David Liebman (Sopran- und Tenorsaxofon)
Vic Juris (akustische und elektrische Gitarre)
Tony Marino (Kontrabass)
Marko Marcinko (Schlagzeug)
in Kooperation mit dem Jazzclub Linz
David Liebman aus Brooklyn gilt längst als der tonangebende Sopransaxofon-Stilist in der Coltrane-Nachfolge. Als Tenorsaxofonist fühlt er sich der großen Tradition verpflichtet, durchaus auch im Sinne eines Rollins. In den späten 1960er Jahren trat er als Free-Spieler auf New Yorks Loft-Szene hervor, um 1970 fusionierte er Jazz und Rock, anschließend betrieb er bis 1973 im Quintett von Elvin Jones eine Bebop-Erneuerung. Teils parallel dazu gehörte er bis 1974 zur Crew des Miles Davis. Anschließend formierte er sein „Lookout Farm“-Quartett, 1978 dann mit Terumasa Hino und John Scofield ein Quintett, mit dem er sich erstmals in Linz vorstellte. Mit seinem Duo-Partner Richie Beirach gründete er 1982 die Gruppe „Quest“. Dieser folgte dann 1991 die Dave Liebman Group, die mit wechselnden Besetzungen bis heute besteht.
Und seit vielen Jahren macht Liebman auch immer wieder Musik mit europäischen Partnern, etwa mit den Österreichern Harry Pepl oder Wolfgang Reisinger. Der Ehrendoktor der Sibelius-Musikakademie Helsinki wirkt längst weltweit auch als bedeutender Jazz-Pädagoge und verfasste wichtige Lehrwerke.
CD-Tipp: David Liebman Group | BLUES ALL WAYS | Omnitone
„This out-of-caracter willingness to produce the unexpected shows that in spite of conventional manners, Liebman sustains the impulses of a committed, ever-searching improviser.“ (Jazz World)
„While the blues is one of the clearest roots of conventional jazz tradition, few but saxophonist David Liebman could release an album that covers as many stylistic bases as Blues All Ways.
There’s good reason why Liebman can create a blues homage ranging from the 7/4 Memphis shuffle of „Elvis the Pelvis“ and lithe, harmonically sophisticated swinger „Down Time“ to the ethereal „Riz’s Blues“quartet. With a quartet with this much shared history, the saxophonist has a lean but highly flexible unit that can not only handle anything he throws at it, but can lob more than a few surprises back at him. Any release from this group is worth hearing but Blues All Ways, like the largely undiscovered masterpiece Conversation (Sunnyside, 2003), stands out amongst its growing discography.
A quick look at Liebman’s forty-year career reveals a player for whom there’s nothing not worth pursuing. From free-flowing acoustic duets with pianist Marc Copland to the dense jungle funk of Miles Davis’1970s fusion, Liebman’s ability to thread a stylistically multifaceted needle with a personal approach that combines the expressionism of John Coltrane with a more concise focus makes him not just the most accomplished soprano saxophonist alive today, but an equal threat on tenor as well.
He’s also got a sense of humor, opening the rocking „Elvis the Pelvis“ with the most bluesy wood flute you’ll ever hear; trading licks in free time with Vic Juris’gritty electric guitar before the group settles into a definitive shuffle. Even when this quartet kicks out the jams there’s greater depth to the harmonies as it straddles the line between rock attitude and jazz complexity.
As visceral as Liebman is, the underappreciated Juris is equally compelling a guitarist who, like Liebman, is predictable only in his unpredictability. Even when soloing with a mix of imaginative lines and self-accompanying chords, the injection of a brief series of Lenny Breau-informed harmonics here or a touch of flamenco finger-picking there make it clear just how broad his reach is. Juris also contributes two compositions to this largely Liebman-penned set: the Eddie Harris-like soul/jazz of „Compared to Who“ and the metrically challenging „Blues Tripper“ which proves him a textural equal to the better-known Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Bill Frisell.
Throughout, bassist Tony Marino and drummer Marko Marcinko handle the shifting landscape with commitment and credibility. Neither gets much solo space, but their keen intuition and flexible grooves make them as vital to the group as Liebman and Juris.
An ambling „Bessie’s Blues“ by Coltrane, closes the album in more conventional territory, but Juris‘ combination of bluesy bends and outr © lines, alongside Liebman’s mix of bebop phrases and occasional screams, makes this a valuable take on this often-covered standard.
Liebman couldn’t have picked a better title than Blues All Ways – an album that proves that even the simplest of premises has infinite potential in the hands of a group that’s this well-connected and stylistically unfettered.“
(John Kelman / All About Jazz)
