MAR 28, 2009 -- W. VILLAGE: On Saturday March 14th, I witnessed the Tony Malaby Quartet in the very back of a full Cornelia St. Cafe, and on Saturday March 28th, in the same full room, I sat in the front row for Brad Shepik's "Human Activity Suite" performance. Both were great instances of live music, and very different sonic groups.
Tony Malaby's tenor sax can be seen almost every night ripping eardrums a new one with a plethora of groups, but this particular quartet had a movement to it that is rare, one of patience. It wasn't until the thirty-minute mark when the band truly let the fire loose. Until then, the musicians passed restrained energy between each other. Malaby's brief composed melodies were a starting point, a vehicle for the improvisations that ensued. Each piece had its own attitude, and as an improvisation came to a downturn, a pause that would normally cue the audience to clap and a break in the music when the band switched over music and prepared to start again, Billy Drummond would fill the gap with the smallest touch of a stick to a cymbal, just enough to fill the air and allow the band to cue up the next melody, with no break in the music, no applause, just a pure continuation. The show continued in this fashion, with deliberate conservative approach towards volume and velocity, until the half-way point when the tension was released and the entire band let loose a little bit. They pulled it back in and finished the concert in style, John Hebert's smooth and speedy navigations of the upright bass wowing the audience and locking the band together. After five or so melodies and consecutive gorgeous improvisations, the fifty-minute set of continual music came to a close.
My position in the very back of the room for Malaby's show was an ideal one, the space is small enough so that my vision wasn't hindered, and you could feel the band working on a grand, collective sound when they improvised. The absence of a piano or guitar allowed for the bass, saxophone, and Ralph Alessi's trumpet to only present what was necessary, and have the ear truly hear every note. It felt great to have the sound pass through the room and breathe as it reached me.
The front row spot, however, was also the perfect position to be bowled over by Brad Shepik's "Human Activity" group. Shepik is a true guitar wizard, and lets his fingers do all of the talking. It would have been nice to get a bit more dialogue from his end, since his Human Activity Suite is inspired by each of the seven continents and our social responsibilities towards the environment, but it wasn't really missed either. The music spoke for itself, with Shepik's compositions uniting the band up in rhythmic and melodic unison at times, performing complex motifs gathered from all over the world, and at other times his composed bass lines would push aggressively forward, manned by bassist Drew Gress and pianist Matt Mitchell's left hand, allowing Shepik and trumpeter Alessi to soar on the upper level. The dynamic of this band was a loud one, armed with fast movement, overdriven guitar, and angular trumpet assaults, and though the philosophy behind each song wasn't verbally explained, it was apparent that the pieces were each a unique part of the whole, and Shepik was an expert band leader, cueing up transitions as he improvised.
The emergence of the electric saz late in the set was great change of pace, starting a piece off with an improvisation leaning more towards an overall sound rather than melody, with each player adding sporadic textures as Shepik looped and tweaked tones from the very cool Turkish instrument.
These were two very different shows, in sound and pace, and that difference is what makes me love this music. The groups shared a passion for improvising, and even shared a trumpet player, yet the overall effects were extremely personal, and in some cases, opposite from each other. The end result was enjoyable and listenable, and those are the only standards I need. I'm left always wanting more, and will keep returning to the Cornelia St. Cafe to see what else they have to offer.
