LED by pianist David Haney, 31 top US jazz musicians took part in five sessions from 2008 to 2013 to create this powerful album invoking the memory of the epochal alto saxophonist Eric Dolphy (1928-1964).
Primitive Arkestra is an amalgam of luminous and seasoned musicians with much younger players and taking part in these sessions in New York and Seattle was the late and outstanding trumpeter Roy Campbell, also playing flute, arch-bassist Adam Lane and two trombonists of startling innovative power and experience — slide man Steve Swell and the veteran Julian Priester, a duo partner of Haney.
Dolphy's Hat, primarily ensemble pieces, has less emphasis on solo work and opener Rutless Opening has bassist Frank Clayton anchoring the rhythm with Oleg Ruvinov's tuba and the palavering instrumental of Priester's trombone, Rosalyn De Roos's airy clarinet, Dan Blunck's guttural tenor and Haney's piano make potent play in Leopard's Boulevard.
The free-flowing L.T. Ruckus has Campbell playing a chirruping flute and the 15 minutes of the title track are earthed by tuba and bass in subterranean beat unison which stops suddenly for Haney and Priester to exchange their notes and narratives.
Mark Smason's didgeridoo creates an entirely new jazz timbre beneath De Roos's clarinet before Ruvinov's tuba and Matt Sircely's mandolin create another surprising colloquy, invoking Dolphy's spirit with a profoundly fresh soundscape.
Conflagration introduces pianist David Arner's burning keys chiming out of the ensemble, grounded by Lane's delving bass. Another bassman, Frank Clayton, pulsates alongside a sextet including Juan Pablo Carletti's rustling drums, Doug Haning's flute-like contra alto clarinet and Haney's free piano sonics on the blazing Kicking the Tin Pan Alley.
Two basses, two pianos, six horns and Nora McCarthy's wordless voice build the atmospherics of Desolate Row, the graphic narrative of New York in 2013, with all players making it a grimly urban sound portrait. In the quartet Sir Drips a Lot, those drips fall from Blunck's tenor while Mark Smason's slides and Haning's contra alto clarinet have their enigmatic exchanges.
Remember Uncle Two Brains is prefaced by Sircely's mandolin and accompanied by Clayton's worrisome bass and Ruvinov's tuba before De Roos's clarinet enters and the two trombones of Smason and Priester make their forays over Nadya Kaarevis's rumbling drums.
What kind of missive was the Nina Rota Letter to Fellini? The Brooklyn musical posties begin to tell us through the effervescent saxophones of Blaise Siwula and Avram Fefer, Michael Wimberley's fierce drumming and Lane's bowed bass.
Then, unpredictably, the marvellous Campbell comes steaming out of the ensemble above Wimberley's crashing drums and Lane's pugnacious pulse for a burning trumpet chorus, one of the last he was to record in his home city of New York. As Swell's gruff notes lead out the denouement with all horns in excitation, you can only wish you were there.
The last track Freedom Thirty Five, another from Seattle, has the two trombones of Priester and Smason together again, with the acidic tones of De Roos's clarinet flying out above them and over the rhythmic propulsion which defines an album of rhythm, freedom and collectivity, where no single sound dominates and where all who play are equal.
Chris Searle 17/07/2018 https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/arkestra-doffs-hat-dolphy-magisterial-live-sessions
I was first aware of Canadian pianist Haney working with Priester on a strange Cadence disc called Caramel Topped Terrier, which took some getting used to. They played duo on the subsequent For Sale: Five Million Cash and then in 2006 on a remarkable evocation of Ota Benga of the Batwa, an African man who in the early years of the 20th century was displayed in the Bronx Zoo as proof of our evolutionary descent from the primates.
There is not quite the same darkness about the trio pieces with Neidlinger but Priester's mournful tone and subdued approach – he'd recently had a liver transplant – give the session a thoughtful and melancholic pitch. The middle piece Lightening (sic) Tooth and Thunder Foot, is wholly improvised, a fascinating blend of deep song on brass, low throbs from Neidlinger and staccato piano interventions. It's a fascinating dialogue, moderated from the keyboard, constantly shifting. The two composed pieces work the same way. Like everything of Haney's it repays careful and patient attention.
