Liberty Ellman: Radiate

Avant Jazz / Free Improvisation / Avant-Garde
premiera polska: 30.10.2015
kontynent: Ameryka Północna
kraj: USA
opakowanie: digipackowe etui
opis:
multikulti.com, ocena: * * * * 1/2:
Amerykański gitarzysta Liberty Ellman, dzięki swojej improwizacyjnej i interpretacyjnej elastyczności oraz unikalnemu, rytmicznemu dotykowi, miał okazję współpracować z takimi muzykami jak Henry Threadgill, Wadada Leo Smith, Myra Melford, Butch Morris, Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Steve Lehman, Marty Erlich i Joe Lovano, tworząc jedne z najlepszych formacji jazzowych. Akompaniował także wokalistką jak Ledisi, Somi czy Jen Chapin.
Jako kompozytor i bandleader, Ellman wydał trzy płyty: Orthodoxy (Red Giant Records), Tactiles (Pi Recordings) i Ophiuchus Butterfly (Pi Recordings).
Krytyk jazzowy Gary Giddins opisał jego styl jako “z jednej strony bardzo kontrolowany i brawurowy, z drugiej zaś oryginalny i subtelny”. Ben Ratliff z New York Times napisał: “Ballady Ellmana są wyjątkowe, egzotyczne w swoim brzmieniu, a ich melodie niezapomniane”.
Liberty równie aktywnie pracuje w studio, przygotowując mastering nagrań takich artystów jak Steve Coleman, Henry Threadgill, Sam Rivers, Steve Lehman, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Vijay Iyer i Mike Ladd, Gregory Porter, Wadada Leo Smith, Amir Elsaffar, Ralph Alessi, Joel Harrison, Tyshawn Sorey, i wielu innych.

Jego najnowsza płyta ukazała się w barwach Pi Recordings, uznawanego za jedno z najlepszych jazzowych wydawnictw ostatniego ćwierćwiecza.
Liberty Ellman jako filar formacji Henry Threadgill & Zooid w naturalny sposób przesiąkł koncepcjami lidera - Henry'ego Threadgilla. Jednak nie jest to kopia muzyki legendarnego saksofonisty. Mamy tu raczej do czynienia z promieniowaniem oryginalnej koncepcji Threadgilla.

Zespół został rozbudowany względem dwóch poprzednich płyt, na 'Radiate' usłyszymy oprócz lidera Steve'a Lehmana na alcie, Jonathana Finlaysona na trąbce, Jose Davila na tubie, Stephana Crumpa na kontrabasie i Damiona Reida za perkusją. Poszarpane rytmiczne struktury, które są osią muzycznej koncepcji Threadgilla, napędzone zostały dynamiczną maszyną instrumentalną. Trzeba też przyznać, że zespół generuje imponującą gamę pomysłów, w znaczny sposób poszerzający nasze wyobrażenie o języku współczesnego jazzu. Nie dziwi więc fakt, że album spotkał się ze znakomitym przyjęciem w opiniotwórczych jazzowych mediach w USA i w Europie.

autor: Mariusz Zawiślak

Reviews

NEW YORK TIMES
The guitarist Liberty Ellman has a knack for streamlining gnarly complexities into clean, appealing curvature. That’s one reason he has been an ideal lieutenant to the maverick multireedist and composer Henry Threadgill, whose flagship band, Zooid, is unimaginable without Mr. Ellman’s nimble etchings on acoustic guitar.

But Mr. Ellman, 44, has his own vision as a composer-bandleader. So it’s a little curious that “Radiate,” his first album in nearly a decade, begins with a conspicuous nod to Mr. Threadgill. The album’s opening track, “Supercell,” finds Jose Davila, another member of Zooid, puffing a syncopated line on tuba before the onset of a jagged, patently Threadgillian theme.

Maybe it’s not quite accurate to call this curtain-raiser an act of misdirection, but the bulk of “Radiate” shimmies free from the burden of influence. Mr. Ellman, working from his own script, generates an impressive range of ideas for his dynamic sextet, which (along with Mr. Davila) includes the trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, the alto saxophonist Steve Lehman, the bassist Stephan Crump and the drummer Damion Reid. (The sextet will perform this music on Sept. 17 at Cornelia Street Café.)

Mr. Ellman has a tone and touch that can evoke midcentury jazz-guitar styles, though his limber solos also draw from classical music and from the dialect of his peers. He phrases his output with an implicit sense of breath; on “Furthermore,” which unfolds in a fever-dream rubato, his lines evoke the cadence of oratory.

