Avram Fefer Quartet: Testament
Clean Feed Records

Avram Fefer's seen and done much during his tenure as a jazz artist. The saxophonist's been part of the New York scene for a quarter of a century and has played with a number of jazz greats, Sunny Murray, Archie Shepp, and David Murray among them. A man of omnivorous musical appetites, Fefer's played in bands ranging in size from two to thirty musicians and helms a number of electric and acoustic outfits, the Quartet but one outlet for his musical expression. Yet while he's comfortable in any number of contexts, from avant funk to modern jazz, Testament locates itself solidly in the latter category, even if rhythmically it ranges widely.

Five of its eight tracks have been previously recorded, but the material feels entirely fresh in this unit's hands. Certainly one explanation for that is the involvement of guitarist Marc Ribot, who joins the leader and his trio partners of long-standing, acoustic bassist Eric Revis and drummer Chad Taylor. Though Fefer's performed with Ribot before, Testament is their first recording together. The quartet's playing is very much of the take-no-prisoners variety, all four roaring with conviction and pushing the intensity level to the max.

The leader's partners bring a wide variety of associations to the date, Revis with the Branford Marsalis Quartet, Taylor a co-founder of the Chicago Underground ensembles, and Ribot a veteran of countless sessions with figures such as John Zorn and Elvis Costello, and consequently can handle anything thrown their way. Fefer's connection to Revis and Taylor extends back many years. The saxophonist met Revis in 1996, who then played on Fefer's 2001 trio set Calling All Spirits. Taylor joined Revis and Fefer for 2011's Eliyahu and 2009's Ritual, and the chemistry the three developed remains in place on Testament; if anything, Ribot pushes that rapport to an enthrallingly higher level.

While not perhaps stylistically representative of the album, the opening bebop exercise “Dean St. Hustle” nevertheless captures the players' chemistry. After the thematic statement, Fefer's husky tenor wail appears first, with the others generating a cauldron of fire around him. Ribot's as-engaged turn reveals him to be an able partner to the leader, the guitarist's contribution egged on by tumultuous backing from Taylor and Revis. “African Interlude” brings with it, naturally, a different rhythmic feel, this one a lilting, 3/4 groove whose chant-like flow incites enticing unison playing from the front-liners. An ever-ebullient Fefer floods the space with full-throated outpourings, his passion equaled by Ribot's articulations, clean one moment and funky and raw the next. The only non-Fefer track is Taylor's supplicating “Song For Dyani,” which initially opts for soothing, rubato-styled expressions before shifting midway into a singing, African-inflected pulse.

A loping bass figure grounds “Magic Mountain,” which sees the quartet alternating between trippy Afro-funk and freeform jazz breakdowns. Ribot ventures into blues and rock during his solo, the guitarist surrendering to his muse so thoroughly the outpouring at times feels like an out-of-body experience. Without being any less voluble than he is elsewhere, Fefer brings a smooth attack to “Essaouira,” whose 3/4 lilt unfurls breezily in a manner consistent with the image of the Moroccan port city cited in its title. Interestingly, the title track recalls Song X, not in its conceptual daring but in its configuration and attack. The spiraling melody that introduces “Testament” (which Fefer apparently wrote in homage to Ornette Coleman) evokes the earlier album's “Endangered Species,” as does the very Coleman-esque alto wail from Fefer that follows. On this track especially, Ribot's playing is considerably harder than Pat Metheny's, which on Song X ranges from delicate to aggressive; Ribot's in full typhoon mode, however.

November 2019