Mario Pavone, bass; Joshua Redman, tenor sax; Thomas Chapin, alto sax, flute; Steve Davis, trombone; Hotep Idris Galeta, piano; Steve Johns, drums; Marty Ehrlich, clarinet, flute. This title was part of the CounterCurrents series, with cover design by Steve Byram.
This is a marvelous sextet, crisp in the ensembles, passionate in solos, put together by bassist/composer Mario Pavone. He was one of the co-founders (along with trumpeter Leo Smith and drummer Gerry Hemingway) of the now quiescent Creative Musicians’ Improviser’s Forum (CMIF), a Connecticut cooperative that was based on the principles of Chicago’s AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). Although he didn’t begin playing bass until he was 24, in the mid-Sixties, within a few short years he was touring with pianist Paul Bley. Pavone has also had fruitful ongoing musical relationships with Leo Smith, Dewey Redman, Bobby Naughton, Pheeroan akLaff, Marty Ehrlich, and Anthony Braxton, among others.
These tunes do sparkle with unexpected accents, juxtaposed themes, and instrumental combinations, and a rhythmic immediacy that catches the ear and won’t let go. Pavone adds, “I often start with a rhythm, and I like unusual sounds, so I like to use different time signatures, and with what I guess you’d call a whole tone feeling—the way the notes fall on the bass, playing whole tones, whole steps all the way—that brings a fresh sound.”
If anything, the nature of these attractive tunes falls somewhere between the poles of Pavone’s two acknowledged compositional influences, Paul Bley and Anthony Braxton. The vibrancy of the writing inspires the musicians to vivid, incisive solos, which in turn energize the compositions. Joshua Redman makes an auspicious recording debut.
Mario Pavone: Toulon Days
| MP3/320 | $16.00 | |
| FLAC | $16.00 | |
| WAV | $16.00 | |
| CD | $25.00 |
Track Listing
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Tepito
Mario Pavone
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Old and New Dreams (for Dewey Redman)
Mario Pavone
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Monk in Soweto
Hotep Idres Galeta
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Walking Mystery Man
Mario Pavone
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Toulon
Mario Pavone
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Colin Mac
Mario Pavone
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Z Hopper
Mario Pavone
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Freedom Song
Mario Pavone
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