Chuck Owen and The Jazz Surge: Within Us
Summit Records

Florida-based Chuck Owen originally intended to use Milestones as the title for his ensemble's seventh album. After all, the release celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of his The Jazz Surge, coincides with his retirement from four decades of teaching at University of South Florida, and includes a cover of Miles Davis's well-known composition. Owen instead opted for Within Us, having been struck by a passage in Albert Camus' essay “Return to Tipasa” that—given it came from the writer of The Plague and The Outsider—is strikingly hopeful and uplifting (“In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love …”). As fine a choice as Milestones would have been, the resilience expressed in the text argues on behalf of the one selected. Of course “within me” was changed to the communal “us” to emphasize the collaborative aspect of Owen's project.

As it has with other artists, the global pandemic exerted a major impact on his recording plans. Yet while an initial date had to be reset, once the musicians convened for three days in May they dug into the bandleader's charts with the greatest possible fervour. The sheer joy of playing together couldn't help but galvanize the collective, and the sense of community that crystallized made the album title an all the more natural choice. And what a stellar band it is. Nineteen pieces strong, the ensemble includes musicians of renown, among them violinist Sara Caswell, pianist Per Danielsson, saxophonist Steve Wilson, drummer Danny Gottlieb, and, as guest soloist, vibraphonist Warren Wolf; amazingly, some players have been with the group since its self-titled 1996 debut. One of Owen's smartest moves was featuring Caswell prominently on a number of pieces. Her fabulous violin playing veritably soars across the breezy “Trail of the Ancients,” while the composition itself exudes a rather Pat Metheny-esque quality, helped in part by the drive the guitarist's one-time drummer Gottlieb contributes; note also the “Pinball Wizard”-styled acoustic guitar detail and the dynamic fours traded between Caswell and guitarist LaRue Nickelson. Granting violin a central role in the arrangements helps individuate Owen's band from others that favour woodwinds and horns exclusively.

Besides “Milestones,” the album includes another cover, Chick Corea's “Chelsea Shuffle,” which was originally going to feature the pianist until his passing forced a change of plan. Though Corea wasn't able to contribute to this swinging, high-energy take, Steve Wilson, who recorded and toured with him, adds a resonant soprano sax solo to the performance. Owen smartly weaves “Surge,” the first piece he wrote for the ensemble, into its funky rendering of “Milestones.” Bolstering its swing are strong turns by tenor saxist Jack Wilkins, trumpeter Clay Jenkins, and baritone saxist Matt Vance.

Shifting gears, “American Noir” calls to mind the soundtrack writing of Jerry Goldsmith and films such as Chinatown and Body Heat, the darker tone of the material Owen's response to the political state-of-things circa 2020. Alto saxist Tami Danielsson takes full advantage of the moment to grace the band's luscious playing with a romantic solo drenched in noir feeling. Originating out of Owen's concern for the environment, “Apalachicola” offers a sombre showcase for heartfelt expressions by Caswell and bluesy turns by Corey Christiansen and Tom Brantley on guitar and trombone, respectively. With vibraphonist Wolf at the forefront, “The Better Claim,” Owen's big band arrangement of the final movement of his 2013 five-part concerto River Runs, finds the group at its most orchestral, though individual expression is as artfully integrated here as it is elsewhere. At album's end, Danielsson elevates the title ballad with lovely playing, with a few trio-only moments evoking Keith Jarrett's unit, after which Rex Wertz does the same with a strong tenor sax contribution.

November 2021