There's a 20-plus-year span between electric guitarist
Hahn's Brotherhood recordings and this CD. In between he's gone from hippie to tweed suit while establishing the jazz guitar studies program at Wichita State University, taking residence in Portland and Denver, and doing this date in NYC with all-stars bassist
Steve LaSpina, drummer
Jeff Hirshfield, either pianists
Phil Markowitz or
Art Lande, and soprano saxophonist David Liebeman for two selections.
Hahn's influence on
Pat Metheny,
John Scofield,
John Abercrombie,
Mike Stern, and
Bill Frisell is clear. He uses a little delay, echo, and reverb, just enough to enhance his improvisations, and when he's technically concentrating, he can easily be coarsely sparse and sharply staccato, elongated from a chordal standpoint, a bit twangy, and consistently tasteful. With the emerging pianist Markowitz, the quartet is really on for the sprightly, quick bopping, close-to-standard
Hahn original "The Method," a bright white piano/guitar unison melody. It's all
Hahn upfront, Markowitz backing on the easy, basic swinging "Blues for Allyson." The lighthearted swinger "Oregon" is for the state, not the group, and the perfectly hewn "Stolen Moments" is damn near perfect. So is "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," the
Charles Mingus penned ballad/blues paeon to
Lester Young, Markowitz coming in a bit late in the head. Liebman's distinctive overblown soprano is prevalent on the quirky bopper "Hannah Bear," and more on the unpredictable title track, claiming no bar lines though beats of seven and eight are heard in LaSpina's bass, the melody between guitar and soprano a bit cartoonish.
Hahn's blues chops are clear to hear on
Eric Dolphy's "245," even deeper for the gin and tonic, pensive, lingering long chords of
Denny Zeitlin's "Quiet Now," with suggested melodies from "Prelude to a Kiss" and "Sophisticated Lady." The finale is a guitar/piano (with Lande) gentle spirit song duet "Chelsea Rose," one of many titles dedicated to
Hahn's children. If this is indeed a comeback for
Hahn, it's not likely to last, as he doesn't seems all that interested in recording regularly. That means this CD is an event, and it is a grand occasion to hear one of the true unsung heroes, along with
Mick Goodrick, Ted Green, and Rene Thomas, in this strain of modern jazz guitar expressionism. Highly recommended. ~ Michael G. Nastos