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 | Ed CherryThe Spirits SpeakLabel: Justin Time | Jazz | April 24, 2001Format UPC Order # Unit Price |
Credits Ed Cherry guitar Joe Ford saxophone Laird Jackson voice (on tracks 05 and 08) Lonnie Smith organ Nasheet Waits drums Production Credits | TracksNo Title Duration Excerpts 03 Top Hat 00:07:11 05 Peace 00:07:02 06 Joe's Thing 00:05:35 07 Lennox Ave., 1 AM 00:07:14 08 Share A Life 00:08:17 Liner NotesNot only can Ed Cherry be counted on for consistently fine performances, he often has a positive influence on the musicians he plays with. Beyond being a laudable accompanist, his musicality and sensitivity are contagious. Certainly he and his sidemen are at the tops of their games here. What Ed plays makes sense, whether it's with avant-gardist Henry Threadgill or funky organ great John Patton, both of whom he's recorded with. A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Cherry has performed in the bands of Tim Hardin, Pheeroan Aklaff, Brownie McGhee, Paquito D'Rivera, and Sam Rivers and, from 1978-1992, Dizzy Gillespie, a very diverse group of artists. His musicality and familiarity with a variety of genres allows him to fit smoothly into a number of musical contexts.As a kid he was initially attracted to rock (Jimi Hendrix) and r&b (James Brown). Only later did he get involved in jazz, partly as a result of the influence of his father, a fan of the music. Ed recalls "confiscating his record collection." Early influences on Cherry included Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and Hendrix, and one can still hear reflections of the impact they made on him during his formative years on his CD. Like Green, his playing is economical and earthy but consistently melodic, like Montgomery he's a subtle and supple improviser who employs octaves, like Hendrix he has a penchant for electronic experimentation. Cherry's also a fine composer. Some of the pieces here are his. "Little Girl, Big Girl" is a very attractive sixteen bar tune, with contrasting eight bar sections. The infectious "The Spirits Speak" employs a sixteen bar unit, plus a four bar section over a suspension. "Woo!/Sharrock," the furthest out selection, is dedicated to Sonny Sharrock, who according to Ed has had a profound effect on freeing up Jazz Guitar work over the past several decades. It opens with a drum solo, followed by heavily amplified, speech-inflected guitar work, before a theme is stated. The funky, good-humored "Lenox Ave., 1 A.M." gets a straight ahead, swinging treatment, the blues "Joe's Thing" is backed by r&b rhythm section work. Horace Silver's "Peace" features Laird Jackson's singing. A former employer, Andy McKee, provided "Top Hat," in which a vamp is used effectively. Jackson wrote the pretty ballad "Share A Life," on which her vocal efforts are again spotlighted. The compositions, then, are varied, and Cherry's playing reflects this. His calm, logically unfolding solos on "Little Girl, Big Girl," "The Spirits Speak," "Top Hat" and "Lenox Ave., 1 AM" would seem to appeal not only to jazz fans of all types, but quite a few people in the general audience as well. On "Woo!/Sharrock" he plays percussively, employing ringing, metallic chords, fragmenting his lines unpredictably and half-timing. Ed's aggressive side can also be heard during "Joe's Thing," during which he does some fiery double-timing. And his ruminative playing highlights "Peace" and "Share A Life," during which he shows some classical influence. His tone on "Peace" has an especially attractive, refined quality. Like Cherry, Joe Ford's worked with all kinds of groups. He's been a member of the outfits of Lester Bowie; post boppers McCoy Tyner and Sam Jones and the Latin Fort Apache Band. His playing here ranks with his very best on record, which is appropriate in that he and Cherry are old friends. Ford's soprano sax work is highlighted here. As opposed to the slicing tones of many John Coltrane-influenced soprano saxmen, Ford has a light timbre, reminiscent of Lucky Thompson's sonority. Ford's certainly picked up ideas from Coltrane, but his relaxed, swinging playing has plenty in common as well with Lester Young-school improvisers. Listen to him on "Little Girl, Big Girl," "The Spirits Speak" and "Top Hat;" he takes his time and makes his horn sing. During "Share A Life" Ford contributes such a welt-shaped solo that it's a lovely melody in itself. He shows he can open up and cook on "Woo!/Sharrock" and "Joe's Thing." Here and throughout the album he's never at a loss for ideas. Since the mid sixties when he gained attention with George Benson, Lonnie Smith's been among the most important jazz organists. He does nothing to damage his reputation here, producing well-paced solos that often have considerable momentum. Smith contributes a sensitive ballad solo on "Peace." Unlike many B3 players, he's a versatile musician, capable of producing a variety of moods. He does a fine job as an accompanist as well, providing rich and appropriate backgrounds for Cherry, Ford and Jackson. Jackson impresses with her appearances on "Peace" and "Share A Life." On them her sweet, pleasant timbre and fine enunciation and pitch are in evidence. Her sensitive dueling with Cherry on "Share a Life" helps make that track a success. Cherry enhances the vocalist's work with his filigree-like playing. Throughout the disc drummer Nasheet Waits performs with crispness and authority. He's a fine ensemble player, always attuned to the playing of other group members. In fact, the same can be said of everyone in Cherry's group. Their interplay deserves considerable praise; each constantly looks to underline and enhance what the others are doing and spur them on. When jazz fans note that a group consists of an organist, guitarist, saxophonist and drummer, they often think in terms of standard funk bands. This outfit doesn't fall into that category though; they perform all sorts of material impressively. Just listen. Harvey Pekar has written for JazzTimes, Jazzis and DownBeat. He is the author of the American Splendor comic book series. |
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