On his starting fourth dimension jazz engagement every bit a leader since 1992, Czechoslovakian bassist together with composer Miroslav Vitous comes out of the gate with a host of heavyweights on i of the to a greater extent than lyrically swinging dates inwards modern jazz. Vitous' engaged, pulsing, together with deeply woody tone is featured inwards the companionship of John McLaughlin, January Garbarek, Chick Corea, together with Jack DeJohnette. While the crystalline audio of Manfred Eicher's ECM is everywhere here, every bit is the open-ended speculative jazz that the label is renowned -- together with ridiculed for -- Vitous offers some startlingly beautiful twists together with turns with his ensemble. Vitous, who has been through every music, from jazz-rock fusion every bit a founding fellow member of Weather Report to beingness a classical composer, decided to revisit the skeletal remains of his really starting fourth dimension session for the label inwards 1969. Produced yesteryear Herbie Isle of Man the disc was, from a musical standpoint, a contentious, utterly brilliant spousal human relationship of ideas both quondam together with new. Bandmembers DeJohnette together with McLaughlin were nowadays on those sides every bit well. Universal Syncopations is yesteryear turns a render to non the quondam forms, but rather to the vogue of illustrating harmonic concepts inwards a quintet setting that allows for a maximum infinite betwixt ensemble players spell turning notions of swing, counterpoint, together with rhythmic excogitation on their heads. From the wooly, expressionistic "Tramp Blues," with Vitous vamping unopen to the changes, to the wide-open legato guitar phrasing of McLauglin against the double fourth dimension inwards Vitous' bass on "Univoyage," to the simmering undulations of Garbarek's saxophones on top of Corea's intricate melodies together with right-hand runs on "Brazilan Waves," all of it propelled, non anchored, yesteryear the leader's rich tone together with accented together with punctuated yesteryear Garbarek's tight, loping saxophone lines. This is i of those recordings that feels familiar inwards tone, but is timeless inwards concept together with execution. Universal Syncopations is i of the most gorgeous sounding together with toughly played dates of the calendar year.
Bassist Miroslav Vitous, veteran of the bands of Miles Davis, Herbie Mann, Donald Byrd, Chick Corea together with numerous others had a dream decade afterward coming to the states inwards 1966 on a music scholarship. Within years, he would tape i of the seminal documents of the fusion movement, 1969's Infinite Search together with co-found i of the 2 most influential groups working with the spousal human relationship of jazz together with stone - Weather Report. The ensuing 2 decades would hold upward less spectacular but it would hold upward unfair to dismiss the Czech prodigy but for a depression profile.
Going on a solo tour inwards lodge to promote his novel grouping recording would appear a foreign choice but Vitous has never been traditional. H5N1 four-performance tour, with a halt at Joe's Pub inwards belatedly October, is genuinely thematically consistent with Vitous' approach on his novel album Universal Syncopations.
Vitous inwards conversation speaks of liberating the bass from slavery. In fact, he desires his music to hold upward an equal conversation betwixt musicians, with the persuasion of leads together with backups an outmoded concept. This is an admirable aspiration but a hard i to achieve. Vitous makes the project to a greater extent than hard for himself with his choice of musicians: saxophonist January Garbarek, pianist Chick Corea, guitarist John McLaughlin together with drummer Jack DeJohnette. Not entirely are these 4 major innovators together with weighty personas, they all select a history with the bassist. Vitous must exert his volition across the nine-track, 54-minute disc inwards lodge to maintain the proceedings equitable, fresh together with moving. Part of the solution for Vitous, done inwards piece of work from practical considerations, was to tape the musical rhythm tracks together together with and then select each participant tape his piece of work separately, preventing the musicians from falling into quondam habits or uninspired grouping soup.
H5N1 bassist that tin maintain a venue similar Joe's Pub riveted (and quiet) for ninety minutes is upward to the task. Through nine compositions, inwards formats ranging from drum-bass duets to quintet numbers augmented yesteryear a horn trio, Vitous' compelling compositions (always on par with his playing, unremarkably a hard feat for a "rhythm section" player) percolate with intensity. Garbarek inwards detail is the beneficiary of Vitous' theatre ideas of what he wanted out of the sessions, contributing playing that is rich with emotion together with verve together with surprisingly far from his unremarkably sterile Nordic facade.
"Bamboo Forest" has a smoothen tune with a quirky twist; a curt elementary tilt that rides on Vitous' resolute ostinatos. One of the lengthier pieces, "Univoyage", a total band piece, expectedly opens things up, portions including Corea's typically languorous vogue (though he thankfully maintain his florid tendencies inwards check) together with McLaughlin displaying the mellow aging procedure his playing has gone through, soundless vibrant but sure less brash. Garbarek's soaring wails contrast nicely with McLaughlin's idiosyncratic approach, each filling the other's spaces. The slippery "Tramp Blues" features Vitous every bit the chief soloist, using the elementary construction of the tune to embellish together with ornament. "Faith Run" is a fast-paced number, propelled yesteryear DeJohnette's ride cymbal, together with to a greater extent than typical McLaughlin monkey business.
