http://cleanfeed-records.com/product/western-edges/
“Western Edges” follows a principle: «Music is mystery. To be left unsolved, yet fully absorbed.» Inspired by nature, double bassist and composer John Lindberg and his two companions in the Raptor Trio, Pablo Calogero and Joe LaBarbera, manage to bend the sounds at their will, being the extraordinary musicians they are, but keeping the music mysterious from start to finish, letting it emanate entirely «from the heart» and making the point to play it in a «visceral manner», while «engendering flights into the ether and that which is beyond all understanding», as Lindberg himself writes in the liner notes of the CD. You don’t usually associate a strong emotional drive to the West Coast sound adopted in this recording, but John Lindberg never does what is expected of any format he happens to choose. That’s why he’s such a singular musician on the scene – he keeps surprising us, opening new doors, «riding the thermals, unimpeded, free and majestic». A must have, must listen opus, once again.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2016/10/28/bassist-john-lindberg-dr...-new-trio-albums
Lindberg remains best known for his invaluable work alongside Anthony Braxton during the 70s and 80s and as a founding member of the String Trio of New York, a combo that forged a special brand of chamber jazz, but these new efforts reinforce an easy versatility in his abilities.
Western Edges (Clean Feed), billed to Lindberg’s Raptor Trio, was actually recorded back in 2012 with two players he has a four-decade history with: drummer Joe LaBarbera and baritone saxophonist Pablo Calogero. I’d never heard of the reedist until I got this album, but he spent time in New York’s lower east side during the 70s and 80s—in fact, he has a track on the sound track of the seminal film Downtown 81, a quintessential document of that era starring Jean-Michel Basquiat. In his liner notes Lindberg writes that both collaborators here were active participants in the loft jazz scene in the 70s, but the music on Western Edges—composed by the the bassist and Calogero—conveys a timeless feel even if some of its pieces are 40 years old, such as Lindberg’s “T’wixt D and E” (previously called “T’wixt C and D”), which you can hear below. The performance is representative of the album’s rangy feel, where swinging grooves afford the saxophonist deeply probing, full-bodied solos and the leader authoritative asides such as the furious thrumming he delivers during the opening minutes of “Raptors.”
http://downbeat.com/digitaledition/2017/DB1702/single_page_view/81.html
Two different trios, two disparate approaches. For many musicians, the simultaneous delivery of such dissimilar recordings would be a watershed moment, but for bassist John Lindberg, these are just two more entries in an already crowded discography. On top of 40-plus recordings under his own name, Lindberg appears on dozens of albums—by Anthony Braxton, Wadada Leo Smith, the Human Arts Ensemble, the New York String Trio—that run the gamut of contemporary improvised music.
Lindberg’s Raptor Trio uses a more conventional lineup, with Lindberg flanked by baritone saxophonist Pablo Calogero and drummer Joe LaBarbera, and the music, too, follows more of the traditional tropes. “Ashoka,” a lumbering, slow-swinging tune by Calogero, immediately sets the album in post-Coltrane territory, but it isn’t the saxophone work that makes the connection; rather, the similarity has more to do with the rhythm section. In the tradition of Jimmy Garrison, Lindberg’s bass offers a contrapuntal line, with skittering figures in thumb position over a booming E pedal, while LaBarbera’s drums deliver roiling polyrhythms.
Lindberg describes the Raptor Trio as embodying a “West Coast aesthetic,” and there is an underlying “cool” to the sound here. Still, there’s plenty potential for combustion in the chemistry between these three, and tracks like “Raptors” positively quiver with edgy rhythmic interplay.
—J.D. Considine
http://www.freejazzblog.org/2017/02/john-lindbergs-trios.html
***½
With Pablo Calogero on baritone saxophone and Joe LaBarbera on drums, Western Edges gives us a chance to see what Lindberg’s compositions look like with slightly different instrumentation. As expected, the result doesn’t disappoint: though it’s still a trio, LaBarbera’s percussion adds a vibrancy that helps transform the overall “feel” of Lindberg’s incredible arrangements. Even on slower numbers, like “Ethereal Extensions,” LaBarbera’s drumwork is vital, lending the piece a kind of anxious energy that is constantly bubbling beneath the surface. That’s not to say that LaBerbera is the V.I.P. of the trio, however - on the aforementioned track, Lindberg’s bass is as restless and exploratory as ever, always seeking out new melodic and rhythmic possibilities within the confines of the composition. “T’wixt D and E” is a heady, fast-paced piece where Calogero truly gets the chance to shine; on this track, his deep, full-bodied tones veer off in numerous directions, from rich clusters of melody to moments of caustic over-blowing. “Raptors” is a showcase for Lindberg’s mastery of technique, with basswork that is overwhelming in its physicality, as if Lindberg were trying to beat the instrument into submission. Western Edges might not be as delicately atmospheric as Born in an Urban Ruin, but it makes up for that with more fervent playing, and with compositions that seem to be more imaginative and complex.
