Chicago: Large Ensemble Dreams

 

Over the past two decades, bassist and composer Clark Sommers seems to have become ubiquitous. He's worked or still works with Kurt Elling, Typical Sister, Chicago Yestet, guitarist Jeff Parker, pianist Darrell Grant, and saxophonist Chris Madsen (among many others). There are really good reasons for his continued employment; not only is he a truly "foundational" bassist but also very melodic.  His composing "chops" are formidable as he has displayed on his two "solo" albums plus his work in the cooperative Ba(SH) Trio (with saxophonist Geof Bradfield and drummer Dana Hall) and with guitarist John McLean in their Quartet.  Like most musicians, the pandemic took him off the road for an extended period of time which gave him the opportunity to work on his composing and arranging skills in the wake of his attending at Master's Program at DePaul University. While there, he attended a Workshop led by the afore-mentioned Dana Hall. That workshop included writing and arranging for a 12-piece band and Sommers created several pieces for that group.

In his time away from touring, Sommers composed numerous pieces for his own 12-member ensemble that would include many of the people the bassist has worked with since moving to Chicago from the West Coast. Scroll down and look at the list of musicians; they are among the "cream of the crop" of the Windy City and the Midwest.  The results of Sommers' work can be heard on "Feast Ephemera" (Phrenology Music/self-released).  Nine songs, 71 minutes of music and not a dull moment to be heard.  Take your time to get into the program. You may notice how delightful the arrangements are or the smart original works that Sommers brought to the sessions. Perhaps it's the impressive solos that stand out for you or the fact that the leader does not take a solo.  On pieces such as "The Rider" and "Pedals", the textures of the horns and reeds as they swirl around the rhythm section as well as the soloists that surprise on first listen.  Also, notice how the section writing makes room for the solos.

Photo: Scott Hesse

Perhaps the most impressive aspect (to my ears) of this program is how the music does not really sound like any other modern large ensemble. The music swings a bit more than that of Maria Schneider and it is not as "spiky" and angular as the music of Darcy James Argue.  Like those two composers (and others like Duke Ellington, Bob Brookmeyer, Miho Hazama, and Jim McNeely), Sommers writes for these friends and musicians, knowing their strengths, their willingness to explore their roles within the music, and to stretch. Listen to "Cave Dweller" below; you'll hear the various voices, including piano, clarinet, flute, and saxophone introduce the opening melody before moving into the theme. Notice the powerful drumming and direction setting of Hall, the powerful bass notes (in step with and counterpoint to the piano accompaniment), all in service of the music.

Dig in to "Feast Ephemera", bask in the brightness of melodies and solos, drink in the sweetness of each performance.  As he showed listeners on 2022's "Intertwine" (Outside In Music) and 2017's "By A Thread" (Phrenology Music), Clark Sommers is an excellent composer, more interested in the arc of the musical stories he and the musicians are telling than in showing how technically fine a player he is.  Sit down and listen, listen deeply!

For more information, go to www.clarksommers.com/about. To hear more and to purchase the album, go to https://clarksommers.bandcamp.com/album/feast-ephemera. 

Explore the "Feast" with "The Cave Dweller":

Personnel:

Clark Sommers-compositions/arrangements & bass, 

Dana Hall-drums, 

Nick Mazzarella-alto saxophone, 

Geof Bradfield-bass clarinet, soprano & tenor saxophones, 

Chris Madsen-tenor saxophone, 

John Wojciechowski-C & alto flutes and alto saxophone,

Tito Carrillo, Russ Johnson-trumpet, 

Joel Adams, Andy Baker-trombone,

Stu Mindeman-piano/keyboards, 

Scott Hesse-guitar