Hilliard Greene Spirituals

Hilliard Greene
Spirituals
Unseen Rain

Bassist Hilliard Greene served as Jimmy Scott's musical director for twenty years. He has associations with Cecil Taylor, Don Pullen (as a member of Pullen's trio), Steve Swell, Barry Altschul, Dave Douglas, Charles Gayle, and others. Currently a teacher as well as player, this is at least his second album of solo bass recordings.

Despite the title, this is not a recording explicitly of spirituals. It does display Greene's technique as well as his ability to sustain solo performances. This ability is whether he is playing Arco (bowed) or pizzicato (plucked). His personality is displayed on the opening "Blues For Will" as he states the melody. It is followed by a medley of bebop themes that he fluidly segues in "Bop Trilogy." One of the more intriguing selections is "Charlie Wade," which starts with some floating playing before transitioning into "Wade in the Water."

Several tracks have Greene singing or chanting as he repeats the phrase "Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray" while he furiously repeats a bass riff. His melancholic Arco playing sets forth a somber mood before he shifts to playing pizzicato on "Freedom." After some dazzling plucking, he softly sings, "Freedom, and on my way home" against his atmospheric bowed bass. A medley of "Let My People Go" with "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" begins with his arco playing of the bass' lower register evoking a deep bass vocalist. His bowed bass similarly brings an interesting flavor to "Swing Low." In contrast, there is some spirited plucking for "Things My Favorite," a fascinating solo bass reworking of "My Favorite Things.

The album concludes with Greene's dynamic walking bass on a tribute to the pioneering string bassist "Wellman Braud." While one might wish to sample a few selections at a time rather than listen to this album in one sitting, Greene's firm, precise playing, and improvisations on this album are quite impressive. It is a most unusual and intriguing recording full of striking performances.

I received a download to review from a publicist. Here is a video of him performing "Swing Low Sweet Chariot."

Matt Lavelle and Joe Pietaro Harmolodic Monk

Matt Lavelle is a reed and brass player who has studied with Ornette Coleman while John Pietaro is a percussionist and the two have collaborated on duos for ten compositions of Thelonious Monk approached from the musical philosophy of Ornette Coleman. The resulting recording on Unseen Rain is “Harmolodic Monk,” that provides intriguing and in some cases radical deconstruction and rebuilding of some of Monk’s celebrated compositions. Lavalle is heard or cornet, flugelhorn and alto clarinet while Pietaro plays vibraphone, bodhran, congas and percussion.

The unusual nature of their approach can be heard on the opening rendition “Epistrophy” taken at a slower temp than usual with the development of the performance in art involving breaking down the composition and reconstructing it. In addition to his percussion coloring his alto clarinet, Lavelle's employs the vibraphone to offer his own musical construction. Lavelle’s alto clarinet is also featured on “Pannonica” with swoops, leaps and bluesy cries suggestive of Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet while Pietaro’s vibes  provides a shimmering musical underpinning and takes a reflective solo followed by Lavelle returning on cornet to restate the theme.

It is fascinating to hear Lavelle’s machine gun brass blasts on “Green Chimneys” matched by percussion and congas while Pietaro states the theme of “Round Midnight” before Lavelle enters at an unhurried tempo on alto clarinet. “Ruby My Dear” is a performed as a solo interpretation by Pietaro. Pietaro's vibes then open ”Let’s Cool One,” serving as an intro before the entrance of Lavelle’s cornet playing which is mostly unaccompanied. “Blue Monk,” another brass-vibes duet, does not seem as satisfactory a performance until Lavelle transitions into “Straight No Chaser.” Overdubbing may have employed to enable Lavelle play alto clarinet and brass on “Monk’s Mood.”

Monk’s compositions seem to work especially well with spare instrumentation (including the absence of piano) and the imaginative playing of Lavelle and Pietaro intrigue listeners while the familiarity of the compositions provide a foundation to engage those who listen. “Harmolodic Monk,” is a fresh, imaginative approach to one of modern music’s iconic composers of considerable merit.

I receive my review copy from a publicist. Here are the two playing "Blue Monk."