The later date was also a near disaster. This time there was no drum kit for the planned radio performance and someone had to dash off and find one. Carletti, who I believe is Argentinian, doesn't swing like a North American player. He blends marching accents, accelerating rolls, free spots and cleverly timed gaps, the perfect accompaniment to Haney's intriguing conception. The other players are well chosen. Smason is a good stand-in for Priester, Blunck wails and the low clarinet sound fills in the picture just right. The three pieces are organised round tightly coded piani parts that draw on elements of modern composition but still manage to retain something of the mood of a late-night, down-home jam. That's an extraordinary combination to pull off, but Haney has to be considered some kind of vernacular avant-gardist or high-brow populist. Pick your musical paradox. He has it covered.
Brian Morton Jazz Journal, August 2013
"The CD presents two Sessions recorded eightyears apart in the same studio – Jackstraw Studios, Seattle, USA – by twodifferentgroups,both led by pianist David Haney. The first three tracks recordatriocomprising Haney andtwo immensely influential musicians: JulianPriester and Buell Neidlinger.Onthe remaining three tracks, recorded 8 years later in 2008, Haney leads asextet of early members of the Primitive ArtEnsemble. Priester's curriculum vitae is astounding in its variety: from BoDiddley to Sonny Stitt; from Roach to Blakey; from Sun Ra to Hampton.He even worked on Coltrane's AfricaBrass. His six months withEllington meant that he worked on the New Orleans Suite playing the duet withBooty Wood on Second Line.Neidlingerwas first noticed with Cecil Taylor. Subsequently he has worked withColemanHawkins, Billie Holiday, Gunther Schuller, Jimmy Giuffre, John Cage, IgorStravinsky, Frank Zappa,and even TonyBennett. Priester dominates the first three tracks.His inventiveness is spellbinding.He stretches out and alternates between the assertive andreflective. All the time he ishimself playing in the tightly controlled way that has characterised his career. David Haney's piano accompanies more than solos when he plays on thefirst three tracks. Neidlingerseems to have been recessed in the mix meaning that his tone and timbre does notcome over as well as the other two. Strangely Frank Clayton's bass is much more assertive than Neidlingerwas on the earlier tracks. ‘Elephant of Surprises' has a good shape enablingMarc Smason to build the atmosphere together with drummerCarletti. Tentative piano from Haney opens ‘Blues Eventually'.Dan Blunck sounding a little like a latter-day Hank Mobley joins theleader and then duets with Smason who is not afraid to explore the deeper notesof the trombone. The opening rapid pace of the ‘Possession of Foxes' extends everyone'stechnique. I suppose this is two short albums.The second one gives space to youngermusicians to show what they can do. The first three tracks reassure us that Priester in his seventies isenergetic, questing and inventive. Reviewed by Jack Kenny June 2013 http://jazzviewscdreviews.weebly.com/
Jackstraw, David Haney's most recent release, combines
the fruits of two recording sessions that took
place nearly nine years apart. Although the personnel
and instrumentation of these sessions differ greatly,
the improvisations and expressive nature of each session
acts as a connecting thread. The other key similarity
between these two sessions is Haney's drama as a
composer. Haney's remarkable compositions combine
with sensitive and animated musicians to create a passionate
experience.
The musical personalities of the members of the
Priester-Neidlinger-Haney trio serve to make the first
session an automatic attention-grabber. Priester,
known for his work with Philly Joe Jones, Sun Ra, Max
Roach, etc., performs with characteristic beauty. His
rich, warm tone is inviting and his presentation moves
seamlessly between playful and solemn melodies
Neidlinger, a musical veteran on many planes, offers
a rhythmic complexity and maturity not ften heard
on his earlier recordings. A final footnote of interest
from this session is Haney's prepared piano sounds on
"Lightening Tooth and Thunder Foot."
The second half of this release takes the listener
on another tempestuous yet regularly rewarding
improvisational excursion. This half displays the
efforts of an exploratory sextet. Although the trio
recordings have a little more musical depth than the
sextet recordings, the sextet is more adventurous in
their efforts to discover the expansive possibilities of
their instrumentation. The odd timbres of Smason's
shofar and Hanning's contra alto clarinet give the
performances an added layer of aural intrigue.
