Geof Bradfield: Colossal Abundance
Calligram Records
After investing considerable energy into getting their Chicago-based imprint Calligram Records up and running, Geof Bradfield and Chad McCullough are now jointly stepping out with albums of their own, the trumpeter's in these hills, beyond and the tenor saxophonist's Colossal Abundance, both sets reminders of how substantial the label-runners are as artists. How could Bradfield's, his tenth as a leader, not be terrific? He's surrounded by first-call musicians such as Greg Ward (alto sax), Anna Webber (flutes, tenor sax), and Ben Goldberg (clarinets) in an ensemble that's for the most part a twelvetet; plus the set-list augments Bradfield originals with covers of material by Henry Threadgill, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, and Jaki Byard. Rounding out the ensemble are trumpeters Russ Johnson and Derrick Gardner, trombonist Norman Palm, French hornist Momo Hasselbring Seko, guitarist Scott Hesse, drummer Dana Hall, bassist Clark Sommers, and percussionist Greg Beyer.
Enhancing the project's appeal, the music expands on the contemporary jazz idiom with the incorporation of African elements. Bradfield's no dilettante superficially aping the country's native sounds but rather someone whose fascination with the mbira began during a 2008 Zimbabwe tour and subsequent studies with mbira masters at home and in rural Mhondoro. Consequently, the inclusion of African rhythms and percussion on Colossal Abundance feels legitimate. Not only does the album begin by featuring Bradfield's mbira and Beyer's berimbau in a entrancing duo performance of the traditional Shona song “Mahororo,” the African vibe continues into a towering version of Coltrane's “Lonnie's Lament” featuring swaying African rhythms and hypnotic full-band counterpoint (tellingly, Bradfield says of the treatment, “I imagined the ensemble as one huge mbira”). As happens throughout the set, solo episodes are integrated thoughtfully into the arrangements. Hesse is first up with his fluid turn followed by a blistering, Coltrane-evoking statement from the leader and a characteristically dazzling one from the always-fabulous Ward. Ultimately, the makeover's so dramatic, the original's almost unrecognizable.
A serious album theme's in play having to do with the juxtaposition of obscene wealth enjoyed by a few and the abject poverty suffered by many, but the dominant focal points are the programme and the performances. Having issued seven years ago Yes, and... music for nine improvisers, Bradfield's no novice when it comes to managing large ensembles. If the musicians sound comfortable together, it's perhaps partially explained by the fact that many have worked together before. Ward and Webber appear on the leader's 2017 release, for example, while Johnson, Hall, Sommers, and Hesse are on Bradfield's Quaver.
One of the album's standout exercises in seduction is “Tuku” for the soulful allure of its mbira-enhanced, African-tinged groove and florid solo statements by Gardner, Ward, and, against a serene half-time backdrop, Bradfield. He shifts to bass clarinet for “Kaleidoscope,” which engages for the hypnotic effect of its cyclical patterns and Webber's acrobatic flute. With marimba as accompaniment, Sommers introduces the meditative “Requiem” with a strong statement before the ensemble playing intensifies in keeping with a piece written in remembrance of lives lost in the war in Gaza.
Two tributes to Charlie Parker's mother appear, Bradfield's “Adelaide Bailey” and “Mrs. Parker of K. C.” by the great Charles Mingus pianist Byard. The former swings breezily whilst giving the stage to a contra-alto clarinet-wielding Goldberg and voluble Johnson. The latter flows breezily too when buoyed by Hall's smooth pulse and Hesse's fleet-fingered attack. Bradfield delves into the jazz history books for a rousing treatment of “United,” an early Shorter composition originally recorded by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, and “Bermuda Blues” from Threadgill's 1986 Sextett release You Know the Number. The latter's particularly audacious for being recast as a Caribbean-flavoured dub-reggae workout whose tight groove'll have you thinking immediately of The Wailers' bass-and-drum brothers Aston "Family Man" and Carlton Barrett. Even if a minute or two could have been shaved off the performance, it's still a gripping treatment for how well the tune lends itself it to the reimagining.
In scope and duration, Colossal Abundance is the kind of release that lends itself perfectly to a double-vinyl presentation (an option the label has, in fact, made available) when the ten tracks gather so naturally into four groups. That format also complements the material in encouraging the listener to absorb ithe content more leisurely than in one large gulp. Yet even when listened to in its CD presentation, this ever-scenic travelogue never fails to impress and engage. As logistically challenging as it no doubt is to convene twelve players for a recording session (this one spread across two June 2023 days in Chicago), Bradfield's efforts were amply rewarded in this case.September 2024