Complex and Diverse: Harris Eisenstadt’s Old Growth Forest

Gone are the days when drummers were considered musically illiterate timekeepers. Today many bandleaders who play drums also write, and in the span of two weeks, Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares has presented two of the most compelling drummer/composers in jazz. With few others, John Hollenbeck, who performed with his Claudia Quintet in Holyoke on May 27, and Harris Eisenstadt, who brought Old Growth Forest to Northampton’s Parlor Room on June 11, stand among the preeminent composers who play drums.

But Eisenstadt is a case apart. In all of his projects (Canada Day, Golden State, September Trio, Old Growth Forest) and on all his recordings as a leader (20 and counting), he is the sole composer, and a convincing one. His set in Northampton featured 10 new, unrecorded originals that showed the full range of his composing skills.

Old Growth Forest is Tony Malaby, tenor and soprano saxophone, Jeb Bishop, trombone and Jason Roebke, bass. The new book of tunes, honed during a February tour (their Jazz Shares stop was snowed out) and a June 10 hit at the Lilypad in Cambridge, were complex and richly expressive. The Jazz Shares concert was professionally recorded; perhaps we will get to hear it again someday.

Each piece in the set, such as Shade Canopy and Biomass, referenced some aspect of the forested world. The music was as varied as the ecosystem it references. Tempo shifts, and the mood along with it, often occurred within individual compositions. The range of cleanly articulated sound that emanated from Tony Malaby’s saxophones was spellbinding. His front line partner Jeb Bishop delivered a diverse set of complete ideas with the full-throated vocal quality we look for in a trombonist. Whether in lock step or at cross rhythm, Roebke and Eisenstadt were in shared mental space. The swing sections seemed deeper surrounded as they were by periods of suspended time, the ambiguity heightening the experience of certainty that comes with a groove.

During our post concert hang, which for Bishop and Roebke extended to the following day, we got to find out more. Bishop is learning the Boston jazz scene, having relocated from North Carolina a little over a year ago. Although born in the Tar Heel state, he came of musical age in Chicago and is closely identified with the creative music scene in the city. He has deep roots there.

So does Roebke, who has longstanding associations with Mike Reed, Jason Adasiewicz and Jason Stein. The bassist recounted the completely unique experience of playing free jazz in some of the biggest arenas in North America. Roebke, along with drummer Mike Pride are two-thirds of bass clarinetist Jason Stein’s Locksmith Isadore. Opening more than 60 shows for Stein’s sister, Amy Schumer, brought them to Madison Square Garden, Air Canada Centre and Joe Louis Arena, playing for thousands more than the few dozen denizens who usually turn out for avant-garde music. We talked about the AACM and the challenges of keeping organizations vibrant, and we talked about Roscoe Mitchell, who Roebke saw every day for a year and a half as his copyist.

As Jazz Shares prepares for a smooth landing of Season 5 on Saturday, June 17 with the Curtis Brothers, it is a joy to reflect on all the good music that came our way this year. Here’s to more years and more inspiring music.

A Band for the Ages: the Claudia Quintet Plays Holyoke

It’s not often that intellect, passion, and creativity on stage comes together with a receptive audience in the right surroundings. When those stars align, like they did on Saturday, May 27 when the Claudia Quintet performed at Gateway City Arts, the result is transcendent. One’s reaction to music is personal and dependent on many factors of course, but the overwhelming consensus of the 100 lucky people who found themselves at Vitek Kruta and Lori Devine’s resplendent Holyoke hot spot was extremely positive. The standing ovation and resulting encore was but one indication.

John Hollenbeck is a smart cookie, and a talented one. He has managed, with one personnel change, to keep the Claudias (Matt Moran, Chris Speed, Red Wierenga/Ted Reichman and Drew Gress) together for 20 years. That is no mean feat. He has also marshaled the resources to keep his miraculous Large Ensemble afloat (a tour and recording is in the works.) In today’s jazz world, that is very heavy lifting.

Hollenbeck is a commanding, dazzling, melodic drummer. His only unaccompanied solo of the evening began quietly and tuneful, melody emerging from the variety of ways he struck the drumheads. His time on Philly, dedicated to drum legend Philly Joe Jones, was just where you’d expect it to be. All night he provided exactly what the music needed.

He is also a gifted composer, currently teaching the stuff at McGill University, in Montreal. The concert’s set list, all Hollenbeck originals, brought us on a journey through many textures and tempos, eliciting moods of various colors. Post-concert, more than one Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares regular made comparisons to previous concerts by Chris Lightcap’s Bigmouth and Allison Miller’s BOOM TIC BOOM. Although the instrumentation and sounds are different, what they share is a strong compositional voice, which nods to the beautiful, catchy and idiosyncratic, while swinging in many styles.

Tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Chris Speed was last seen in these parts in March, performing with Mary Halvorson’s Reverse Blue. What a pleasure to hear him with the Claudia’s line-up of vibraphone, accordion, bass and drums. His brawn during the swing portion of Philly, was much welcomed. His clarinet joined with Wierenga’s accordion to produce sound beds that were, by turns, plush and provocative. By 6:15 am the next day, he was home to Los Angeles.