"Sun Flower" begins every bit an updated Trio, with DeJohnette depping for Roy Haynes until Garbarek joins; the slice careens into out territories every bit saxophone together with pianoforte debate with each until like shooting fish in a barrel easing out again. "Miro Bop" is exactly that, pleasant post service bop that allows DeJohnette to come upward to the forefront for the entirely time. "Beethoven" is highlighted yesteryear an inventive call-and-response betwixt Vitous together with Garbarek over staccato drumwork, the bassist pushing the saxophonist with tough questions, unexpected answers together with plenty of tonal shifts. Like label together with musical instrument mate Dave Holland, Vitous never loses sight of the melodic logic of a piece, almost plenty to hold upward a groove bassist except he is far also original.
The album ends with the pair slice "Medium" (recalling similar piece of work with Billy Cobham on Vitous' 2d album Purple, released entirely inwards Japan), which has the subtlety of a lineament loving cup of tea; together with the trio seat out "Brazil Waves." The ballad closes out the album together with is remarkable for Garbarek, non i known for his reserve, laying dorsum together with giving most of the room to Vitous together with DeJohnette.
Perhaps Vitous should select run inwards the gubernatorial race inwards California; Universal Syncopations shows he is masterful at balancing persuasion together with execution, together with marshalling all the talent unopen to him to maximum effect.
Miroslav Vitous’s Universal Syncopations is an ode to many things. To the belatedly 60s, when he set downwards the seminal album Infinite Search with guitarist John McLaughlin together with drummer Jack DeJohnette, both featured on the nowadays disc. To the purity of improvisation every bit a game of thrones over which melodic integrity forever reigns. To the joys of making music inwards fine company. Indeed, the Czech bassist could hardly enquire for meliorate session mates with whom to part the infinite search that is jazz. To that end, he is farther joined yesteryear pianist Chick Corea together with saxophonist January Garbarek, the latter of whom produces some of his liveliest playing yet. For ECM fans, it should hold upward peculiarly poignant to remove heed Garbarek together with DeJohnette reunited inwards the studio, a planetary alignment non heard on the label since 1982’s Voice from the Past – PARADIGM.
Although Vitous has never been i for predictability, he is a poster pocket-sized for reliability. One grab of “Bamboo Forest,” together with it’s obvious: he is a musician’s musician, whose muscling ranges from powerful to miniscule (note, for example, his acrobatics inwards the penultimate track, “Medium”). Spurred along yesteryear a Brazilian vibe, the joyous sweep of this album opener finds Garbarek ticking off a smoothen listing of errands, adding depth to the gloss with every lick of his reed. And really, it’s the Vitous-Garbarek-DeJohnette nexus that holds the molecule together throughout, flexing with exceptional limberness inwards “Univoyage.” Here DeJohnette holds downwards the fort spell the balance flit almost with all the liberty of the public at their wingtips. McLaughlin together with Corea render spectral flashes inwards the brightness of their playing, icon the stardust to Garbarek’s eagle-eyed navigation. The swanky “Tramp Blues” finds the same trio walking a tightrope of human face toward to a greater extent than playful destinations.
Other configurations, however, work arise organically from the mix. There is the bass-drums-guitar grouping of “Faith Run,” which deposits DeJohnette’s propulsion at the centre of it all, instantly gilt yesteryear McLaughlin’s sparkling ringlets (it’s also the terminal of 3 tracks featuring low-cal brass accompaniment). Yet some other coloration introduces itself inwards “Sun Flower,” which brings Corea dorsum into the mix amongst the dynamic musical rhythm section. Pianist, drummer, together with bassist trip the low-cal fantastic together with divine yesteryear turns, Garbarek hanging depression to convey earthier hues to canvas. Corea hangs unopen to for “Miro Bop.” This swinging slice of prosody lights its fair part of fireworks from DeJohnette, spell Garbarek in i trial again proves his chops together with strategic deployment every bit a jazzman. The saxophonist joins Vitous inwards “Beethoven,” a slick lesson inwards translation with DeJohnette acting every bit interpreter. What goes unopen to comes unopen to every bit “Brazil Waves” ends the album inwards the same vein with which it began: an atmospheric ride through surging beats together with melodic treats.
Universal Syncopations is a tapestry of audio woven yesteryear steady, skilful hands. Each participant knows when to brand agency for another’s overstep of thread together with to contribute his ain color when appropriate. The overall final result is unanimous together with gifts us with a chunk of unforgettable, life-affirming jazz, its pump inwards all the correct places.
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Track listing:
All compositions yesteryear Miroslav Vitouš except every bit indicated.
1. "Bamboo Forest" - 4:37
2. "Univoyage" - 10:54
3. "Tramp Blues" - 5:19
4. "Faith Run" - 4:58
5. "Sun Flower" - 7:21
6. "Miro Bop" - 4:03
7. "Beethoven" (Jan Garbarek, Vitouš) - 7:18
8. "Medium" (Jack DeJohnette, Vitouš) - 5:09
9. "Brazil Waves" (Garbarek, Vitouš) - 4:26
Personnel:
Miroslav VitouÅ¡ — double bass
January Garbarek — soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Chick Corea — piano
John McLaughlin — guitar
Jack DeJohnette — drums
Wayne Bergeron — trumpet (tracks 2-4)
Valery Ponomarev — trumpet, flugelhorn (tracks 2-4)
Isaac Smith — trombone (tracks 2-4)
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