Reviews
Where Text and Music Intersect
Lewis Jordan and Music at Large
Jordan is a poet, actor, playwright, and commanding saxophonist who combines a deep feel for the blues with abiding ties to jazz’s ancient-to-the-future avant-garde.
He has long explored the intersection of text and music. Moving between muscular alto and surging baritone sax, he’s a master at facilitating a seamless flow from spoke word settings to full-throttle instrumental improvisation. Over the years, he’s honed his theatrical musical vision in collaboration with an interdisciplinary array of heavyweights, such as Brenda Wong Aoki, Anthony Braxton, Danny Glover, devorah major, James Newton, Ntozake Shange, and Cecil Taylor.
—Andrew Gilbert, The Oaklandside & The Monthly
Recommended: Lewis Jordan and Music at Large
this is where i came in
This is old-school music from back when it was new school. The blues are an ever-present force for expressing joy and pain, but they are rarely conjured up with conventional means or spoken with an ordinary voice. There are shouts and drawls and sighs. Sounds are warped and sometimes it feels like the center of this album will not hold. There is a sense of laughter. Lewis Jordan‘s wonderful this is where i came in brings together inside-out jazz, spoken word and modern groove. His Music at Large sextet is comprised half by wind instruments, and the saxophonist layers their wild, unkempt strands of melody into patterns altogether fascinating. He doesn’t mind when electric guitar burns a path right though it. The bass and drums duo seems to shape the tempo with a cryptic algorithm based on predictive modeling… except when they’re digging deep into a groove. The transition between instrumental tracks and those with spoken word is an ebb and flow affecting both lyrical delivery and emotional impact. They both feed one into the other, amplifying the strengths of one another. And there isn’t a moment on this album that isn’t fun.
Your album personnel: Lewis Jordan (alto & baritone saxophones, voice), David Boyce (tenor & soprano saxophones), Ian Carey (trumpet), Karl Evangelista (electric guitar), Ollen Erich Hunt (acoustic & electric basses) and Jimmy Biala (drums, percussion).
—Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm
Lewis Jordan and Music at Large
this is where i came in
Lewis Jordan is both an adventurous alto and baritone-saxophonist and a poet. He creates poetic music along with poetry that has the improvised feeling of jazz. Perhaps best-known outside of San Francisco for his work with the United Front, a quartet with trumpeter George Sams in the 1980s, Jordan has performed along the way with such notables as Anthony Braxton, Mark Izu, Jon Jang, James Newton and Cecil Taylor among many others.
this is where i came in features Jordan both as a musician and a poet. He is joined by guitarist Karl Evangelista, bassist Erich Hunt, drummer Jimmy Biala and, on five of the ten selections, David Boyce on soprano and tenor, and trumpeter Ian Carey. With one exception, all of the music is comprised of Lewis Jordan originals.
The opener, “Collage,” features Jordan on alto with the rhythm section. The ensemble piece has a witty beginning and colorful rhythmic lines that are the basis for the work. “civilization/osmosis” introduces the full group. The horns introduce the theme a capella before jamming over some avant-funk rhythms. Boyce on soprano plays some particularly heated ideas.
“united states” utilizes a militaristic theme and rhythm between ensembles that are at various times thoughtful, quietly disturbing, and free. Guitarist Evangelista adds a lot of fire and color to the music.
“if i were king,” the first of the six pieces that have Jordan’s poetry, features him discussing a few of the things that he would do if he ruled the world. “The Fantasy’s All Mine” is a tribute to Lester Bowie, particularly his Brass Fantasy group. It includes some spirited playing by Jordan and Evangelista over a funky background. Another tribute, “Heaven’s Bells,” perfectly brings back the sound and style of Albert Ayler, combining together a folk melody with some adventurous improvising.
Lewis Jordan switches to baritone on “Splow,” a combination of three Charles Tyler compositions that range from the swinging “Lacy’s Out East” to the outside sound explorations of “Surf Ravin.”
The remaining three pieces put the focus on Jordan’s voice and poetry. “people i don’t like” includes some rockish guitar that emphasizes some of the composer’s points; “Preaching To The Choir” (which talks about the importance of unity, being well organized and speaking one’s mind) has the band utilizing churchlike harmonies in a loose celebratory manner; while “To Those Born Later” (which includes some thoughts from Bertolt Brecht) has a thoughtful bass pattern and some wailing guitar.
this is where i came in is an excellent showcase for the multi-talented Lewis Jordan, making one look forward to his future projects.
—Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian and author of 11 books including The Great Jazz Guitarists, Jazz On Film & Jazz On Record 1917-76