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RECORD REVIEWSTHE ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO
We Are on the Edge: A 50th
Anniversary Celebration
Roscoe Mitchell, sopranino, soprano,
alto saxophones; Famoudou Don Moye, drums,
percussion; et al.
Pi 2615 (2 CDs). 2019. Roscoe Mitchell,
Famoudou Don Moye, prods.; Geoff Michael,
Gregory Howe, et al., engs. DDD. TT: 120:22
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
With only saxophonist Roscoe
Mitchell and drummer Famoudou
Don Moye remaining from the long-
standing avant-jazz quintet, this double
CD is more tribute album than Art
Ensemble recording. To replace late
trumpeter Lester Bowie, bassist Mala-
chi Favors Maghostut, and saxophon-
ist Joseph Jarman, the two survivors
recruited 16 other musicians, including
two trumpeters, three bassists, three
percussionists, and a string trio. But
there are no added saxophonists to take
Jarman’s place, and Mitchell’s sax is
seldom heard.
Both musically and sonically, the
first disc, recorded in the studio, out-
shines the second, recorded in concert.
The first studio track, Mitchell’s “Varia-
tions and Sketches from the Bamboo
Terrace,” is the most impressive, with
gorgeously pensive dissonant orchestral
sonorities that suggest contemporary
classical music. Here as elsewhere, sung
or recited vocal sections don’t measure
up to the instrumental parts.
Older compositions by Maghostut
(“Tutankhamun”) and Bowie (“Villa
Tiamo”) are respectfully covered,
but the bulk of the material is by the
erudite Mitchell and the rhythmically
oriented Moye. Squeals, squawks, long
tones, bass vamps and chiming bells
abound, knit into rich textures that
are strikingly captured on the studio
tracks. Trumpeters Hugh Ragin and
Fred Berry are prominent in the mix,
as are the string players and percus-
sionists, but flutist Nicole Mitchell is a
particular standout, personalizing the
Art Ensemble sound to the point of
transcending it.— Larry BirnbaumBONERAMA
Bonerama Plays Zeppelin
Basin Street Records BSR1602-2 (CD). 2019.
Mark Mullins, Craig Klein, and Tracey Freeman,
prods.; Mike Dorsey, eng. TT: 54:15
PERFORMANCE
SONICS
Roughly a century ago, New Orleans
set the stage for American popular
music with the first recordings of
traditional New Orleans jazz. Now
it’s back in the forefront of stylistic
innovation with a new kind of groove,
epitomized by bands like Bonerama.
Mark Mullins and Craig Klein, both
trombonists, formed the group with a
trombone front line that has included
as many as five players at different
times, while Matt Perrine’s tuba and
electric bass anchor the rhythm sec-
tion. Though Mullins’s roots are in
jazz and Klein’s in the ’80s-era Salsa
Meets Jazz jam sessions at New York’s
Village Gate, Mullins insists that Bon-
erama is a rock band; a predilection for
covering Hendrix and Black Sabbath
supports that claim, but overlaying it
all is a deep background in Meters-
style funk.
The band’s cross-pollenization of
styles fits the demands of a new pange-
neric generation of listeners. Different
Boneralbums veer off in various direc-
tions; this recasting of Led Zeppelin
classics and deep cuts supports Mullins’
vision of a new-century rock band.
Zeppelin’s songs lend themselves to
this treatment surprisingly well. The
trombone arrangements suit Jimmy
Page’s big-voiced compositions, from
straight-ahead covers like “Good
Times Bad Times,” “Hey Hey What
Can I Do,” “The Crunge,” and “Black
Dog” to the more adventurous score of
“Heartbreaker,” where the trombones
played by Mullins, Klein, and Greg
Hicks interact with Perrine’s tuba in
interesting ways. It’s exciting when
they break right into a rocking “Living
Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman),”
just like on the original Zep record-
ing.— John SwensonJAZZ