Search - Ned Goold :: The Flows

An original

N. Dorward | Toronto, ON Canada | 07/21/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of hte most interesting releases on the Smalls label, though it's also one of the most "difficult". Ned Goold is a saxophonist with a highly original approach--he's a big fan of Monk, & he has a curious angular style that can suggest an unlikely cross between Charlie Rouse & Warne Marsh, with some truly earbending note choices & a fondness for phrases that rise up sharply (whereas most players tend to follow the path of least resistance down the cycle of fifths). He has worked out a harmonic system for himself that allows him to overlay 12-tone patterns over standard changes--on Goold's recent visit to Toronto I got him to say a little about it, which I found fascinating. In short, it's challenging music, not least because he writes oblique tunes (why am I not surprised that one of them is an allusion to _Ulysses_?--"Whatness of Allhorse") & likes to perform them in an unadorned tenor/bass/drums situation (here, Ben Wolfe & Ron Steen) that requires you to listen hard to follow along. Even his choice of "standards" is offbeat: how often do you hear "Heigh Ho the Gang's All Here" or "Rosalie" on a setlist? He makes his bread & butter playing with Harry Connick's band, but his own music is about as far from Connick's retro-stylings as you can imagine. Three cheers for Connick, then, for giving him an unusual opportunity on the 1999 tour that led to this album: Goold's trio was the warm-up act for the Connick band during that tour, & this CD is a compilation of the results (originally just put together for Goold's own satisfaction, but when he played it for Smalls labelowner Luke Kaven, Kaven decided to release it commercially). It's genuinely bizarre to hear such uncompromising jazz performed in front of thousands of people--on a few tracks the audience talks noisily throughout, but on others they seem to be listening quite respectfully or with enthusiasm. Considering the fact that there recordings weren't originally made for release, the sound is pretty good, & if you love the sound of the great Sonny Rollins trios or Konitz's _Motion_ this CD will likely hit you in the sweet spot. & you should also check out Neal Caine's _Backstabber's Ball_, which features the twin tenors of Goold & Stephen Riley."