Misterioso

Description

Over the course of their respectively stellar careers, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Mark Turner and Orlando le Fleming have each brought their wide-ranging musicality and powerful musical imagination to a plethora of different projects that encompass all the variety and progressive excitement of contemporary jazz. Yet at the heart of their music-making is their deep understanding of the essential verities of this music, as established by the long tradition of the masters. This new vinyl-only issue of Misterioso presents three master musicians exploring the heart of that tradition - free-flowing collective improvisation over the standard repertoire, all captured in glorious sound quality exactly as it went down on the day, with no overdubs or edits. Tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, drummer Jeff 'Tain' Watts and bassist Orlando le Fleming are all equally renowned as leaders and composers, and all three occupy the same rarefied space at the pinnacle of jazz practice, but each approaches the music in their own very different, utterly unique ways. The music that the trio captured on that day resonates with all the depth of their shared understanding of the deep legacy, while simultaneously coming alive with each musician's unique, innovative personality. Misterioso is no exercise in nostalgia, nor does it seek novelty for its own sake - it's the sound of three true artists, fully in the moment, striking a perfect balance between old and new.

The project arose from a spontaneous sense of mutual admiration. "I'd played a lot with Tain in his bands, and with Mark as well, and each of them had said to me that they'd love to play with the other." remembers Orlando. "I was the common link so I booked a gig at Small's with them both, and it clicked so well that Mark suggested that we take it into the studio. We had a rehearsal to work over some ideas and then went in." All the tunes were standards or contrafacts on familiar tunes, with a modern standard by Tom Harrell added at Mark's suggestion, and the arrangements were deliberately kept open and not overly complicated "I'm wary of over-complicating already beautiful melodies. This is the music as we learned it on the bandstand, everyone listening, taking risks." The iconic Monk theme that provides the title track gets a stripped-down treatment that leads into a deep blues with solos from Mark and Orlando that are steeped in the language while finding something new to say. 'Yesterdays' sounds completely at ease over an odd-number meter that provokes a deeply satisfying set of melodic improvisations from the trio. Trane's 'Lazy Bird' starts with an unaccompanied exploration by Mark that segues into a joyful calypso and then into a blazing workout by all three players, at the top of their respective games. The foundational post-bop document 'Countdown' is the starting point for more invigorating up-tempo swing that climaxes in a powerhouse statement from Tain, while by contrast Tom Harrell's 'Sunday' brings a down-home Gospel feeling to proceedings. 'Oraeze Nri' and 'Dingle Dangle' are a pair of contrafacts by Mark and Tain respectively, showcasing their different personalities: Mark's uniquely laid back sophistication and Tain's irrepressible humor both find the perfect supportive partner in Orlando's peerless basslines.

This is a captivating document of a meeting of three of the greatest practitioners of contemporary jazz, poised and effortless but full of surprises. "I believe Mark and Jeff have found that mysterious beauty, the perfect balance." says Orlando. "Their playing effortlessly embodies the most profound elements of the past with the discerning innovations of today. These are living legends and their playing will stand the test of time."