Troy Collins reviews Pluto Junkyard for AAJ. Click the link to read the whole thing.
Lucky 7′s | Pluto Junkyard:
“Eschewing conventional AABA forms and head-solo-head structures, these episodic tunes feature an array of advanced compositional devices. Shifting tempos, fluctuating rhythms and unexpected bridges, turnarounds and codas yield a string of dynamic mood changes. Vibrant bouts of controlled collective improvisation and effusive unaccompanied horn cadenzas materialize repeatedly throughout the album, revealing conceptual parallels between Chicago-based, AACM-oriented free improvisation and New Orleans-styled polyphony.”
jazzword.com:
“Moving down south from Ninth Avenue to the Ninth Ward, Jeff Albert’s trick bag opens up wide enough to expose a series of the trombonist’s quirkily titled compositions. Most are performed with a sort of jerky and jokey unison between Albert’s trombone double-tonguing and slurs and Ray Moore’s slithery and slippery alto saxophone timbres. Albert’s low blats usually limn the melody while Moore’s sharp trills decorate them – or the process is reversed. Bassist Tommy Sciple walks convincingly, while drummer Dave Cappello’s breaks sometime function as a third lead voice.
Albert, who has backed Crescent City R&B journeymen such as George Porter and Deacon John, is also linked to the newest generation of Windy City improvisers, with his post-Hurricane Katrina-organized Lucky7s band, co-lead by fellow vale-pumper Jeb Bishop and otherwise staffed by Chicagoans.
Here, a piece like ‘Bag Full of Poboys’ is the most New Orleans-like in its grooves, with an in-the-pocket beat and the trombonist and altoist involved in searing double counterpoint. Staying down-and-dirty at the same time as it progresses, the piece allows Albert to let loose with brays, slurs and purrs, while just before Moore fractures the theme with altissimo runs, Cappello’s cymbal action and drags confirm the rhythm.
Not every tune is andante and staccato, however. ‘Subtle Flower’, for instance, is an intricate ballad. Slowly fertilizing the bloom, the two horn men’s timbres often intertwine, although each is playing a different melody. Moore moves from mid-range to whistling chirps that ascend to higher pitches, while Albert blows blurry, buzzy modulations.
Sometimes the piece takes on a vaguely oriental feel as with ‘Rookie Cyclist’. Steadily pumped and goosed by Cappello’s ruffs and bumps, the theme gives Albert a chance to showcase a wide-ranging collection of grace notes à la Roswell Rudd, and reed-biting Moore the place to assay rough Archie Shepp-like runs.”
I was interviewed by Jason Crane for his podcast “The Jazz Session.” Click the link below to visit The Jazz Session site and hear the interview.
The Jazz Session » The Jazz Session #62: Jeff Albert
Peter Margasak reviewed Similar in the Opposite Way as part of his Chicago Reader preview of our performance at The Hungry Brain on June 14, 2009.
Engines, Jeff Albert Quartet | Hungry Brain | Chicago Reader:
“Even before Katrina, Albert was working to absorb the influence of free jazz—a genre that rarely takes root in his hometown, with its tradition of celebratory street-parade and dance-band jazz—and the prevalence of those more abstract strains in the Chicago scene has had an unmistakable influence on the excellent new album by his New Orleans quartet. The tunes on Similar in the Opposite Way (Fora Sound), all Albert originals, burst with energy and ideas: the players embrace their New Orleans heritage with wonderful multi linear improvisation that’s reminiscent of Dixieland-style simultaneous soloing, even as they explore the sort of less structured postbop that’s popular with Chicago’s Umbrella Music community. Albert has a wonderfully fat, buttery tone and a highly melodic style; drummer Dave Cappello and bassist Tommy Sciple make for a limber, funky rhythm section; and saxophonist Ray Moore is not only an excellent foil for Albert but also a forceful, inventive soloist in his own right. “
Summer Love from Clean Feed:
“One of the more electrifying bands recording today…”
“…displays the ability to traverse multiple styles, emotions, and volumes. All supremely entertaining.”
Sunday June 14, 2009 Event of Centerstage Chicago – Chicago City Life in Chicago, Illinois:
“Bringing improvisation to the traditional sounds of his native city, New Orleans trombonist/composer Jeff Albert combines bits of swing, groove and funk with the clashing rhythms and melodies that define much of the Chicago improv-jazz sound. Albert’s quartet stays musically modest via its arrangement of saxophone, bass and drums, which leads to moments of accessibility and beauty on the group’s new album, Similar in the Opposite Way. Albert also is a member of cross-country collaboration The Lucky 7s, which features a horn-heavy frontline and fellow trombonist Jeb Bishop, a key cog of the night’s second band, The Engines. A sonically diverse mix of nimble runs and subdued tones, The Engines has a new album, Wire and Brass, out on Okkadisk this month. (Scott Morrow)”
