Most Denver jazz fans have heard of
Ron Miles, and if you haven’t you're in for a treat. Witness is his second record and it was released in 1990 on Capri
Records. It features compositions by Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Billy
Strayhorn, fellow bandmate Fred Hess, and two original compositions by Ron
Miles. The band is made up Denver jazz veterans. It features Ron Miles on
trumpet, Fred Hess on tenor saxophone and flute, Art Lande on piano, Ken Walker
on bass, and Bruno Carr on drums. This band has respect and command of the jazz
tradition, and that respect and command of tradition frees them to be
exploratory and adventurous within the framework of both standards and
originals.
Art Lande starts out the song
“Witness” with a beautiful chordal variation of the theme on piano. He is then
joined by Ken Walker on bass for a more straightforward statement of the theme.
The drums then join in a march feel, and the horns of Miles and Hess state the
melody in full force. The piano is the first to solo, showing immediately that
it is not just a straightforward blowing session by establishing a percussive
rhythmic bed using an extended piano technique. Moving from decisive single
note lines to clusters and chordal stabs, Lande summons the rhythm section into
action. As they activate beneath him the entire feel starts to pick up energy
and move from a march to a swinging, dynamic ball of 4/4 energy fueled by Bruno
Carr and Ken Walker. The group then switches back to the march feel for the
beginning of Miles’s solo. Miles starts out by quoting the melody but then runs
into a series of melodic flurries. The main melody is never far from his
improvisation. As Bruno Carr moves into a rhythmic motif on his tom toms under
Miles, the trumpet player suspends tones while the tension builds. There is a
certain sense of wondering if the rhythmic direction will again be pulled back to
swing but the listener is drawn in as Miles stretches out dissonant tones and
textural flurries. Bruno Carr hammers away on the toms maintaining the energy.
Lande responds with interjections and clusters as Walker provides tonal and
rhythmic anchors. As the solo ends the melody is restated for the exit out. I’m
always captivated by the joyousness of this melody.
“Ugly Beauty” is a waltz by Thelonious
Monk. It starts out with Fred Hess playing the melody on the flute. Miles is
the first to solo and he has a gentle approach featuring large melodic leaps.
Miles makes technically difficult passages sound elegant and graceful, which is
a testament to his mastery of the trumpet. The next solo by Lande and Hess
includes tandem flurries, playfulness, questions and answers, all within a
format and structure. This displays a great concept of a duel solo, or two
people occupying a space typically reserved for one individual.
“Just Like You (I Don’t Want To
Be)” starts out with a unison horn head at blistering pace. It moves thru some
free form soloing by Miles and then Hess before it enters an interesting
composed hit-and-silence structure that replaces a traditional harmonic
framework. This solo framework is expanded upon and fleshed out with an
additional melody over the stop time. Miles takes another solo over this new
texture, and the original melodic statement is then played again. Bruno Carr
takes a solo at a ridiculous tempo and then the melody is played one last time.
The structure of the song provides for a great contrast to other tracks on the
CD. The untraditional structure of this song highlights the strengths of the
group. They are creative enough to follow and explore where the music takes
them and able enough to adeptly lead themselves back to the predetermined
rallying points. A highly original tune by Ron Miles with some interesting
compositional devices.
“A Flower Is A Lonesome Thing”
starts out with a solo statement of the melody. The experience of the group
really shines in this performance. It is as if they are playing not so much in
the expected places but around them. Bruno Carr’s brush work is amazing.
Lande’s comping is excellent, whether he provides direct harmonic support,
answers solo statements, or provides antecedent statements. Miles’s solo begins
in the upper register and descends into a playful skirmish before settling in
at the bridge. A double time hint by Carr sends Miles into a final flurry of
activity before he settles his solo. Lande follows by beginning his solo with
some dissonant block chords before moving into single line question and answer
statements. This falls briefly back to a chordal statement, followed by just a
glimmer of swing before Miles is back in at the bridge to play out the melody.
“Pithecanthropus Erectus” is a
Charles Mingus tune. The band lays down some heavy harmonic pads from which
they can contrast further playing. This is a hard swinging tour de force take
on this this tune with spirited solos by Hess, Lande, and Miles. Bruno Carr and
Ken Walker are holding down the groove solidly while Lande hammers out chords.
Hess takes a feisty solo which falls way to a free horn duet after which the tempo
ratchets up quite a bit. Lande then churns out a technically commanding and
harmonically explorative solo that eventually reinstates the original tempo and
groove. Miles then begins his solo calmly but works it to a raging storm. The
band then plays the melody out.
The final track on the record is
“Our Time” by Fred Hess. It is a spritely, upbeat, technical number. Fred Hess
is playing flute, Ron Miles is playing muted trumpet, and Bruno Carr once again
shows off his masterful brush work. Ron Miles takes a couple of excellent spins
thru the challenging changes and then he is joined by Fred Hess for an
interlude, after which Hess speeds into a solo of his own. Ken Walker then
takes a solo and shows why he is known as one of the top bassists around. He nimbly
executes a solo over the challenging changes before Lande takes a quick chorus.
Then we have a round of trading bars of four between Miles, Carr, and Lande.
After this the interlude is cued and the melody is played out.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy
this CD is to pick a particular player and listen to how they choose to
interact with the ensemble. I think each one of the players has an exceptional
ability to generate and stay true to an idea, or conversely, support another
band member’s idea. All of the playing seems in service to the music. One of my
regrets is that I didn’t see this band around this time, I’m not sure if I knew
of Ron Miles then. Then again all these gentlemen, with the exception of Bruno
Carr who passed away in 1993, can be seen in and around Denver. If you don’t
have or know of this CD I’d Love To Turn You On to it - and go see so these
guys live! You won’t regret it! In addition, please check some of Ron Miles’s
other works. His original compositions are truly great and he has many more
records to enjoy.
-
Doug Anderson
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