Having a String Choir perform
The Music of Paul Motian is certainly an attention-grabber if one knows anything about
Paul Motian's contributions to the jazz world.
Motian is a veteran drummer and a composer, not a member of a chamber group (although he started out on guitar early in his career before making the drums his main instrument). So what does a
Motian-related project have to do with strings? This early-2010 recording, it turns out, finds guitarist
Joel Harrison paying tribute to
Motian with the help of fellow guitarist
Liberty Ellman and a string quartet consisting of
Christian Howes and
Sam Bardfeld on violin,
Dana Leong on cello, and
Mat Maneri or Peter Ugrin on viola.
Motian doesn't actually play on the album; in fact, there are no drums at all (only string instruments), and that says a lot about what
Harrison was going for.
Motian, more than anyone, realizes that jazz is about interpretation rather than emulation;
Harrison obviously agrees, which is why his String Choir salutes
Motian without trying to emulate him. Except for
Thelonious Monk's "Misterioso" and acoustic bassist
Scott LaFaro's "Jade Visions" (which
Motian played when he was part of pianist
Bill Evans' trio), everything here is a
Motian composition -- and
Harrison's arrangements favor an ambitious mixture of post-bop, third stream, and mildly avant-garde jazz (emphasis on the word mildly). Euro-classical chamber music is a strong influence on "Cathedral Song," "Owl of Cranston," and other
Motian pieces, but
Harrison doesn't become so classical-obsessed that he lets improvisation fall by the wayside. No, that isn't the scenario at all. The guitarist doesn't sacrifice his jazz mentality, and there is plenty of room for
Harrison and others to stretch out and improvise on this self-produced 55-minute CD. It should also be noted that even though
The Music of Paul Motian has an inside/outside component (more inside than outside), this is far from an atonal free jazz screamfest; the performances are on the cerebral side, but they are also quite musical. This album by the Joel Harrison String Choir is a winner on many different levels, and
Harrison's ambition serves him well throughout the imaginative project. ~ Alex Henderson