{"id":2666,"date":"2011-05-27T00:45:36","date_gmt":"2011-05-27T07:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/?p=2666"},"modified":"2011-07-24T14:26:50","modified_gmt":"2011-07-24T21:26:50","slug":"recent-listening-carter-raney-broadbent-deardorf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/2011\/05\/recent-listening-carter-raney-broadbent-deardorf\/","title":{"rendered":"Recent Listening: Carter, Raney, Broadbent, Deardorf"},"content":{"rendered":"

James Carter<\/strong>, Caribbean Rhapsody<\/em><\/a> (Emarcy) <\/p>\n

Carter tailors his saxophone virtuosity to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Caribbean Rhapsody\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by the \"\"<\/a>American composer Roberto Sierra. Sierra studied with Gy\u00c3\u00b6rgy Ligeti, the Hungarian master of tone clusters and chromaticism, but there is no Ligeti atonality here. Sierra bases the pieces in lyricism and accessible melody. In the concerto with the Sinfonia Varsonia of Poland, and the rhapsody with a string quintet led by cellist Akua Dixon, Carter moderates the tendency toward excess that has marred some of his work. His playing on tenor and soprano saxophones is in a range between gruff expansiveness and tip-toe delicacy, always within the mood established by Sierra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scores. The last of the concerto\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s three movements, titled \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Playful—Fast (with Swing<\/i>)” evolves into a blues with hip changes. Carter declaims on tenor, incorporating a boogie woogie figure leading to an orchestral ending with the power of a supercharger. <\/p>\n

Sierra opens spots in the title piece for Carter to roam without accompaniment. He does so observing the spirit and harmonic tendencies of the composition, which may remind listeners that the composer is from Puerto Rico. Carter has a series of brilliant exchanges and mutual improvisation with a guest soloist, his violinist cousin Regina Carter, another virtuoso from Detroit. He employs to sensible effect the pops and honks that in some of his previous performances have been irritants. The two Carters achieve dance-like joy, even abandon, in tune (in every sense) with Sierra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Latin intentions. The piece is a delight.<\/p>\n

In two unaccompanied interludes, Carter on tenor alludes to the character of the concerto and on soprano to that of the rhapsody. Untethered to prescribed outlines, he nonetheless displays discipline and order that have not always been apparent when he was on his own.<\/p>\n

\nSue Raney with Alan Broadbent<\/strong>, Listen Here<\/em><\/a> (Sinatra Society of Japan) <\/p>\n

Raney is an interpreter of classic popular song whose creative gift and technical skill are matched by few singers in any category. Her empathy with Alan Broadbent was on display in their last collaboration<\/a> four years ago. In that instance, her accompaniment was an orchestra that Broadbent arranged and conducted. This\"\"<\/a> time, the orchestra is Broadbent at the piano, providing support and full partnership. After years of mutual admiration and occasional gigs, they have come forth with the duo album their admirers yearned for. It is a collection of ballads, but that by no means indicates that it lacks rhythmic interest. These two can swing at any tempo. That gift is striking in the medium bounce of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t You Glad You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re You?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It Might As Well Be Spring\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with Broadbent\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Joy Spring\u00e2\u20ac\u009d introduction. In slow tunes, Raney can break hearts and moisten eyes. She finds the pathos in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He Was Too Good To Me;\u00e2\u20ac\u009d uncloying sentiment in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My Melancholy Baby;\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the poetry of longing in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Skylark,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Bad and the Beautiful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Listen Here,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the inspired title song with words and music by Dave Frishberg. <\/p>\n

When Raney enters a note, it is never by a side door. When she bends one, it is to enhance mood or feeling. Broadbent comps and solos with chord voicings that enrich not just a song\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s harmonies but its meaning. Their version of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There Used to be a Ballpark\u00e2\u20ac\u009d could almost make you forget Sinatra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s. This collection of 14 songs is bound to become a classic, if it reaches an audience. That could be a problem for an expensive album on the label of the Sinatra Society of Japan, which has limited distribution. <\/p>\n

\nChuck Deardorf<\/strong>, Transparence<\/em><\/a> (Origin) <\/p>\n

Deardorf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s prowess is hardly unknown outside Seattle, even though he rarely leaves the Pacific Northwest. For a quarter-century or \"\"<\/a>more he has been a mainstay of the Seattle scene and a primary on-call bassist for dozens of visiting musicians including Chet Baker, Zoot Sims, George Cables, Art Farmer, Jimmy Rowles and Kenny Burrell. In Transparence<\/i>, he is out front in a collection that underlines his musicianship, versatility and leadership. The settings encompass a variety of moods and genres—mainstream bop, Brazilian impressionism, standard ballads, a flirtation with freebop, a bow toward Deardorf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rock beginnings. But it is far from a hodgepodge. Despite changing combinations of players from track to track, the strength of Deardorf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s overarching musical personality provides consistency. <\/p>\n

The wholeness is enhanced by his choice of sidemen, not only Seattle and Portland stalwarts like saxophonists Hans Teuber and Richard Cole, drummers Mark Ivester and Gary Hobbs, and pianist Jovino Santos Neto, but also visiting firemen, pianist Bill Mays and guitarist Bruce Forman. Among the highlights: Deardorf\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Collage\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with Teuber, Mays and Hobbs; duets with Mays on Alec Wilder\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Moon and Sand\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and Forman on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sweet Lorraine;\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the atmospherics Deardorf generates on electric bass in Lennon and McCartney\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dear Prudence\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and on acoustic bass guitar with Santos Neto on \u00e2\u20ac\u0153De Mansinho.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Deardorf is the melody voice in a memorable colloquy with Mays\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 piano and Teuber\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tenor sax on Rowles\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Peacocks.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This is an album of substance. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Carter, Caribbean Rhapsody (Emarcy) Carter tailors his saxophone virtuosity to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Caribbean Rhapsody\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by the American composer Roberto Sierra. Sierra studied with Gy\u00c3\u00b6rgy Ligeti, the Hungarian master of tone clusters and chromaticism, but there is no Ligeti atonality here. Sierra bases the pieces in lyricism and accessible melody. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2666","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-main","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2666\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}