Dustin Mallory Cadence, April 2013
DAVID HANEY With JULIAN PRIESTER/BUELL NEIDLINGER et al - Day For
Night At Jackstraw (Slam 541; UK) Featuring the trio of David Haney
on piano and most compositions, Julian Priester on trombone & Buell
Neidlinger on bass plus a sextet with Haney, Marc Smason on trombone,
Dan Blunck on tenor sax & flute, Doug Haning on contra alto clarinet,
Frank Clayton on bass and Juan Pablo Carletti on drums. David Haney
is a Seattle-based pianist with ten discs on the CIMP and Cadence
labels. Legendary trombonist Julian Priester has worked with Mr.
Haney on several previous discs. The trio here works extremely well
together, well-balanced, thoughtful and creative in often subtle
ways. There is a certain gracefulness here, a soft, lovely overall
charm that draws you in. Mr. Priester has a superb sound on his
trombone and is featured with a fine solo at the beginning of
"Lightening Tooth and Thunder Foot", which followed by another
spirited solo by Mr. Neidlinger on contrabass and some spooky
inside-the-piano playing by Mr. Haney. Even when playing quietly,
this trio creates a most sympathetic, hypnotic vibe. The last third
of this disc is the sextet which was led by Mr. Haney. This date was
recorded at the same studio eight years later in 2008. The overall
vibe similar, restrained, free and well woven. I know little about
most of the musicians here except for bassist Frank Clayton from an
obscure date by Marc Levin from 1973 and Argentinian drummer J.P.
Carletti, who is now located in Jersey City and has played at DMG. I
dig this part of the disc since it shows how a six-piece ensemble can
play free and focused without ever screaming or going too far out. -
Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
David Haney ha diviso la sua carriera artistica tra l'attività di compositore per organici e situazioni di varia natura (musiche liturgiche, per balletti o per film) e quella di pianista in formazioni di ricerca, spesso con esponenti del free storico come Roswell Rudd, Andrew Cyrille e John Tchicai. Questo disco raccoglie due session effettuate in tempi diversi e con differenti organici, accomunati dallo stesso studio d'incisione di Seattle, che è poi quello citato nel titolo. I primi tre brani sono i meno recenti (2000) e vedono Haney assieme a due giganti con cui ha collaborato in passato: il trombonista Julian Priester e il contrabbassista Buell Neidlinger, che a dispetto dell'età (78 anni il primo, 77 il secondo) restano due strepitosi artisti ancora pienamente creativi. Il trio si caratterizza per un'esplorazione tanto libera quanto intensa, che potremmo definire cameristica per la ricercatezza delle situazioni in gioco e il pieno controllo della forma. Le successive tracce vedono il pianista a capo di un sestetto registrato nel 2008 - con musicisti meno noti ma d'alto livello - con cui propone una ricerca sempre formalmente rigorosa ma più variopinta, in cui c'è spazio per momenti estroversi, che ricordano le passate stagioni del free. Un lavoro pregevole. Angelo Leonardi http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=8981
TRANSLATION David Haney has divided his career between the activity as a composer for organic and situations of various kinds (liturgical music for ballets or film) and that of pianist in training research, often with members of the free town as Roswell Rudd, Andrew Cyrille and John Tchicai. This disc collects two sessions taken at different times and with different organic, united by the same recording studio in Seattle, which is the one mentioned in the title.The first three tracks are the oldest (2000) and see Haney along with two giants with whom he collaborated in the past: the trombonist Julian Priester and bassist Buell Neidlinger, who despite his age (78 years, the first, 77 the second ) still have two sensational artists yet fully creative. The trio is characterized by intense exploration as free as we could define chamber for the refinement of the situations in the game, and full control of the shape.The subsequent traces see the pianist leads a sextet in 2008 - but lesser-known musicians with high-level - which proposes a research always formally rigorous but more colorful, in which there is room for moments extroverted, reminiscent of the free of the past seasons. A fine work.