Almost every track seems to have an animating idea, a reason for being, though they aren’t made explicit. On “Vibrograph” it might be the spectral composition techniques that Mr. Lehman has made his trademark, working with some of these same musicians. And on “Enigmatic Runner,” it’s the use of electronics, as both a textural choice and an intervening force. Mr. Ellman, who dabbles in distortion and pedal effects elsewhere on the album, pushes himself further here, producing a track that’s startling in its surface disruptions. But it pulls you forward, and it has a flow.
By NATE CHINEN

freejazz-stef.blogspot.com * * * * 1/2
This is Liberty Ellman’s first solo release since 2006’s Ophiucus Butterfly and although it has been a long time coming it has been well worth the wait. As a long-standing member of Henry Threadgill’s Zooid it is not surprising that he brings some of these elements into his own music. With a crack band consisting of Steve Lehman on alto saxophone, Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Jose Davila on tuba and trombone, Stephan Crump on bass, and Damion Reid on drums, the guitarist delivers eight originals that are as consistent in artistic endeavour as they are diverse in mood and musical content.

The first track “Supercell” with it’s funky drum pattern and syncopated tuba line instantly conjures up a Threadgill-like feel where jagged rhythmic lines are well oiled and made to groove whilst the saxophone, trumpet and guitar initiate trading short phrases before Ellman excellently opens out his playing with some slick chromatic runs that pour from his guitar. The piece ends with a strong punctuated motivic line from the band whilst Lehman and Ellman, in unison, play a rapid syncopated melody over the top that is beautifully executed. “Furthermore” then offers a great contrast with it’s less overtly rhythmic feel and its open form that allows the individual musicians to really express themselves through their playing as if trying to reach some pinnacle of ecstasy. Whilst “Rhinoceros” grunts along with it’s tuba line that conjures up images of the powerful beast at the beginning before losing some of its programmatic content as the piece develops. Not being frightened to bring in some different sounds Ellman subtly introduces some effected textures into the background as washes of colour, which is also noticeable on the last track “Enigmatic Runner” with it’s inclusion of electronic drum ‘n’ bass type patterns. Liberty Ellman expertly weaves his melodic guitar lines through and around these rhythms to create a coherent and exciting finale to the album. He mainly plays with a warm, smooth tone to his guitar but isn’t averse to overdriving the sound on particular moments and when the piece demands it.

The ensemble playing on Radiate is right on the money and the band groove, swing and motor along on tunes whilst leaving plenty of room for exploratory playing and solos. Liberty Ellman is a fantastic free-jazz guitarist, composer and band leader, who has put together a really great album that contains a focus on a particular style and sonorousness whilst sounding liberating and fresh. Fans of Threadgill’s Zooid, melodic free jazz guitar and well thought out creative music making will want to hear this and hopefully not have to wait so long for a follow-up.
By Chris Haines

allaboutjazz.com * * * *
Radiate is guitarist Liberty Ellman's fourth album under his own name since 1997 and his third for Pi Recordings, following 2006's Ophiuchus Butterfly. Ellman's output as a bandleader over the years has been secondary to his role as an in-demand sideman however, working with such luminaries as Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Myra Melford, and Jason Robinson—hence his somewhat limited discography. Most significantly, Ellman has been a charter member and sole guitarist in renowned composer Henry Threadgill's longstanding Zooid ensemble, serving as the AACM veteran's primary foil for the past decade and a half.

Not surprisingly, the polyphonic counterpoint and interlocking rhythms that form the foundation of Ellman's urbane writing parallel Threadgill's own unique aesthetic. Reinforcing this connection, fellow Zooid associate Jose Davila (tuba, trombone) anchors the low-end in Ellman's sextet, while most of the other members are graduates of the M-Base school, which employs complex compositional concepts that are comparable to Threadgill's. Trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson is a member of M-Base founder Steve Coleman's Five Elements; alto saxophonist Steve Lehman and bassist Stephan Crump are both regular collaborators of M-Base trained pianist Iyer; and drummer Damion Reid frequently works with both Lehman and Finlayson.

Although Ellman's writing bears some similarities to his longtime employer's, this session features Ellman playing electric guitar exclusively, with a forceful attack that amplifies the proceedings—in stark contrast to his acoustic work in Zooid. The bulk of the program evinces a striking rhythmic sophistication, although there are exceptions, like the sweeping New Thing romanticism of "Furthermore," which conveys an epic strain of rubato lyricism far removed from the metric convolutions of numbers like "Supercell" or "A Motive." In each case, Ellman solos with tasteful verve that eschews clichéd six string pyrotechnics, occasionally augmenting the idiosyncratic phrasing of his unorthodox melodic contours with subtle efx.

