Now in his seventies, trumpeter/flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler is more active than ever, as recording after recording appears with his contributions. Throughout his career Wheeler has collaborated with a number of prominent artists, from his days with the John Dankworth Boporchestra in the early 1960s, to Anthony Braxton and jazz-rockers Mike Gibbs and Bill Bruford in the '70s, Dave Holland in the '80s, and more recently with guitarists Bill Frisell and John Abercrombie and bassist/pianist Don Thomson. In this release on Evan Parker’s label, Wheeler leads a group of seasoned musicians on a series of eight pieces recorded between September 29, 1995 and January 4, of 2003, with half of them dating from a January 6, 1996 session. Despite the 8-year span, the pieces have a coherence that comes from a number of factors. First there is Wheeler’s distinct trumpet and flugelhorn voice, which is eloquent and refined while also sizzling with electric energy. Wheeler is able to screech out some exciting high-register playing and dip into the middle and low regions of the horn without any loss of flow. While his explorations of modal harmonies and his melodic vocabulary are easily recognizable, his approach is not easily codified and imitated and remains as fresh as ever. Interest is increased by the quality of the supporting musicians: Ray Warleigh, alto sax and flute; Stan Sulzman, tenor; Tony Levin, drums; John Parricelli, guitar; and Chris Laurence, bass.
The pulsing horn solos that mirror each other in the opening “Unti” lead the listen into the disc’s journey of discovery of harmonies that are neither major nor minor, in true modal fashion, and through the effects of the changing textures — solo, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet — we get the by now very satisfying experience of hearing Wheeler explore the peaks and valleys of a tune. Rather than a logical, linear musical thinker like Miles Davis or a cubist neo-bopper, Wheeler is an abstract expressionist, throwing notes at the canvas, spreading colors from his palette in broad yet subtle strokes, sweeps, pointilisms, washes — whatever works to tell the story that needs to be told.
Songs meld into one another: they have the same vibe, feel, textures and melodic and harmonic qualities. These make for subtly shifting soundscapes with Wheeler’s trademark upper-register sketches. Dream Sequences’s solo selection “Hearken” is typical Wheeler fare: a pleasing combination of the static and the startling. Here, Wheeler the creative melodist has a conversation with Wheeler the harmonic thinker, as he provides his own accompaniment to a spry, articulate solo — a conversation with himself, providing melodic exploration with a reassuringly coherent harmonic safety net.
An equally noteworthy tune is the Strayhorn composition “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing” in which one hears an unexpected affinity between Ellington’s sophisticated sidekick and the more reserved Canadian musician. This piece provides contrast to the other pieces, all Wheeler compositions, all interestingly textured and musically meaningful.
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