Downbeat Magazine, 02.2015
http://www.downbeat.com/digitaledition/2015/DB1502/single_page_view/73.html
Russ Johnson
Still Out To Lunch!
ENJA/YELLOWBIRD 7747
Has the trend wherein 21st century jazz musicians cover iconic albums by 20th Century jazz musicians reached its apex? Mostly Other People Do the Killing’s note-for-note takedown of Miles Davis’ 1959 album Kind Of Blue smacked of an overly intellectual approach common among some of today’s jazz musicians. We love Kind Of Blue for its ephemeral beauty, the magic surrounding the notes that weren’t played.
Then we have trumpeter Russ Johnson’s version of Eric Dolphy’s quintessential work Out To Lunch!—which included memorable performances from vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Tony Williams. Johnson, a recent Midwest transplant who spent 23 years as a member of New York City’s jazz community, has seven recordings as a leader under his belt, and much of the reward in his latest program lies in his ability to elicit searing improvisations from his compatriots.
Surely, pianist Myra Melford, saxophonist Roy Nathanson, bassist Brad Jones and drummer George Schuller have loved (and memorized) this music; their assembled wisdom results in performances that are sweetly, stoutly transparent to the generous spirit of Dolphy’s source material.
Each track on Still Out To Lunch! states Out To Lunch!’s evocative melodies, then it’s all about extrapolation. Each musician’s improvisations capture the essence of Dolphy’s opus, but in music located firmly in the here-and-now. And it’s that transparency, coupled to joyful expressiveness and Out To Lunch!’s open palette—indeed, the album’s requirement for playful improvisation—that makes Still Out To Lunch! such a treat.
Throughout the album’s eight tracks (including two never-before-recorded Dolphy pieces), Johnson’s quintet performs with a sense of élan that serves history and memory, while also making Dolphy’s timeless 1964 masterpiece fresh.
Danger of encrusting the old masters’ works in “hallowed halls” remains a threat, but Still Out To Lunch! is a roaring success. —Ken Micallef
Ordering info: allegro-music.com
