Anna Webber: Idiom
Pi Recordings

Anna Webber is nominally a jazz artist and instrumentalist, yet the forward-thinking character of her audacious double-CD set Idiom sees her comfortably straddling jazz and classical realms, the former in the freewheeling flexibility of the musicians' performances and the latter in the recording's emphasis on complex notated material. It's telling that for the large ensemble pieces she uses the words interlude and movement as building blocks for the titles. Stunning levels of invention, imagination, and originality inform the release, which is performed with zeal by two ensembles, a trio on the first CD and a thirteen-member collective (including conductor) on the second. Any listener whose taste gravitates in the direction of Anthony Braxton and Henry Threadgill will assuredly want to sample Idiom.

It features no small amount of Webber's tenor saxophone and flute playing, but it's not a blowing exercise. Even in the trio performances, the focus is as much on formal structure as self-expression. Over and over, the listener is captivated by her daring compositional ideas and the dedication with which the musicians render the material into physical form. The visceral punch of the performances makes for intoxicating listening, no matter the complexity of the writing.

Six pieces are presented, five on disc one and a multi-part opus on the second, with each setting grounded in a specific woodwind extended technique, be it multiphonics, overblowing, alternate fingerings, or whatever. Compositions were built upon these foundations, with Webber shaping the material in accordance with the ensemble's instrumentation. The opening disc pairs her with partners of many years' standing, drummer John Hollenbeck and pianist Matt Mitchell. The second features Idiom VI, an hour-long piece spread across seven parts and scored for woodwinds, horns, strings, synthesizer, bass, and drums, with Eric Wubbels conducting and trumpeter Adam O'Farrill, cellist Mariel Roberts, bassist Nick Dunston, and drummer Satoshi Takeishi among those taking part.

Dazzle sets in early when the trio opener “Idiom I” begins its eleven-minute ride with a dizzying, vertigo-inducing flute pattern, its cyclical arc punctuated by monotone piano accents and intricate drum counterpoint. Needless to say, it's light years removed from traditional jazz swing, so anyone looking for a Webber cover of “I'll Remember April” or the like is in the wrong place. Even with a mere three instruments in play, she treats the material like a through-composed work that just happens to be performed by jazz players as opposed to classical trio. Improvisation is still part of the mix, however, with Webber judiciously working into the arrangement moments that allow for free expression. Switching to tenor, she engages ponderously with her partners for the brooding cubism of “Idiom IV,” all three again precisely executing as if in accordance with notated charts before Webber loosens the reins with a scalding solo. The trio caps the disc with the kinetic punch of “Idiom III,” which finds the three roaring through groove-powered terrain whose funky feel's repeatedly sideswiped by abrupt time shifts and churning figures.

The large ensemble disc is no less daring, with Webber boldly re-imagining how a collective of its size might sound. In “Movement I,” a softly buzzing swarm is peppered by shrieks before a lumbering groove calls forth a synth-generated blizzard from Liz Kosack. Perpetuating that tone, “Interlude 1” coalesces into a web of spidery strands, after which “Movement II” moves into Threadgill-like territory when string plucks, flute, horns, and drums call to mind albums such as Song Out of My Trees and Makin' A Move. Whereas trombonist Jacob Garchik enlivens the foreboding “Movement II” with his presence, O'Farrill does something similar during the becalmed opening minutes of “Interlude 2 & Movement III.” Elsewhere, Dunston, hornist David Byrd-Marrow, and contra-alto clarinetist Yuma Uesaka make memorable statements, with Webber naturally granting the participants many opportunities to shine. Whether it was structured with the idea in mind or not, Idiom would lend itself naturally to an in-concert presentation with the large ensemble material following the trio set after a breath-catching intermission.

June 2021