Vibraphonist Matt Moran seemed to be at the center of things, the glue or the focal point of the music. Once he played laconic chords along with sax and accordion, while bass and drums were swinging furiously. Other times he was driving the music forward, making like Milt Jackson. Moran, who is childhood buddies with Mystery Train Records owner Josh Burkett, gave a memorable performance last November with the Nate Wooley Quintet at the Shea Theater. His next appearance in the Valley will be at UMass’ Bowker Auditorium in November featuring his nine-piece Balkan/Soul/ Gypsy/Funk band, Slavic Soul Party! In that musical world, Moran keeps his vibes packed and plays traditional Balkan percussion.

Thank god for the accordion. It’s what distinguishes the Claudia Quintet and gives the band its resonance. Wierenga provided dense chordal foundations throughout and took it out when it was his time to improvise. When I told him I had presented accordion master Guy Klusevcek at UMass in 2013, he told me that listening to Klusevcek was what inspired him to pick up the instrument. Nice.

What a pleasure to hear Drew Gress play bass. My friend and colleague Jason Robinson, who uses Gress in his Janus Ensemble whenever he is available, talks about the peace of mind that comes with having Gress on the bandstand. His impeccable time, robust tone and creative response to what is going on about him make Gress a perennial most valuable player. My guess is that John Hollenbeck agrees.

The story of how the band got its name is wonderfully described in Steve Smith’s 2001 liner notes from the first, self-titled Claudia Quintet record. (http://johnhollenbeck.com/sound/the-claudia-quintet/) It illustrates the capricious nature of life and the music that results from it. When openness to happenstance is combined with rigor, creativity and diligence , as it is with John Hollenbeck, you get a seminal ensemble (think Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet, MJQ, Bill Evans Trio, Art Ensemble of Chicago, AIR, etc.) The Claudia Quintet is such a band. It will be talked about and listened to a long time from now.

Tomas Fujiwara & the Hook Up Bring Down the Curtain on the 28th Magic Triangle Jazz Series

It is hard to think of a better current working band than Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up, who concluded the 28th annual Magic Triangle Jazz Series on Thursday, April 27. That is a bold statement, of course, impossible to quantify or confirm. But the quality of the writing, the musicality of the performance and the ease of execution all point to an ensemble of the highest caliber.

With material composed by the drummer/bandleader and drawn from the quintet’s three releases on 482 Music, the concert had an emotional range and an unpretentious virtuosity that made the 80-minute set whiz by.

Ongoing problems with the UMass Music Department meant we only got access to Bezanson Recital Hall an hour before the performance. But because the instruments did not require amplification, and because the band: Jonathan Finlayson, trumpet, Brian Settles, tenor saxophone and flute, Mary Halvorson, guitar, Adam Hopkins, bass and Fujiwara, drums, were so relaxed and efficient, we were able to start on time.

Over the course of the evening, every musician had an unaccompanied solo turn. It gave us a chance to fully appreciate each of their command and control. Halvorson’s spotlight provided five minutes of sublimity.

She set up loops of sound to play against. She scurried across the fretboard à la Tal Farlow, she skronked like a charter member of the Screaming Headless Torsos. It was a tour de force and an apt illustration of why she is the most celebrated guitarist of her generation. Her spotlight elicited one of the largest ovations of the night.

There are a few dozen elite jazz drummers. Of those, the number who lead bands is smaller, and those who are first rate composers, smaller still. Fujiwara is one of them. We got a chance to hear Fujiwara’s precise and dynamic drumming last month when he performed with Halvorson’s Reverse Blue quartet at Smith College. On Thursday we got the opportunity to hear the full range of his art. Impressive stuff.

With the exception of the bass chair, the personnel of The Hook Up has not changed since the band formed in 2009. That is a rarity in today’s jazz world, and a testament to personal chemistry and engagement. But Adam Hopkins, who replaced Trevor Dunn, who replaced Danton Boller, sounded like a charter member. His booming, rock-solid time anchored the proceedings, allowing the others to frolic and explore the tunes like youngsters at a playground, who know a parent is near.

You probably don’t know Brian Settles. He was born and still lives in the Washington, DC area. Like Rich Halley (Portland, OR) and Tim Haldeman (Ann Arbor), Settles is a major force on tenor saxophone, doing yeoman work outside of New York and beyond the ken of the chattering class. He was a convincing soloist and a strong foil for his front line partner, Jonathan Finlayson.

Finlayson is best known as an integral member of Steve Coleman’s Five Elements ensemble, but he also leads Sicilian Defense, which has two outstanding releases on Pi Recordings. Unlike contemporaries like Taylor Ho Bynum, Nate Wooley and Peter Evans, Finlayson does not extend the trumpet vocabulary. But his tone is one of the great wonders of contemporary music, and his note choices are clear, logical and never ostentatious.

The Hook Up is a perfectly balanced, well-oiled machine that moves far beyond the parochial orthodoxy of todays’ standard jazz fare. Here’s to many more years of growth and exploration for one of our most exciting aggregations.