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Ben Perowsky Trio, self-titled (CD, 63:18); JazzKey Music, Ltd., 51002, 1999
P.O. Box 953
New York, NY 10025
Cyberhome: www.perowsky.com
Drummer Ben Perowsky is a consummate sideman (Mike Stern, Pat
Martino, Dave Douglas, Walter Becker, The Lounge Lizards . . .) and a
fixture of New York's Knitting Factory scene. His first release as a
leader is upon us, and it's a killer. Along with Scott Colley on
double bass and Chris Speed on tenor sax and clarinet, Perowsky
serves up some cutting-edge music that sits squarely within the
straightahead jazz tradition yet points the way toward jazz's future.
The album - save for one track - was recorded live at the Knitting
Factory. In addition to Perowsky's three originals and one
collectively composed tune, we have Charlie Parker's "Segment," Duke
Ellington's "In A Sentimental Mood," Oliver Messiaen's "Danse De La
Fureur, Pour Les Sept Trompettes" (the one studio cut), and Pink
Floyd's "Money." The Messiaen piece is outstanding - it begins with
what sounds like free improv with a hint of 6/8 time, then takes off
into an awesome, very complex single-note line played in unison by
bass and clarinet, with subtle drumming underneath. The trio
transforms a contemporary classical motif into the hippest jazz
you've ever heard. Their reading of "Segment" is burning, and it
makes clear that Charlie Parker's music remains forever fresh and
open to higher levels of exploration.
The Ellington and Floyd tunes are not quite as rewarding.
"Sentimental Mood" begins promisingly, with Speed's haunting,
unaccompanied intro and Perowsky's mallets floating out of tempo. But
once the tune gets going, it's a pretty straightforward rundown of a
tune that, while beautiful, is played a tad too often. The loping 7/4
bass line of "Money" lends itself well to this trio's overall vibe,
but jazz covers of rock tunes rarely transcend their novelty. And
oddly, rock tunes seem to get covered in twos - pianist Jacky
Terrasson also recorded "Money" on his new record, Tony Williams and
saxophonist Chris Potter each covered The Beatles' "Fool on the
Hill," pianist Brad Mehldau and vocalist Andy Bey each took a stab at
Nick Drake's "River Man," etc. I'm all for mixing genres, but the
rock cover trend seems like a bit of a bandwagon.
To highlight the positive, the album's opener, "El Destructo," can
only be described as badass. It's an infectious bass line in 10 with
driving drums and an angular yet spare sax melody, changing to a
jumpy B section in 5, opening up into burning solos and intense group
improvisation. The tune swings solidly in tempo yet always totters
toward the free and the "out." "Electric Sheep" starts as a slow,
ethereal bass ostinato in 6, with Speed on clarinet and Perowsky on
brushes. The tune gets really free once Perowsky switches to mallets.
Toward the end, he sets up a polyrhythmic groove to serve as a segue
into the funky "Pixy99," which features Speed getting some truly
weird sounds out of his mouthpiece. A rambunctious, retro-rock sort
of drum beat kicks off "Janitor," which settles into a fast funk romp
with excellent soloing by Speed and Colley.
There's about a minute and a half of crowd noise at the end of the
CD, complete with a bartender's authentic shout of "Last Call!" In
this and many other ways, the record documents where it's at in
today's downtown New York jazz scene. Perowsky and his cohorts are
leaders in their field. ~ David R. Adler
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