The sterling frontline navigates Ellman's labyrinthine charts with vim and vigor, matching the leader's alacrity with aplomb. Lehman's acerbic alto and Finlayson's expressive trumpet spin contrapuntal harmonies in collusion with Davila's subterranean brass, gracefully interlocking with Crump and Reid's modulating interplay. With their thorny melodies and shifting time signatures, episodic tunes like "Rhinocerisms" and "Vibrograph" cater to the band's manifold strengths, while the introspective miniature "Moment Twice" showcases restraint. Radiate closes dramatically with "Enigmatic Runner," a bold electro-acoustic hybrid that effectively demonstrates Ellman's forward-thinking approach in ways his sideman work rarely does.
by Troy Colins

somethingelsereviews.com
Since joining Henry Threadgill’s Zooid nearly fifteen years ago, guitarist Liberty Ellman has quickly established himself as a key member of Threadgill’s longest-running ensemble, assuming the role of producer and mixer on their last four releases in addition to acoustic guitarist. That gig, along with encounters with the likes of Joe Lovano, Jason Moran, Wadada Leo Smith, Somi and other living jazz luminaries across the entire spectrum, has kept the progressive-minded Ellman plenty occupied. Not to mention engineering jazz recordings for many others, besides Threadgill.

That’s left little time for him to pursue his own projects so it’s now been nine years since his last one, Ophiuchus Butterfly first appeared. All this has added more to the anticipation of the coming on August 21, 2015 of his next one, Radiate, his third one for Pi Recordings.

Given the many roads Ellman has traveled (figuratively speaking) as a sideman and mixing engineer, you’d guess he’s picked up a lot from begin immersed in creative greatness, and you’d be right: Ellman distills his influences, and creates something wholly his own from them. The influence of his erstwhile boss Threadgill looms the largest, something he acknowledges in the CD sleeve: Thanks to Henry Threadgill for being a well of inspiration.

Radiate, is at its core, holds firm to some Threadgill-ian principles of interlocking, multi-threaded harmonics, rhythms and improv, but Ellman contemporizes it, informing his muse with funk, rock, electro-acoustic….even a taste of hip-hop.

Most of those components are present on the bustling “Supercell,” and become apparent once you get past Jose Davila’s lively bass-lines blown from a trombone, the same role he assumes for Zooid. But Jonathan Finlayson, a rising star on trumpet and the genius alto saxophonist Steve Lehman offer up their own competing statements to Ellman’s fuzzy electric guitar and in spite of the jagged rhythm, this is a funky song.

“Rhinocerisms” is an elongated melody too, but the notes are stretched out further, and Ellman with Lehman find the gaps left behind from Davila, bassist Stephen Crump and drummer Damion Reid to put two trains of musical thought in opposition to each other with surprising results. “A Motive” serves up more of the Zooid-like song construction, but with Crump ably holding down the complex bottom end, Davila (on trombone) is freed up to play a more traitional role and puts in a convincing solo. Lehman’s own best moments comes during the driving “Vibrograph,” where Reid’s combustible pulse pushes him to greater heights.

“Furthermore” contrasts from the other tracks with a suspended melody, developing at its own pace. In this setting where the note placements are largely unscripted, you can really appreciate Ellman as a guitar player who follows his instincts a lot more than following in the footsteps of guitarists before him.

Ellman’s electro-side, merely suggested throughout most of the album, comes to the fore at the end. He mixed live performances to create the audio illusion of programmed music for “Enigmatic Runner,” which still loses nothing in the way of detailed, carefully-conceived handmade composition.

Liberty Ellman’s Radiate could be recommended simply on the strength of the roster full of musicians poised to dominate the jazz world, at least they will if there is any justice in this world. Another wish is that Ellman leads dates more often; he’s too talented in too many areas — composition, chops and studio skills - not to.
by S. Victor Aaron

Editor’s info:
Radiate is the long-anticipated new release from guitarist Liberty Ellman, his first since 2006's critically acclaimed Ophiuchus Butterfly. One of New York's most imaginative and unorthodox guitarist/composers, he has chiefly been known in recent years as a key member of Henry Threadgill's Zooid, a collaboration that has been ongoing for almost 15 years. Ellman has worked with a number of the most original figures in jazz, such disparate artists such as Vijay Iyer, Joe Lovano, Myra Melford, Jason Moran, Greg Osby, Wadada Leo Smith, and Butch Morris, and the standout vocalist Somi. Now, nine years after his last release, Ellman finally steps into the leader’s role again with a stunningly visceral release that puts his multifaceted artistry in full view.

