Search - Kenny Werner, Brian Blade, Dave Douglas :: Lawn Chair Society

Transcendent jazz

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 03/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kenny Werner, long a mainstay on the ultracompetitive NY scene, here produces not only his finest disc but one for the ages.



First off, he's assembled perhaps the Ultimate Jazz Band: reigning postmodern trumpeter Dave Douglas; Sonny's heir on sax, Chris Potter; Scott Colley, bassist extraordinaire (with his own great 2007 release, Architect of the Silent Moment); and drum monster Brian Blade. Some of these musicians, I venture to say, here turn in their finest performances on record. Chris Potter, especially, seems fully on his altogether formidable game (check out, e.g., his mesmerizing solo on "The 13th Day).



Second, he's on Blue Note, and he gets nothing but the finest treatment as regards promotion, packaging, and, most significantly, production--Lenny Picket doing his best Tucker Martine electro-acoustic imitation, and coming up with stunning instrumental clarity and imaging.



Third, and this is impossible to adequately express, but it graces the proceedings with the profoundest pathos: Kenny lost his lovely daughter, Katheryn, sometime within the timeframe of this recording. How tragic for a parent to bury his offspring! One wonders how he could even proceed under such grave and tragic circumstances. The lovely ballad, "Uncovered Heart," one of the most poignant and beautiful ballads ever composed, first recorded on a Sunny Side disc of the same title as a tribute to his new-born Katheryn, here takes on an almost unbearable pathos with her untimely death. There's a simplicity and, one might almost say, holiness, about this recording that nearly rends the heart. I regard this as perhaps the absolute high-point of my nearly thirty years of jazz listening experience. For me, this tune conjures up my most beloved memories: the Santa Ynez Valley outside Santa Barbara at sunset, the hills bathed in golden loveliness, scrub oak and native grasses all aglow.



Fourth, Kenny has written a handful of brilliantly quirky tunes, brimming with impossibly infectious rhythms and wacky harmonies, to engage even the most jaded jazz warrior. Weirdly, they're perfectly accessible, even when they go way out as on "Inaugural Balls." Kenny Werner has here certainly found his compositional métier.



Twenty-first century jazz of the absolute highest accomplishment: edgy, hip, profound, and stone brilliant."

Smart sounds for the new millenium

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 03/13/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There seems little point to classifying this music. When standard tunes from the American Songbook and jazz idioms such as swing and bebop spark little to no recognition among the general public, music that could once be called "experimental" or "avant garde" necessarily defines the modern mainstream. If there are similarities with early landmark recordings (e.g. Miles Davis' 70s fusion groups), "Lawn Chair Society" would definitely qualify as the less raw and extemporaneous, more polished and civil descendant of its once-controversial forebears.



Aside from electronics and musical synthesis, three qualities in particular stand out about this music: composition is emphasized above improvisation; creativity and craftsmanship count for more than interpretation and invention (both of which require a standard repertoire); tonal colors, dynamics and humor receive the kind of attention they enjoyed with Duke Ellington, before the "bebop revolution."



Lest any listeners require the "jazz" label to enjoy this music, Kenny Werner has called on the A Team for this multifarious collection of tone poems and programmatic pieces. The trumpet of Dave Douglas and bass clarinet of Chris Potter descend on "Lo's Garden" like a busy, darting pair of humming birds (joined at the hip, naturally). Soon a more vegetative pace is established by Scott Colley's firmly grounded bass while Brian Blade's percussion alternates between following movement at the sub-particle and quantum-field levels. Meanwhile, Werner's keyboards paint patterns in waves of sound, moving from prepared piano to phased Fender wahs, with a dab of string synth for highlighting.



"Burble_burble_spleek" is as onomatopoeic as the title--wind chimes, telephone rings and Douglas playing some of the most vocalized (and intestinal) trumpet sounds this side of Clark Terry and Rex Stewart. "Uncovered Heart," a calming guitar-like ballad in E Major, is soon followed by the ambitious title number-- a collage of funked-up chatter, vocalized demagoguery by each horn player, some thoughtful discourse by Werner on piano, a ghostly dirge-like refrain intoned by unison horns, and finally the faint sounds of birds and hunters (certainly not a reference to a familiar White House-Halliburton figure?). Closure comes not with a bang but with "Loss," essentially a richly-textured chorale by synthesized strings, followed by "Kothbiro," an extended peaceful incantation based on a simple African melody.



In conclusion, if "Kind of Blue" and Bill Evans' Vanguard Sessions are in your blood, this one is unlikely to replace either one. All the same, it's well-conceived, smartly-executed, cutting-edge mixed-genre jazz."

Discover Kenny, now is the time and this is the place

James Lamperetta | Upstate, NY | 03/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kenny Werner has been a mainstay on the scene for almost thirty-years now. During this time he has been an in-demand sideman who has also gigged regularly and recorded albums as a leader for a few different labels.

With his new disc "Lawn Chair Society" the pianist joins forces with Blue Note and delivers his masterpiece to date.

Comprised of ten tunes that are as hip and intelligent as they are idiosyncratic, Werner offers up an invigoratingly fresh spin on "tradition" as he traverses the modern jazz spectrum.

Augmenting his piano duties with keyboards and computer, assistance is provided by the jazz equivalent of a dream team- reedman Chris Potter, bassist Scott Colley, drummer Brian Blade, and trumpeter Dave Douglas in a rare sideman appearance.

Opting to sculpt a "studio" album as a departure from the more "performance" oriented nature of his previous outings, the pianist expertly wields a broader compositional and sonic palette.

A trio of vignettes spotlight Werner's playful yet artistic knack with integrating technology into the jazz milieu. "burble_burble-splerk" features Douglas' at his rubbery best, "west_coast_variant" is a springboard for an inspired foray by Potter, and the aptly titled "Loss" features Blade's inimitable minimalist shadings against a wash of mournful keyboard swells.

"The 13th Day" and "Uncovered Heart" form the disc's emotional and artistic centerpiece, the inspiration for both being Werner's daughter Katheryn who was tragically killed in a car accident last fall at the age of 16.

The previously recorded "Uncovered Heart" (which Werner had already intended to reprise before the accident) was composed the day his daughter was born in 1989. "The 13th Day" refers to the pianist's spiritual belief that the souls of the departed remain on Earth for twelve days before moving on to other realms on the 13th.

Celebratory as opposed to maudlin, Werner turns what must be the unwieldy weight of a broken heart into a tribute in which his many emotions are vivid and palpable. Even as the ensemble chimes in with heartfelt empathy these tunes resonate with a highly personal touch. Movingly poignant and hauntingly beautiful, the goose-bumps and lump in your throat remain long after the music ends.

Werner's previous two discs were "Democracy" and "Peace." Here he continues to address political themes with the confident strut of "Inaugural Balls" and the cool-detachment of "Lawn Chairs (and Other Foreign Policy)."

The delicate disc-closing "Kothbiro" is the only tune not to spring forth from Werner's pen. Heard during the closing credits to the movie "The Constant Gardner," the pianist notes that, "Though it is a somber piece, it's not just about sadness. It's about consciousness, awareness, hope, and joy."

This is highly recommended listening."