Live at Smalls

Still in the midst of the “all things old are new again” scrutiny phase of my record collection, I found a compilation disc on the Impulse imprint called “Jazz Underground – Live at Smalls”. I remember when I picked this disc up. I was at a used CD shop searching for new jazz music other than standards or interpretations of standards. Actually, Downbeat.com prompted me to seek this out record. I knew I had it, but hadn’t listened to it in quite awhile.
Smalls is a jazz club in downtown New York. Downbeat.com defines it like this, “Smalls has made its reputation as a spot with a more mainstream jazz orientation. Opening in 1994, Smalls became the Mecca for combos and big bands with a revolving cast of players, as well as a place for all-night jamming-the sort of jazz training ground largely missing from the scene since the '50s. It also has become a hangout for record producers seeking new artists, as well as a place for live recordings.”

My imagination runs wild with what I think Smalls performers and patronage would look like or what a night would be. I imagine young cats in bohemian type garb, carrying instruments and sheet music and playing with nerd like intensity. The front part of the audience being intense patrons of the music and the back, intense patrons of the scene – you know the yuppie set. And by midnite, the music would weed out the pretenders.
Jazz is intensely complicated music. I won’t ever pretend to have the “breadth of knowledge”, jazz education in school notwithstanding, to be a serious scholar of the music. I know what I like, what I don’t like, what’s easily understood and what would be considered highly complicated. But not knowing doesn’t stop me from wanting to know. And knowing what Smalls has become to the serious scholars and virtuosos, it, of course, piqued my interest.
If I listen to a CD when I’m home, I generally read the liner notes as I am listening. I can tell which is better, the notes or the music, by how much I retain from the reading. While I can walk and chew gum at the same time, retaining notes and listening to awesome jazz is more a challenge. The liner notes for this recording were a little difficult to read – meaning I think the music is phenomenal.
I have a huge interest in experimental jazz or experimental music in general. However it is always difficult for me to listen to and understand most of the music from the Free Jazz period artists such as Ornette Coleman. Okay, so if you’ve read other parts of my blog, you notice that I mention saxophone players first and mostly…well I’m partial. I think I don’t have enough imagination to hear the music without the accompanying pianist or guitarist. I have, at times, found much joy from listening to Branford Marsalis in Trio form with a bass and a drummer. His improvisations sans piano or guitar tend to be more palatable for me…and much easier to follow. I mention this because I thought this record would follow some of the same experimental lines. It does not. It falls quite short.
The first track on this document is a slow ballad titled “Kentucky Girl” by the Omer Avital Group. It features Avital on bass, an alto saxophone, 3 tenor saxophones and drums. If this group’s line-up can’t be seen as a definition of experimental, want else can?
The song title gives you an inkling of what this song may sound like. I immediately thought of Ray Charles’ Country & Western meets the big sax sounds traditionally associated with the Texas Tenors. Avital opens the track strumming his bass and if it were a banjo, and continues with a “banjo as bass” feel through out the tune. It is an interesting mix of Jazz and Country & Western music. I don’t know how much more this should be explored, but I did enjoy it.
The next tune by the Charles Owens Quartet is a standard swing piece that tends to be interesting only in places.
One of the most intriguing parts of this recording is the throwback to the Big Band era and these young cats that have the bravado to “take it there”. “Hexophony” is a tune penned by Jason Lindner and his Big Band made up of the usual suspects of the Smalls Family. This tune sounds like it came straight from the movie, ”The Mambo Kings” and landed right onto the set of the “I Love Lucy” TV show. Lindner also checks in with another big band piece, “Phat”, which, sonically, has the right title.
Loving this record would be saying too much for me. I found it to be at least interesting but nothing extraordinary. I assumed that it would be a record that would take chances and swing harder. After the first tune, it just kinda falls flat. It has heart but no beat. Being that I have never been to Smalls, I can’t speak to the type of musicianship or innovation that goes on there, but hearing this record kinda sounds like being at a high school jazz band competition. I imagine that the record company or at least I hope this was the case, only allowed a safe recording in the hopes of getting some sales. Several of the musicians featured here have release their own records for Impulse and other labels. If innovation is the backbone of smalls, I hope that their records reflect that kind of commitment.