Ellman spent his youth and most of his 20s in the Bay Area, a free-wheeling scene where he was able to develop his own distinctive approach to playing. There he also formed deep, lasting relationships with pianist Vijay Iyer, alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, and a close-knit circle of other like-minded players. Since returning to his native New York in 1998, he has staked out his own turf with uncompromising vigor. His first release on Pi, Tactiles (2003), which featured Osby as well as tenor saxophonist Mark Shim, was proclaimed by Gary Giddins in The Village Voice as 'original and subtle At once highly controlled and recklessly inventive.’ Its follow-up, Ophiuchus Butterfly (2006), was called complex, meticulous and challenging but also groovy, contemporary and sleek by The New York Times. In recent years Ellman has also become one of the busier mixing engineers on the scene, working on projects with Steve Coleman, Henry Threadgill, Sam Rivers, Steve Lehman, Vijay Iyer and Mike Ladd, Gregory Porter (Grammy Nominated), Wadada Leo Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, and many others.

Still, nothing has occupied more of his artistic output than his ongoing collaboration with Henry Threadgill in the band Zooid, the longest running ensemble in the alto saxophonist/flutist/composer’s long and illustrious career. Ellman has been Threadgill’s main foil in a band that is no less than an attempt to completely deconstruct standard jazz form. Working within a construct that is based on mastery of a language completely of Threadgill’s device, Ellman weaves masterful yarns in and out of Zooid’s complex, contrapuntal web. Threadgill says of Ellman: ‘I have admired Liberty's compositions from the time I first heard his trio back in 2000. From the time that I started Zooid, his artistry as a guitarist has been most evident and it has continued on an extremely high creative level. It has been my great fortune to have someone of Liberty’s stature take part in so many memorable musical moments.

The diverse collection of eight originals on Radiate display a broad versatility. The opener, ‘Supercell, is hard hitting ‘and infectious, whereas the empathetic, lush trio play of ‘Moment Twice’ betrays delicate communication and suspense. ‘Enigmatic Runner’ engages Ellman’s ongoing interest in the electro acoustic world, mixing the live performance to create the illusion of programmed material. Ellman’s own playing is conversational, melodic, and rhythmically charged. He favors warm and subtly changing tones on his instrument, and his solos tumble forth beautifully while remaining remarkably free from clichés. He uses both acoustic bass and tuba giving the music a strong bottom, which helps emphasize the groove, but also offers expanded textural possibilities. Each piece has its own personality but Ellman’s signature designs are present throughout. It’s likely that it is his long association with Mr. Threadgill that gives Ellman such an uncommon ear for polyphonic counterpoint and rhythmic convolution.

Ellman’s supremely accomplished band is made up of some of the top musicians on the New York scene, each of whom he has played with in various contexts for over a decade: Steve Lehman on alto saxophone, who was voted #1 Rising Star in the 2015 Downbeat Critics Poll, and whose own release Mise en Abime was voted the #1 album of the year in the NPR Jazz Critics Poll; Jonathan Finlayson, a long-running member of alto saxophonist Steve Coleman’s Five Elements, who was himself voted #1 Rising Star Trumpeter in the 2014 Downbeat Poll; Jose Davila on tuba and trombone, a partner of Ellman’s in Zooid; Stephan Crump, who is perhaps best known as the long-standing bassist in pianist Vijay Iyer’s Trio; and drummer Damion Reid, who plays in the bands of Steve Lehman and Jonathan Finlayson in addition to pianist Robert Glasper’s Trio. Together the band tackles the music’s interlocking melodies with aplomb.

Perhaps Steve Lehman sums it up best: ‘I can’t think of anyone else from Liberty’s generation with such an ultramodern concept of lyricism and melodic line. He has that rare ability to write a beautiful melody that somehow manages to surprise and also stay with you, without having to resort to clichés. And because Liberty has played such an integral role bringing a wide variety of musical settings to life, he knows exactly how to get the most out of his own music and his own band — challenging players to make new discoveries, while still setting them up to feel comfortable and inspired. The language he’s developed on the guitar is totally unmistakable ‘ truly one of a kind. Everything he plays is hip and shows remarkable taste and restraint. Over time, the composite of that has set him apart from the pack in an undeniable way. It is indeed great to have Ellman back.

muzycy:
Liberty Ellman: guitar
Steve Lehman: alto saxophone
Jonathan Finlayson: trumpet
Jose Davila: tuba, trombone
Stephan Crump: bass
Damion Reid: drums

utwory:
1. Supercell 5:13
2. Furthermore 5:58
3. Rhinocerisms 8:51
4. Moment Twice 1:48
5. A Motive 5:03
6. Skeletope 4:19
7. Vibrograph 6:29
8. Enigmatic Runner 4:44

wydano: 2015-08
more info: www.pirecordings.com
more info2: www.libertyellman.com