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The voice coming from The Ullmann/Swell Quartet is saying listen, feel, and become. Don' t Look Back This is 'MUSIC OF TODAY' . Gebhard Ullmann tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, Barry Altschul drums, Hilliard Greene bass, Steve Swell trombone they are playing 'True Sound ' which allows us to meet our destiny head on; music changes the listener, thus the world changes. The goal in these sonic excursions is to explore music in all of its moods, colors and shapes. There is also a strong investment in silence, space and texture .The compositions are delivered in ten installments, four pieces written by Gebhard Ullmann, two collective composed pieces and four songs composed by Steve Swell. Incorporating preset motifs in both a fixed and spontaneous way. (Created in the woodshed or born as whole entities) Some tunes take years to come together while others appear as fully evolved pieces of music. Once realized the music takes on a life of it' s own and improvisation manifests in different ways sometimes creating densities with all the musicians speaking at once writing a group poem. The music also morphs into musical theatre with a chorus and background with a lead speaker out front. Drama, comedy, and mystery are all represented in various degrees; these forums constantly shift from player to player. Sometimes it is bass/drums, other times it is trombone or saxophone it changes second to second. These gestures have one purpose to invite the spirit of creation to enter all involved. To allow them to paint with sound using big bold colors, or subtle pastels underneath all of these moods is a plethora of postures that will enlighten if we are able to shut off our minds and integrate the brain with the spirit. Each person will hear things his or her own way, which is how it is suppose to be. Each composition has something different to offer like the title song Ullmann's 'News? No News!' almost a reverse lullaby instead of putting us to sleep it wakes us up. Filled with exotic shifts and tonal colorations it moves into the vacated world of straight ahead hope thanks to the driving rhythm/melody players Barry Altschul and Hilliard Greene who get into 'The Dance' that is so important to mount beautiful pictures on top. The trombone carries the message passing on the baton to the beautiful human like bass clarinet solo. The old myth question sometimes still arises in some circles (Why is the music so angry? Where is the melody?) Well we don' t hang out in such circles nor do we address such archaic ignorance. One cannot play music if one is angry this music can only arise out of love. Are thunder and hurricanes angry? No they are part of nature, where there is calm there must also be fire. Compassion is full of fire not that stupid fire of hate but the good fire that is fueled by peace and love.
One of these natural forces is Barry Altschul who is an important member in the family of drummers and percussionist. He has been stating his case for over 50 years leading his own bands and also contributing early on to the groups of Paul Bley, Sam Rivers, and Anthony Braxton. Today Barry continues to explore in the tradition of the now drum sound. Splitting time into heart beats creating slow spreading tempos caressing bronze, cooper, and tin disks sometimes called cymbals with sticks made of hickory. Leaving us with wonderful memories of gifted visitors now gone only to return tomorrow to live inside the bass and snare drums.
Hilliard Greene the bassist is always a marvel because he is spontaneously composing bass lines / melodic counter points / partial drones / harmonic underpinnings / all of these things serve as one of the launching pads for the music. Listen to this cd from this beginning to the end then listen again and again and the voice you will hear is Hill Greene holding up this wonderful musical earth with an intense joy.
Trombonist Steve Swell has been one of the first line musicians for the past 25 years, living and active on the New York creative music scene participating in the creative process on a daily basis, teaching, composing, performing, discovering and rediscovering sound as a way of life. His music reaches out to you and communicates to you in a unique way. It is laced with the blues and there are no partitions or restrictions in it. Mister Swell has more compositions dripping from the bell of the trombone then one can imagine and like Ellington he writes for the players. His composition 'More Hello' polyrhythmic drive piece with a speaking shout line that is connected to the anti-funeral music of New Orleans The music that arises from the other side of lake Pontchartrain. It is the music Buddy Bolden dreamed about if only he had lived long enough to meet this quartet.
When I listen to Gebhard Ullmann's tenor sax and bass clarinet it is clearly evident that he has spent equal study time on each instrument finding a voice on both instruments. Gebhard taps into the timeless waters of storytelling in his compositions New York 5:50 and Berlin 9:35 both named after airplane flights. 'New York 5:50' is quite an enormous success as it does a difficult thing, it captures the city which is sometimes called the fruit getting it to hold still long enough to photograph it through sound. Buildings come to life ideas become characters. The kinetic saxophone has a sincere conversation with the now not lonely trombone strolling through the streets the world's busiest city.
'Berlin 9:35' brings back memories of when I first heard music as a child it was this great enigmatic thing and it continues to be. How it could be outside of your head while at the same time exist in the imagination. Berlin, which means borderline crosses into that beautiful area between dream and real states of consciousness which where the best music comes from.
The dirge 'Kleine Figuren # 2' Is full atmospheric shadings, It's timing is perfect and in sense may be what we are all looking for in a piece of music. It is unexpected and revealing subtle in it's agenda.
The next piece Planet Hopping on a Thursday afternoon by its title Gives us a glimpse of Steve Swell the poet the low line theme is filled with hope and if you close your eyes you can see an emerging nation of people who want a different world so they planet hop. Global Positioning System one and two are group compositions that prove once again improvisation is perhaps the highest form of composition and the impulses of noted music all start as improvisations.
'GPS # 1' the first collective piece explores the world of sub tones low gliss into air into the Noh theatre into Charlie Chaplin having a conversation with Red Foxx. Call and response harmonic G into ending.
'GPS # 2' begins with a trio exchange bass clarinet, bass and drums. The trombone enters and there is a return to the sub tone world that goes into silence. The title track 'News? No News!' is an anthem for the future time (today) that stops and turns into itself, trombone solo backgrounds going into another shift segment before the bass clarinet solo. Antiphonic/Unison line ends the piece.
The closing piece Swell's 'Airtight' is another gem that should be played in 24 hours a day on all radio stations just like the sky. Bass space echo-speaking glances into string line. Theme conjures, and calls taking us to yet another dimension bass clarinet solo followed by probing trombone and precisely loose drums statement Bass threads and beads of bass clarinet and trombone pull every thing back, forward overture and preview.and these words more from the back of my mind to my eyes.
'I will love you, all my life I have been, waiting for you Forever and ever If my heart could sing now I would dance for you still, yet The sky is blue but that is joy that won't fail See the birds all the time Dip and dive For blue is the color of joy Music never fails to smile'
There is a telepathic form of flow in this band, which makes the whole thing work on many this is brave heroic music thank you Steve Swell, Gebhard Ullmann, Hilliard Greene Barry Altschul. William Parker April 9, 2009
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