It's difficult to believe that Discus Music is turning 30. Time does proceed apace, almost as quickly as the time goes by when listening to Paul Dunmall's most recent release on the label, down partially to more of the compositions that have been peppering his albums of late. With a group of supporting musicians including saxophonists Soweto Kinchand Xhosa Cole along with a rhythm section of Corey Mwamba on vibraphone, bassist Dave Kane and drummer Hamid Drake, how can he go wrong?
It's always fun to dig into Dunmall's compositions. For the longest time, they were few and far between. Of course, there's always something compositional when he plays, and even his improvisations bristle with an ordered energy amidst the freedom, so thoroughly has he assimilated the elements of his art. However, especially in these compact forms, the proliferation of his infectious pieces is more than welcome! One of the things Dunmall has always done well is organize an ensemble. Dig the opening of "Many Sparrows" to hear how he martials a saxophone trio around the note C. Around it, not necessarily centering it, as the trio skips and skirts around it in full-on counterpoint, lurching away from it as quickly as they return. And then there are the Ornette Coleman-type Free Jazz sustains that center tones related to it. All this is before the rhythm section slowly enters, ready to explore similar material in its rhythmically overlapping fashion. Vast cycles bring Mwamba and Drake together as they negotiate with astonishing unpredictability. As with Hindustani Classical music, when the two hit together after long stretches of disparity, it's satisfying beyond verbiage, but there's more! Best is when, at 2:58, the saxophones reenter, but only to lead the music down a descending dynamic slope. The hushed middle-register interactions places all that has gone before in a completely different context.
The titular piece approaches a similar kind of collective improvisation but only after shaking its groove thing. A few more dialogic bits lead the way toward fantastic solos from saxes and vibes. All share Dunmall's gift for melodic invention, truly one of the things that has made him stand out in a crowded field for nearly 50 years.
It is difficult to tell exactly which parts of "Disbelief" are composed, but I'd guess the only completely improvised piece to be "I've Had a Lot." This is where we find all the wonderful timbral intrigue that usually populates a Dunmall offering, and it's all great fun as it builds, layer by stratified layer. As the saxophonists clack, breathe and interweave melodies against the slow percussion and bass increase, it's something of a centerpiece for yet another wonderful and diverse entry in the catalog of an artist who just doesn't seem ever to slow down. He's playing as well as ever, and his ability to put a group together makes every gesture worth repeated audition.
Comments and Feedback:
|
