Damon
Short - GO FIGURE
| The
long-awaited sequel to All of the
Above - a reunion of the 'national' sextet featuring Paul
Smoker on trumpet, Paul Scea,
saxophones, bass clarinet and flute, Ryan
Shultz, bass trumpet, guitarist Jim
Yanda and bassist Larry Kohut, with the welcome
addition of Short's long-time fellow traveler Chuck Burdelik on
saxophones - again masterfully captured by engineer David Baker. |
Released September
2002 on the 9Winds label (NineWinds NWCD0231).
"
(****) With influences that encompass gamelan, Harry Partch and
swing, Short's compositions are understandably varied. Throughout Go
Figure, the players in his septet constantly defy the supposed
limitations of various genres - swinging when you expect them to lurch, and
taking sudden turns outside the prescribed forms... their empathy for his
music is evident at every turn in this engaging program." -- James
Hale, down beat, September 2003
"
(8 stars) With his ride cymbal in constant motion and a percolating
snare prodding things along, Short demonstrates not only a deep sense of
swing, but the ability to move in and out of abstraction seamlessly. The
title track is a prime example of this, from the grooving opening of the
head to Short's fractured and compelling support. More abstract and
thoughtful is "Gardens of Perception", where he moves from
vibraphone to quietly rumbling toms, from driving kit to silence." --
Martin Patmos, Modern Drummer, September 2003
"
At times you can hear the history of the Roach-Brown 5tets behind a group
like this, but it is not Hard bop or even Free Bop they play... the voicing
of the four horn players is rich and creative, and ever changing. This one
is a gem, and a record to seek out, for the years of experience of the
players will reward every listen." -- Phillip McNally, Cadence,
April 2003
"
...smart, well-crafted and thoroughly unclassifiable music. What makes this
1997 session so enjoyable (aside from the interesting tunes and the
non-standard instrumentation) is the whip-smart way this ensemble brings
everything off. All the players on the date are old musical associates of
Short's and the familiarity and trust they have for one another makes all
the difference. Listen to the way the ensemble moves from a richly voiced,
blues-inflected night music at the beginning of "Anesthesiology"
to a more extrovert, Mingusy passage from which Scea's muscular tenor and
Jim Yanda's guitar emerge for trenchant solos. Paul Smoker weaves his
buzzing, spattering trumpet above the assertive trombone of Ryan Shultz.
Except that Shultz plays the almost-forgotten bass trumpet, and plays the
hell out of it. Former NRG Ensemble saxophonist Chuck Burdelik adds color on
four of the seven cuts and Short brings a light dancing touch on vibes
(playing with the articulation and sound of a Rhodes piano) to the
25-minute-long "Gardens of Perception." --John Chacona, Signal
to Noise, Spring 2003
"...not
only an agile trapsman and technically voracious vibraharpist, he's also one
who strives to have his composing and band-leading talents taken
seriously... Short is mighty proud of the talent assembled for these
projects, and rightly so. This is an actual working group, not one assembled
for a one-off, and it shows in their chemistry and deft handling of the
leader’s often-tricky compositions...The disc is a combination of tunes
from the band's book of the last several years, joined with the centerpiece
of the disc, the 25 minute "Gardens of Perception," written for
this recording. "Gardens" develops slowly, but never ponderously,
and follows several courses. Beginning with a few minutes of Short's quiet
solo vibraharp, the horns introduce a two note motif that brings to mind
some of Cecil Taylor's writing, capping the first section with some fine
Smoker, first accompanied by the vibes, and finally solo. The second section
brings on a bumping figure for Burdelik's baritone and Scea's bass clarinet
that leads to a fine improvised horn collective. Short, having switched to
the drums, fires things up considerably under an uncredited alto solo by
Burdelik that provides some of the most exciting moments of the date..."Go
Figure" does so many things so well and excels on so many different
levels it's almost hard to believe that it had to wait five years for
release - perhaps the title is a reaction to just that. Regardless of when
it was recorded it stands as one of the strongest group statements of the
year, from a swinging, intelligent, witty ensemble that should continue to
work and record for another decade to come." --Craig S. Nixon, Jump
Arts Journal, Summer 2003
"
It took almost 6 years to Damon Short to get this recording out. In itself,
this is a tribute to the drummer’s persistence and unabated will to
present his music even if commercial success and proper recognition have
been eluding him—even in Chicago. Despite Short’s uncompromising
resolve, Go Figure remains relatively accessible. Of course, it will take
time to truly appreciate the wealth of the compositions, which strike a
balance between tuneful ensemble playing and unbridled soloing. .. Short has
a wide palette of sounds at his disposal, and he knows how to fully take
advantage of it... Short’s arranging skills are displayed through
unison passages and voicing which give the music an alluring majesty (“Gardens
of Perception.”)...The wonderful and exciting dialogues that the
musicians offer throughout produce some of the highlights of Go Figure
: Scea’s flute and Smoker’s trumpet on “Old School,” and
again, Smoker and Shultz’s bass trumpet on the bluesy “Anesthesiology.”
