Andy Baker: From Here, From There
Calligram Records
Andy Baker's Calligram Records debut, From Here, From There, was recorded at Chicago's Transient Sound but in content, pacing, and duration plays like the quintessential jazz club set. With the trombonist joined by trumpeter Russ Johnson, bassist Clark Sommers, and drummer Dana Hall, the chordless quartet works its way through four Baker originals and covers of standards by Bernice Petkere (“Close Your Eyes”), Hoagy Carmichael (“Skylark” ), and Billy Strayhorn (“A Flower is a Lovesome Thing”) on the hour-long release. The strong connection the four clearly share is attributable in part to the fact that all are vets of the Chicago music scene, Baker having moved to the city from London in 2001.
“Close Your Eyes” establishes the engaging tone immediately with a hard-bop take on Petkere's standard, Baker swinging mightily and the others following suit. Conceived as a tribute to the late Roy Hargrove (with whom the trombonist played), the performance is powered with Sommers' unerring bass lines and frothy drive by Hall. Stepping up after the leader is Johnson, who brings his customary florid and assured self to the proceedings. Echoing the opening statement, “Close Your Eyes” registers as a natural live opener for how imposingly it establishes the quartet's tight interplay and the talents of each participant.
A tad more relaxed is Baker's titular composition, which settles into place with a breezy, somewhat Latin-tinged groove. As he does throughout the album, Baker asserts himself with authority, his full, refined attack a pleasure to listen to. Johnson complements him excellently with playing that's as adventurous and imaginative. Baker's “Kaper,” by comparison, burns with single-minded fury, its momentum bolstered by the fabulous tag-team of Sommers and Hall, whose free-bop groove pushes the horn players to ever-greater heights. Evoking the image of camels trudging slowly across the desert, “Softly,” on the other hand, sees Baker indulging a mellower side in a performance that may be calm and serene but not lacking for incident or activity.
A soul-funk pattern by Sommers initiates “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing” that Hall expands on with a smooth Afro-Cuban pulse. The horn players take to it like a duck to you-know-what and indulge in tasty back-and-forth before embarking on solo statements, Johnson blustery and Baker probing. The absence of a piano grants the four more space to move elastically within it, stretch the material in any number of ways, and be individually responsive to the directions the other players pursue. Hear, for example, how effortlessly Hall turns the beat around at one moment before trading solos with Sommers.
With the bassist his sole accompanist, Baker digs into the familiar melodies from “Skylark” with gusto and riffs on them too without losing the plot, so to speak, in the process. Behind every elaboration, the song remains audible, and Sommers carries that over into his solo. Titled after British saxophonist Russell van den Berg, an early inspiration of Baker's, “Blues for VDB” lives up to its billing with a swinging and punchy take all engage with spiritedly. Things turn slinky for the Horace Silver-styled closer “The State of the Estate” to take the set out on an infectiously rousing note.
From Here, From There is Baker's date, of course, but he spotlights his partners generously throughout; one would expect Johnson to share much of the solo opportunities with the leader, but Sommers and Hall are featured prominently in that regard too. Needless to say, one's appreciation for each participant is enhanced as a result. Produced by Baker, the album was recorded in August 2018, and for whatever reason six years elapsed between the sessions and its release. Quality never goes out of style, however, and the quartet's high-level playing and satisfying set-list make the date sound as fresh as one laid down yesterday.November 2024