Search - Conference Call :: Spirals: The Berlin Concert

Superb tenor, superb group, a wee rant and the tango too.

greg taylor | Portland, Oregon United States | 05/03/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Conference Call is as good a long-lived group as exists in creative improvised music these days. They have been together for over a decade although there was some turn-over in the drum chair at first. But around the time of this recording they settled on George Schuller. The other members are the incredible Gebhard Ullmann on tenor and soprano saxs and bass clarinet, Michael Jefry Stevens on piano and Joe Fonda on the bass.



There are several obvious strengths to this personnel. All four are composers and leaders. All four contribute to the program of this CD although Fonda's contribution is not as musically powerful as is his usual(more on that in a moment).



The musical predilictions of the players is well balanced. I have always found Stevens to be a little too melodically tame for my taste. But the company of Ullmann, Fonda and Schuller brings out the wild(weird)ness of Stevens which I really like. This side is well displayed on the first two pieces.



Ironically, my favorite piece is from Stevens and it is the most traditional of the pieces. Little Pete's Dinner is a very fine tango and gives Ullmann a chance to show the romantic side of his tenor. Ullmann is great on that piece playing with a fine thick tone. (Would someone please record Ullmann in a cutting contest with Larry Ochs and Ellery Eskelin so we can settle the Heavyweight Champion of the Tenor? I know that none of them would approach any such project that way but think how much fun a cutting contest or a tenor chase would be with those three!)



The other thing I like about this CD is that four of the pieces are really long and allow everyone a chance to really stretch out and the composers a chance to create different emerging structures within a single piece. With both of the first two pieces I found myself surprised to realize that I was still listening to the same piece



The one weakness to the whole CD is Fonda's intro to his piece Three. This is a dated rant against the three architects of the Bushian Iraqian policy. I agree with pretty much everything Fonda says but this part of the CD will put off those who bought into the lies of that administration. Sheesh. I sound as bad as Fonda. Anyway, that part of the CD may annoy you as well as the beginning of Fonda's piece. Or perhaps you may use that to reflect on how you were manipulated in voting based on fear. O, forget about it. If you don't like that part, skip it.



But listen to the CD, nonethelesss. I made a claim that this is as good a group as exists in creative improv. I meant it. If you like the George Adams- Don Pullen group, AB's classic quartet or Ellery Eskelin's trio you will like these guys. If you don't know Gebhard Ullmann, you are missing out on one of the great reed players of the day. In any case, any fan of jazz or creative improv needs to listen to these guys. This CD is a great place to start."