Magical Trio Music

The multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator Sam Rivers would have turned 89 on September 25th of this year.  He passed in 2011 on the day after Christmas, leaving behind a legacy of music that spanned nearly 6 decades.  His Blue Note recordings from the 1960s still sound contemporary;, in fact, none of his music sounds dated. He was active well onto his 80s, leading a big band as well as a trio.

Pi Records is set to issue (on Sam Rivers' birthday no less) "Reunion: Live in New York", a 2-CD concert recording from May of 2007 that was the culmination of week-long festival held in New York City by radio station WKCR.  Rivers, who during the course of the 2 sets (approximately 90 minutes), plays soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, piano and flute.  He is reunited with the rhythm section of Dave Holland (bass) and Barry Altschul (drums), an aggregation that had not worked together on a regular since the late 1970s.  On this night, Rivers, Holland and Altschul stepped out onto the stage and started to play; there was no sheet music, no planning beforehand, no "greatest hits" package, just 2 sets of improvised music.

When one writes "improvised music", it is often translated as "free music" or, sadly, "noise with no direction." Yes, it is "free" in that the musicians' creativity determines the directions but the sounds this Trio makes is not pure noise; in fact, it's a conversation of the highest order.  River stepped on stage knowing that Holland and Altschul would push him to heights of creativity (and vice versa.)  Holland moves this music in various directions, often riding alongside the flowing (and bouncing) beat of the drummer. His bow work is pristine and the melodic counterpoint he creates through the program is quite impressive. When he locks into the drummer's groove, the music accelerates and leaves the ground.  For his part, Altschul drives this music with abandon but not fury. His cymbal work is smart, his snare has a snap that reverberates and one can hear a "dancing" quality in his solos that is reminiscent, but not a slavish reproduction, of the work of the late Ed Blackwell.

Mr. Rivers opens the first set on tenor sax moving to soprano and flute for the second half of the set.  The mesmerizing beat and booming bass lines on the final piece underscore the soprano and flute, reminding this listener of Holland's classic "Conference of the Birds", his 1972 ECM Lp.

The second set (CD 2) opens with a powerful bass solo, then adds Altschul's fine brush work beneath Mr. Rivers' exciting flute lines.  His dialogue with the drummer gives way to Altschul creating melodic phrases on the floor toms while Holland creates an arco drone at the 7 minute mark.  The flutist returns with a short, unaccompanied, solo, his lovely breathy tones on lines that swing and move in unexpected directions.  After a short bass solo, the flute gives way to tenor saxophone.  The trance-like swing of the rhythm section in the final moments of the second track is mesmerizing.

The fiery interplay of tenor sax with the bass and drums in the middle section of the final track hearkens back to but does not repeat the opening moments of the first set.  One should listen to this music in its entirety; it's easier to follow the flow if you (literally) just go with it.  "Reunion" is joyous music that can't help but remind one just how fine and creative a person Sam Rivers was.  Dave Holland and Barry Altschul carry on in his tradition, one that began with the birth of jazz and shows no signs of disappearing.

For more information, go to pirecordings.com or www.rivbea.com.

Two Creative Voices Silenced

Adrienne Cooper died on Sunday December 25at the age of 65 and in the prime of his creative career. Arguably the finest interpreter of Yiddish music of her generation, Ms. Cooper had worked with numerous groups including Kapeleye, the Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, the Klezmatics and Mikveh.  I had the honor of presenting Mikveh in concert at out local synagogue here in Middletown.  That ensemble, an all-star and all female group, lit up the night with the splendid musicianship but Ms. Cooper's forceful vocals and formidable stage presence was the highlight of the evening.

Along with pianist Zalman Mlotek, she created "Ghetto Tango: Wartime Yiddish Theater", a fascinating collection of songs from shows written in the ghettoes of Eastern Europe during World War II. She also co-wrote (with Jenny Romaine and Frank London) "The Memoirs Gluckl of Hameln", presented to acclaim in New York at the legendary La Mama Annex. Her most recent CD, "Enchanted: A New Generation of Yiddish Song" (Golden Horn Records), is a varied and wondrous collection of songs, ranging from songs from "..Gluckl.." to traditional pieces to sound collages. 

In addition to her performing career, Adrienne Cooper served as the Workman’s Circle’s external affairs officer for cultural programming, and had worked previously as the assistant director of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. She won several prestigious awards including Jews for Racial and Economic Justice’s Risk Taker Award.

Adrienne Cooper sang with heart, emotion, fortitude and with great joy.  She will be greatly missed. For more information about her life and music, go to www.adriennecooper.com.

Saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator Sam Rivers passed away on Monday December 26 at the ago of 88.  His career spanned 6 decades but his rise to critical notice came in the early 1960s when he began performing with the young drummer Tony Williams. It was Williams, who joined Miles Davis classic mid-60s Quintet in 1964 (at the age of 17!) who recommended Rivers for the tenor saxophone role in the group.  He lasted for just a few months before Davis replaced with Wayne Shorter.  That did not curtail Rivers' career - he signed with Blue Note Records and released 4 Lps while playing as a sideman on numerous sessions.  In 1970, Rivers and his wife Beatrice (who died in 2005) opened Studio Rivbea in New York City and the performance space became the "hot spot" for the "new" music that grew out of the revolutionary sounds of John Coltrane and Chicago's AACM.  Rivers recorded a slew of sessions for Impulse Records and a number of smaller labels, including a series of duets with bassist Dave Holland on the Improvising Artists label.  He shared the front line with fellow reed player Anthony Braxton on Holland's wonderful 1973 ECM recording "Conference of the Birds."

Rivers also fronted the Studio Rivbea Orchestra culminating in a pair of strong recordings for RCA Victor (the last "major" label to release his music.)  In 1995, he created a masterful solo performance for the "Workshop Freie Musik" in Berlin, Germany - the FMP label issued 9 of the solo pieces as "Portrait: Sam Rivers" in 1997.After moving to Florida, he formed a trio with bassist Doug Mathews and percussionist (and tenor saxophonist) Anthony Cole, creating intense music and touring throughout the country.  The Trio worked closely with Steven Bernstein on his 2002 Tzadik release, "Disapora Blues", the trumpeter's imaginative rearrangements of Jewish cantorial melodies.

Over the last decade, Rivers appeared on CDs with NOJO (the Neufield-Occipinti Jazz Orchestra from Canada), on pianist Jason Moran's "Black Fire", and in a trio setting with percussionists Adam Rudolph and Harris Eisenstadt.

Sam Rivers did not rest on his laurels.  He was a "forward" thinker when it came to his music but did not shy away from working with anyone (he played in several ensembles led by Dizzy Gillespie for 4 years.) He could play "in", "out", through-composed music, totally improvised pieces, in solo settings, trio, big band - Sam Rivers made music and, over the years, influenced many people.  Not only musically but with his sense of business and independence.  For more information about his life and work, go to www.rivbea.com.