专辑简介

Parsons/Lewin/Patitucci/Monder: Flip! (Sons of Sound SSPCD014) The history of jazz is full of partnerships. Those that are successful have in common the ability to make music that is greater than the sum of its parts. We hold ourselves up to that standard. We share a harmonic and rhythmic vision that the music must be challenging but not inaccessible; creative but rooted; embracing of diversity but focused; melodic but the groove always in evidence. With this in mind, we have been collaborating as bandleaders and sidemen for years, and it is the creative, improvisational spirit captured on this recording that has kept our partnership fresh and thriving after so much time. It is present on our first two recordings, Fundementia (SSPCD201) and A Whole Nother Story (SSPCD007). Flip! is our third release as co-leaders and it features a group and material that afford us an elastic musical cushion and ample opportunity to at times initiate, and at times react to, melodic and rhythmic impulses. Much in this music was conceived with John and Ben in mind. No one will argue that John Patitucci is a legend. His sound and approach to the bass are unique, beautiful, and inspiring in any context, so it is no surprise that his presence in the Quartet elevates the music. He is a true collaborator, a pleasure to work with and to hear. Ben Monder is one of a very few acknowledged young innovators on his instrument, yet he deserves far wider recognition than he has received to date. His harmonic conception and technical execution are exceeded only by his musicianship, and that is indeed a rare trait. In the Quartet, his guitar slides effortlessly between the functions of lead voice, orchestral cushion, and rhythmic anchor. On to the music! Here are some notes on these pieces that might point you in the direction we had in mind… "Flip" was written to commemorate a particularly ungraceful end to a particularly undistinguished mountain bike trip, during which the action of the title resulted in a very battered saxophonist. The quirky theme and development are meant to suggest an over-confident, under-experienced rider and his appropriate injuries. "Alone in the Loveseat" is a tune we have been playing off and on for years. It is one of our favorite set-closers because it affords lots of room to relax and make things happen. The inspiration for this one is the sad story of a New York City dog who sat by herself night after night on a brand-new piece of furniture. Time passed and she plotted her revenge on her "owners." One such night, she tunneled through the furniture, destroying it. Her message was heard, measures were taken, and they lived happily ever… well, happily for a while. "Tookish" is inspired by the Took family in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. “As they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him… Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves….” The tune has a challenging harmonic structure, which John’s solo negotiates with playful grace. The title "Lot of Our Souls" is a play on words. Enough said. It refers to no particular thing or experience, just a moment of pessimism. The track showcases Ben at his dark, sinewy finest. "Miss Conception" is a reflective essay on childbirth. This music tries to portray feelings that seem at odds, yet are harmonious: the weighty worries of a new parent and a baby’s carefree innocence. The light, melodic "Year Out" is constructed from a few musical fragments that aged in a dark closet under generous helpings of dust for a long time. In terms of elapsed time, this tune took years to compose. Assembling those fragments was a winter afternoon well-spent. "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" is the one non-original on the record, and is a tribute to Gene’s days as a member of the Princeton University Triangle Club. Triangle is single-handedly responsible for Gene’s less-than-stellar grade point average in his undergraduate years. The challenge was to take this 1938 composition, preserve its simplicity and beauty, and give it a modern feel. To that end, the melody is played fairly straight, while the bass line snakes around it. We also opted for an odd meter and a more open-sounding two-chord vamp for the solo section. "Which Thousand Words" plays on the familiar phrase "A picture is worth…." It is an ode to the daunting world of possibility in a blank sheet of paper. It blends traditional jazz chords and some unusual key changes that keep us on our toes. "Load Cycle" owes its name to John Irving’s amazing and hilarious novel A Son of the Circus. It is a perversely humorous act in an Indian circus that involves piling several women onto a unicycle. The soprano saxophone helps give it the character of an all-too-serious clown. We close Flip! with the one tango piece in the Quartet’s repertoire. Each time we perform it, "Sintigo" takes on a different character. In the studio that day we played a single shadowy, brooding version, and we liked it. Thanks for listening.