In un periodo dell'anno tradizionalmente piuttosto avaro di novità discografiche, l'ascolto più significativo—e per più versi sorprendente—è quello dell'ultimo album del pianista californiano David Haney, Day for Night at Jackstraw (Slam), inciso parte in trio nel 2000 e parte in sestetto nel 2008. Il trio, fulminante, vede Haney affiancato da una coppia di gloriosi figuri quali Julian Priester al trombone e Buell Neidlinger al contrabbasso, mentre il sestetto aggiunge due ance e batteria (ma trombone e basso passano in altre mani). L'intero lavoro, assolutamente unitario a dispetto della forbice cronologica e di organico fra le due sedute (entrambe realizzate nello studio del titolo, in quel di Seattle), è attraversato da un sano gusto sperimentale, sia sulle sonorità che sugli incastri e le dinamiche. Ci sono segmenti più aerei e altri più nervosi, quasi incandescenti, peraltro sempre governati da un aplomb e una lucidità assolutamente invidiabili. Veramente un signor disco. Oltre tutto quasi a tradimento, come detto, visto che almeno a chi scrive il nome di Haney era tutt'altro che familiare. Alberto Bazzurro http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=8761
TRANSLATION In a time of year traditionally rather stingy with new releases, listening more significant-and in many ways surprising-is the last album of pianist David Haney California, Day for Night at Jackstraw (Slam), recorded in the trio in 2000 and part of a sextet in 2008. The trio, fulminating, see Haney flanked by a pair of glorious appearing as Julian Priester on trombone and Buell Neidlinger on bass, while the sextet adds two reeds and drums (but trombone and bass pass into other hands). The entire work, absolutely unified in spite of the chronological gap and coherence between two sessions (both made in the study of the title, in that of Seattle), is crossed by a healthy taste test, both on the sound that anchors and dynamic . There are segments planes and other more nervous, almost incandescent, which are always governed by an absolutely enviable aplomb and clarity. Truly a gentleman disk. On top of that almost by surprise, as I said, since at least the writer's name Haney was anything but familiar.
Dopo anni nel cassetto esce su Slam Productions un'incisione del pianistaDavidHaneyfatta a Seattle nell'Agosto del 2000 insieme adue veterani della musica improvvisata: il contrabbassistaBullNeidlingered il trombonista Julian Priester.È stata una session un pò speciale per una serie di fattori imprevisti.Il trombonista che arriva tardi, poi durante la session deve spostare lamacchina creando un piccolo incidente ed infine la decisione di chiuderei microfoni. Eppure, nonostante tutto, sono spuntati tre brani,trentacinque minuti più o meno, molto stimolanti e con degli assoli deltrombonista dalla bellezza coinvolgente. Poche le note del piano, ilcontrabbasso a fare da ancora e Julian Priester ispirato a dare allamusica un qualcosa di sognante e trascendente, un´ispirazione fermatadalle normali incombenze della vita quotidiana.Ha fatto bene la Slam a pubblicare questa session che potrebbe sembrareun´incompiuta, che conserva comunque un suo fascino.Otto anni dopo allo stesso studio ancora una session dello stessopianista, altri venti minuti divisi in tre brani di un sestetto. IlbatteristaJuan pabloCarletti,FrankClaytonal contrabbasso,Marc Smasonaltrombone, Dan Blunck al sax tenore ed al flauto eDoug Haningal clarinetto contralto. Anche quimusica improvvisata con al centro il pianista come protagonista,atmosfere suggestive, lente che inBlues Eventuallysi infiammanocreando una specie di free-blues in cui ognuno dei partecipanti dà ilproprio contributo. Vittorio Lo Conte http://www.musiczoom.it/?p=11371
After years in the drawer out of SLAM Productions engraving of pianistDavidHaneymade in Seattle in August 2000 along with two veterans of improvised music: the bassistBullNeidlingerand trombonist Julian Priester.It was a session a little bit special for a number of unexpected factors.Trombonist who arrive late, then during the session Buell having to move his car, creating a small accident and finally the decision to close the microphones. Yet, despite everything, have sprung up three pieces, thirty minutes or less, very stimulating and trombone solos by the beauty engaging.A few notes of piano, double bass to do it again and Julian Priester inspired to give the music something dreamy and transcendent inspiration stop the routine tasks of daily life.He has done well to publish the SLAM this session might seem an unfinished, which still maintains its charm.Eight years later, the same study yet of the same session pianist, another twenty minutes divided into three pieces by a sextet.The drummerJuan PabloCarletti,FrankClaytonon bass,Marc Smasonon trombone, Dan Blunck on tenor sax and flute andDoug Haningthe alto clarinet.Here, too, improvised music with the pianist at the center as the protagonist, atmospheres, lens inBlues Eventuallythey ignite, creating a sort of free-blues in which each participant makes a contribution.