Search - Sam Rivers :: Celebration

Any release by Sam Rivers is a cause for celebration.

Douglas T Martin | Alpharetta, GA USA | 06/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Celebration" is the title of the latest release by the Sam Rivers Trio, consisting of master musician Sam Rivers, bassist & bass clarinetist Doug Matthews and drummer, pianist & saxophonist Anthony Cole. This 2004 Posi-Tone release was recorded before an audience during a two night stint at the Jazz Bakery (Culver City, CA) in 2003. I saw Sam Rivers sitting in with the Jason Moran Trio not long after the recording of "Celebration" and Rivers was playing sax with the vigor of a man half (or even a third) his age. But as remarkable as Rivers was that night, it's with his own trio that he is at his best. Each member of the Sam Rivers Trio is fluent on multiple instruments which makes for a broad canvas for Rivers to paint his compositions. The music is pure Rivers - abstract and angular, sometimes funky and sometimes swinging. Traditional avant-garde, maybe. A particular highlight for me is the song "Glimpse" with Rivers on piano, backed by bass and drums: starting off with spikey solo piano it grows into a Cecil Taylor-esque torrent of notes and drumbeats, then breaks into a beautiful melody built around McCoy Tyner-type block chords backed by a intensely-swinging rhythm section.To my knowledge, "Celebration" is the third Trio recording - the previous two being "Concept" and "Firestorm". "Concept" and "Firestorm", also captured live, are great recordings but may be surpassed by "Celebration" if only for the reason that the musical interplay between Rivers, Matthews and Cole has grown over time and the results are more evident on "Celebration". As an example of how cohesive a unit the Sam Rivers Trio has become, they seem to have found a second calling as a support band, backing up Steve Bernstein on his "Diaspora Blues" and David Manson on his "Fluid Motion" recording. In a day when most jazz recordings consist of a bankable 'star' + guests, a recording with such a road-tested, musically-telepathic band is cause for real celebration.Sam Rivers: Tenor and soprano saxophones, flute, paino.
Doug Matthes: Bass violin, 6-string electric bass, bass clarinet.
Anthony Cole: Drums, piano, tenor saxophone.
Total time: 76:45"

One of the better Sam Rivers recordings.

Tom Brody | Berkeley, CA | 05/17/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is about the first four compositions. Overall, the music is a jittery and nervous-type of jazz, rather than being a noisy, thrashing, and torrential-type of jazz, or a subdued, candlelight-type of jazz. There are twelve pieces in all, with an overall timing of about 75 minutes.



RECOGNITION. This piece starts with a 45 second drum solo. Then Mr.Rivers begins with his trademark bleating shepherd's call on soprano sax. Dave Mathew's acoustic bass joints in, and spews out a continuous stream of notes, just as Dave Holland did some 25 years earlier. Recognition gets this disc off to a rousing start.



COMMEMORATION. This begins with solo soprano sax, then Anthony Cole joins in with deeper throated tones from a tenor sax. The pair of saxophones might be said to invoke a pair of creatures, mating in the wild. Half way through the piece, Mr.Rivers plays a pleasant little dance tune, something a child might sing. The piece ends with a sax playing a turkey gobble.



OBSERVANCE. This is the greatest piece of the album. Observance begins with a tuneful, dinner-jazz piano, lasting for about 15 seconds. The mood then turns Cecil Tayloresque, then returns to the dinner jazz piano. Then the Cecil Taylor cascade of notes returns. Then dinner jazz piano. Cecil Taylor. Then dinner jazz. Then Cecil Taylor. At five minutes and 45 seconds, Mr.Rivers plays tone clusters on the piano, a technique pioneered by American composer Charles Ives. Then the drums and acoustic bass join in--it is not piano solo any more. More tone clusters banging. Spewing bass notes, just like Dave Holland did 25 years ago, when he was with Sam Rivers. At 7 minutes and 30 seconds, all is silent except for a drum solo. The drum solo, without break, segues into the next piece, Clarion. (Mr.River's piano style is not exactly like that of Cecil Taylor; I don't mean to imply they are the same.)



CLARION. Clarion begins with a fast drum solo. Then the bass joins in. They conspire together to break the unspoken musical speed limit. We can hear Mr.Rivers calling and vocalizing in the background. At 2 1/2 minutes, Rivers begins on tenor sax--and all three instruments are cooking. At 3 minutes and 45 seconds, Rivers plays some squawking, sounding like Anthony Braxton at his squawkiest. But the squawking is not for long. A bit later, at 6 minutes, the squawks make a brief comeback.



The quality of the sound is excellent. We hear all the horn notes, and are able to distinguish the sounds emitted from every tap of the drumsticks.



I saw Sam Rivers with Dave Holland, during the late 1970s, at Keystone Korner in San Francisco. More recently, perhaps in 2004, I saw him perform at Yoshi's in Oakland.



I also recommend PARAGON, recorded on April 18, 1977 at Davout Studio in Paris. This recording was by Mr.Rivers, Dave Holland, and Barry Altschul. I hope someday, that this energetic recording will be reissued on C.D. The recording is on FLUID RECORDS, FLUID-101. Unfortunately, this energetic powerhouse has not been re-issued on compact disc format. What a splended trio, is Mr.Rivers, Mr.Holland, and Mr.Altschul. From this era, I also recommend Sam Rivers' THE QUEST, recorded in Milan on March 12-13th, 1976. This album is on Pausa Records, Inc. PR-7015. THE QUEST has not been re-issued in compact disc format."