stereophile.com n August2019
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has been egging me on, goading me to
do a project like this for a while now.
I would go, ‘Yeah, yeah.’ But I finally
acquiesced because I realized that it
might be a way to move me off my
current plateau. It’s not like playing
more ‘outside’ was new to me. Plus,
I was going through a time in my
life when it felt natural to play with
more... turbulence.”
Leap of Faith introduces to the world
a new Alexander: searching, impulsive,
sometimes strident. The band is a trio
with bassist Doug Weiss and drum-
mer Johnathan Blake. It is only the
second time Alexander has recorded
with a saxophone trio. (The first three
GSA releases all present chordless
ensembles. Katz says it’s a coinci-
dence, but the stark formats promote
edginess.) Pieces such as “Hard Blues”
and “Frenzy” and, especially, “Second
Impression” (a contrafact of John
Coltrane’s “Impressions”) sound ripped
out of Alexander. He said, “When I
listen now, there are certain moments
that I don’t even hear as me. Like an
out-of-body experience. It’s kind of
eerie.”
Leap of Faith is a wild ride, and what
it rides on is the seething, complex
energy of Blake, a remarkable talent. It
would be difficult to overstate Blake’s
influence on the passion of this album.
Alexander has said that he “just let
things fly.” Yet Leap of Faith is the most
accessible of the GSA releases to date.
Alexander was aware that chord-
less ensembles present challenges for
listeners, adding “when there is no har-
monic reference instrument, the horn
player needs to be demonstrative and
specific with the harmony.” He is an
artist who, even in extremis, gravitates
toward coherence.
Sonically, these three records are
stunning. All were recorded at live gigs
in 2018 at the Jazz Gallery, at 1160
Broadway in Manhattan. Very few jazz
recordings made in clubs or concert
halls have ever achieved the detail, clar-
ity, and balance of these three albums.
For that matter, not many studio
recordings are this accurate. More
important, their resolution is achieved
while capturing the visceral excitement
that happens only when a jazz band
burns before a live audience, creating
music in the electric moment that will
never be repeated.
When you speak at length to Katz,
you understand that he is a special
combination of aspirational idealism
and no-bullshit realism. The idealism
is reflected in his lofty ambitions for
the music that comes out of the GSA
project: “My background is photogra-
phy. A great photograph overwhelms.
Seeing it changes you. It is not just
‘nice.’ Hearing great jazz changes you. I
once heard Sonny Rollins in his prime,
just warming up. My jaw hit the floor.
The first time I heard McCoy Tyner,
he struck one chord, and it was like the
heavens opened up, like a thunderbolt
from God. I am not interested in put-
ting out some nice jazz records. I work
with artists who are ready to make
large, bold artistic statements. I expect
them to try to make a masterpiece.
That puts a lot of pressure on them.
But I work with the greatest musicians
now playing jazz. When I approach
musicians, I ask them, ‘What would be
your dream ensemble? Who are the
people who will help you make your
best artistic statement?’ That’s how we
end up with people like Chris Potter
and Mark Turner and Linda Oh in our
bands. That’s why one of our lead-
ers, Johnathan Blake, also appears as a
sideman.”
The realism is reflected in Katz’s
attitude toward the recording process.
He describes the three GSA releases
to date as compromises. “The biggest
problem with remote recording is that
most of the places where jazz is played
don’t really sound that good. The Jazz
Gallery is a very live, boomy room. But
my priority is always the performance.
History is going to remember a great
performance, regardless of the sound.
When you ask musicians where they
play best, most will say in a live situa-
tion.”
The Jazz Gallery is not a club but a
1500-square-foot fifth-floor loft. Like
GSA, it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It pro-
vides residencies, mentoring programs,
and rehearsal spaces for musicians.
Three nights a week, 50 weeks a year,
it becomes a dark, funky jazz joint.
“Musicians love the vibe, so I record
there,” Katz says. “But it is a space
where you have to be very precise with
the placement of microphones. You
have to really know your microphones.
And I explain to musicians that they
need to be very conscious of playing
in balance. You can’t have a drummer
bashing away, drowning everyone out.
I work mostly with virtuosos. They
get it.”
Katz describes his typical micro-
phone setup for a band like Palmer’s
quartet: “I put spot mikes on the
instruments: probably five on theGIANT STEP ARTS