“Flag Day,” in which the brass instruments are pitted against
low-register reed voices (bass clarinet and baritone sax), results in a
joyous chaos and a playful game of call and response. And, on the
title-track, Jim Yanda and Ryan Shultz are taking turns leading and
supporting each other with a rare complicity. Without making any concession,Go
Figure is another fine addition to the drummer’s catalogue. And, if
it is not Damon Short’s finest outing to date, it is surely my
favorite." -- Alain Drouot,Chicago
Jazz Institute Jazzgram, April 2003
"Short's
affection for the avant-garde is well represented here, but there's a
compositional discipline apparent that offers accessibility to the listener
even when the music goes outside. The composer has had a musical
relationship with some of these players for as long as twenty years, so he's
able to craft material that draws on their particular abilities, and he
provides plenty of room for them to display those abilities... creating long
form avant-garde compositions laden with improvisational passages for seven
musicians is a daunting task, but one that Short is fully up to. It's hard
to pick out individual contributions since the ensemble plays so cohesively
and, as Short says in the accompanying notes, remembers that "the music
comes first." In fact, the most noteworthy star turn is made by Short
himself, when he lays aside the drumsticks at the beginning of "Gardens
Of Perception" in favor of vibraphone mallets and delivers an
impressive performance that reflects both his gamelan training and his
unerring improvisational instincts. This is an impressive and enjoyable
effort from an outstanding group of musicians presenting the product of an
impressively creative mind." -- Shaun Dale, jazzreview.com,
January 2003
"
His pieces are best described as West Coast free jazz; they have that
clarity in the themes and motifs and that free-form coolness in the soloing
and arrangements...The disc contains three highlights, the first of which
comes right after this introduction. The 14-minute "Go Figure" is
a mean swinger of a tune. Yanda handles the theme; the rest of the band
waltzes in and out of it with rich brass arrangements and quirky solo
features. "Anesthesiology" (nine minutes) drags itself around in
the most alluring fashion. Slightly sloppy and indecisive, as if it were
waking up from chloroform-induced sleep, it turns out to be the entertaining
track of the bunch, despite following the slowest tempo. The 25-minute "Gardens
of Perception" takes listeners back to dead-serious avant-garde jazz,
but of a compelling kind... It goes through an array of shifting settings,
its complex structure never getting in the way of genuine enjoyment.
Recommended." -- François Couture, allmusicguide.com,
January 2003
(all
compositions by Damon Short)
Recorded
in Evanston (Chicago), November 1997, with Paul
Smoker, trumpet; Paul Scea,
tenor (1,2,4,6,7), soprano (3,6), flute (3,6), bass clarinet, (5,6);
Ryan Shultz, bass trumpet ; Chuck Burdelik,
tenor (1,7), bari (5,6), alto (6));
Jim Yanda, guitar;
Larry Kohut, bass; Damon Short, drums, vibes (6).
Engineered by David Baker
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