today in the more underground sense, which is where most exploration of new things occurs. But creatively done music in these all these veins abounds and always has. Today’s actual *pop music* is mostly dire, though.
   
   I’d say Prince is an artist who was pretty expert at being supremely popular and incredibly creative for a very long time. I love his music.
   
   
7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
   
   An achievable thing, like “self-improvement”, or science fiction level? It would be really cool have scores and recordings of the music I hear in my dreams, which is of course always music that my brain is improvising but doesn’t exist in waking life. Usually this is unbelievably involved music that is untranscribable. Of course sometimes dream music is really stupid too.
   
   
8. Which of your albums are you most proud of?
   
   I am very proud of every single one of my records as a leader or co-leader, they all have achieved exactly what I hoped they would, in the macro- and micro- sense.
   
   That said, my I am exceedingly happy with my upcoming solo piano album Illimitable.
   
   
9. Once an album of yours is released, do you still listen to it? And how often?
   
   I do, but not often. I’ll “check in” with an older album a little just to see how I still feel about this track or that.
   
   
10. Which album (from any musician) have you listened to the most in your life?
    
    Really tough to say, this goes back to when I was 12. Probably something between these albums. These are albums that I feel a sort of “total recall” with when I hear them again, and they are all still complete masterpieces.
    
    Miles - Nefertiti, In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew
    Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
    Herbie Hancock - Thrust, Maiden Voyage, The Prisoner
    Jimi Hendrix - Axis, Bold as Love
    Keith Jarrett - Facing You
    Weather Report - Black Market, Heavy Weather, I Sing the Body Electric
    Stevie Wonder - Innervisions, Songs in the Key of Life
    Yes - Relayer
    
    
11. What are you listening to at the moment?
    Sun City Girls, Gorge Trio, Angelwings Marmalade, Encenathrakh, Effluence, Vibrations Felt in the Void, Contagious Orgasm, Roland Kayn, David Lee Myers, Jim O’Rourke’s Steamroom series, Grant Evans, Chris Weisman.
    
    
12. What artist outside music inspires you?
    
    John Ashbery, A.R. Ammons, Clark Coolidge, Wallace Stevens, Pynchon, Nabokov, Beckett, Donald Barthelme, James Joyce, Joyce Carol Oates, Thomas Ligotti, Laird Barron, Michael Cisco, Brian Evenson, Matthew Bartlett. Chris Onstad/Achewood.

Articles with Matt Mitchell on the Free Jazz Blog:

• Matt Mitchell – Oblong Aplomb (Out of Your Head Records, 2023)
• Tim Berne & Matt Mitchell - One More, Please (Intakt, 2022)
• Jazz em Agosto 2022 (Part 4)
• Sara Schoenbeck – Sara Schoenbeck (Pyroclastic Records, 2021) ****
• Matt Mitchell & Kate Gentile - Snark Horse (Pi Recordings, 2021) ****½
• Anna Webber - Idiom (PI Recordings, 2021) ****½
• Mario Pavone - Blue Vertical (Out of Your Head, 2021) *****
• Ches Smith We All Break - Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic Record, 2021) ****
• Two Tim Berne Duets
• Patricia Brennan - Maquishti (Valley of Search, 2021) ***½
• Piano sax duo
• Tim Berne: The Vowels Have Always Been Sacred
• Three of the Many Tim Berne Records That We Have Recently Been Blessed With
• Gordon Grdina Makes Music That Is Important for Humanity
• Catching up with Gordon Grdina…again
• Mario Pavone's Dialect Trio - Philosophy (Clean Feed Records, 2019) ****
• Matt Mitchell - Phalanx Ambassadors (Pi Recordings, 2019) *****
• Anna Webber - Clockwise (Pi Recordings, 2019) ****½
• Tim Berne and Matt Mitchell – Angel Dusk (Screwgun, 2018) ****
• Mario Pavone Dialect Trio - Chrome (Playscape, 2017) ****½
• Dan Weiss - Starebaby (Pi Recordings, 2018) ****
• Chris Speed Trio – Platinum on Tap (Intakt, 2017) ***½
• Winter Jazzfest '18: New York City
• Matt Mitchell - A Pouting Grimace (Pi Recordings, 2017) ****½
• Tim Berne’s Snakeoil – Incidentals (ECM, 2017) ****½
• The October Revolution Part 2: Saturday and Sunday
• Mario Pavone – Vertical (Clean Feed, 2017) ****
• Kate Gentile - Mannequins (Skirl, 2017) ****
• Matt Mitchell - førage (Screwgun Records, 2017) ****½
• Anna Webber’s Simple Trio - Binary (Skirl, 2016) ****
• Anna Webber’s Percussive Mechanics - Refraction (Pirouet, 2015) ****
• Tim Berne’s Snakeoil - Anguis Oleum (s/r, 2016) ****
• Dan Weiss - Sixteen: Drummers Suite (Pi Recordings, 2016) ****
• Matt Mitchell – Vista Accumulation (Pi Recordings, 2015) ****½
• Mario Pavone – Blue Dialect (Clean Feed, 2015) ****½
• Tim Berne's Snakeoil - You've Been Watching Me (ECM, 2015) *****
• Rudresh Mahanthappa - Bird Calls (ACT, 2015) ****½
• Anna Webber - Simple (Skirl, 2014) ****½
• Video Sunday: Tim Berne & Keir Neuringer
• Tim Berne's Snakeoil - Shadow Man (ECM, 2013) *****
• Michael Attias – Spun Tree (Clean Feed, 2012) ****
• Darius Jones Quartet - Book of Mae'bul (Another Kind of Sunrise) - (AUMFidelity, 2012) ****
• Tim Berne - Snakeoil (ECM, 2012) *****

Read More

Mario Pavone – Arc Trio (Playscape, 2013) ****½

By Troy Dostert

On this terrific piano trio record, veteran bassist Mario Pavone unites with pianist Craig Taborn and drummer Gerald Cleaver for a live outing from Greenwich Village, allowing us to gain a fascinating glimpse into the levels of musical collaboration possible between three masters of their respective instruments.

The album leads off with the powerhouse “Andrew,” with an infectious groove from Pavone developed in sharp rapport with Cleaver.  Pavone has cited Andrew Hill’s Smokestack as an inspiration for the album, and it’s not hard to hear that influence on the opening cut, as Pavone and Cleaver echo the chemistry on Hill’s record between bassists Richard Davis and Eddie Khan and the propulsive drum work of Roy Haynes.  And Taborn is also in top form on this track, with some dazzling two-handed piano runs and, even more fundamentally, an irrepressible rhythmic quality to his playing which only intensifies the groove.  When he locks in with Pavone and Cleaver at the 3:15 mark, generating an array of percussive bursts, the effect is intoxicating.  The only drawback to the track is that we don’t get to hear a proper ending to it, as it fades off on the recording.

The rest of the tracks are similarly superb, albeit somewhat more cerebral and abstract.  “Eyto,” the second cut, is built around a challenging rhythmic figure that eventually settles into another well-defined groove, providing an ideal vehicle for Taborn’s explorations.  Cleaver is the real star of the show on this one, as he manages brilliantly to remain both in the groove and outside it at the same time, offering enough flexibility to allow Pavone and Taborn to range freely as they see fit while still staying in conversation.  “Not Five Kimono,” the longest track, is a slow cooker, building simmering intensity as Taborn uses insistent repeating chords in the left hand while offering a variety of subtle statements on the melody with his right.  And Pavone gets plenty of opportunities to shine throughout the record as well: witness the way in which he uses rapid-fire staccato punctuation to accompany Taborn’s lightning-quick passages on “Box in Orange,” all the while staying in sync with Cleaver’s constant pulse; or the way he shadows Taborn on the sixth track, “Alban Berg,” providing running commentary on Taborn’s ideas that is unfailingly intelligent and creative.

In addition to its many other virtues, it’s a well-recorded album too, as we’ve come to expect from the folks at Playscape.  Indeed, although it’s a live record, the crowd isn’t heavy in the mix, which almost makes it feel like a studio recording at times.  Part of this is due to the precision of the players, who are so attuned to each other’s moves that they must have seemed to be the only people in the room.  But that’s all to the good, as the results are so consistently stimulating and inventive.  All in all, this is a great reminder that the piano trio format, in the right hands, is still one of jazz’s most exciting contexts for creative improvisation.

Read More