Bassist, composer and bandleader John Lindberg's most recent
CD is A Tree Frog Tonality, recorded during the group's Spring 2000 European
tour. It's a studio recording with trumpeter Leo Smith, reed player Larry
Ochs, and drummer Andrew Cyrille, all band leaders in their own right.
Lindberg played with the Human Arts Ensemble with Joseph Bowie and Charles
"Bobo" Shaw in 1978, played with Anthony Braxton from 1978-85, has
been a co-leader of the groundbreaking String Trio of New York since 1979,
and has been a leader of his own groups. Since 1981 he has recorded a series
of excellent albums for Black Saint records with top musicians such as George
Lewis, Barry Altschul, Dave Douglas, Albert Mangelsdorff and Ed Thigpen.
On his new CD, Lindberg has crafted a beautiful and subtle recording. The
album starts with the three-part "Thanksgiving Suite" in which Lindberg
(mainly on bowed bass) performs a duet with each member of the group: "At
Home" with Larry Ochs on soprano sax; "Mellot" with drummer
Andrew Cyrille; and "Dreaming At" with Leo Smith playing muted trumpet.
"Four Fathers" starts with a lyrical introduction, then gets more
swinging with propulsive drumming and some rich and melodic bass playing under
the independent voices of Ochs and Smith (with occasional distant echoes of
the classic Ornette Coleman/Don Cherry quartet). Lindberg takes a bass solo
while Cyrille strokes the drums, then the horns come in again, followed by
more of Lindberg's bass solo with percussion, and ends with a reprise of the
introduction. Lindberg's bass playing is excellent—he has full command
of the bass whether using a bow or his hands.
The melody on "Drifter" shifts from soprano sax to drums to trumpet.
A repeated section with accelerating tempo gives the piece momentum. On the
twelve minute long title track, "A Tree Frog Tonality," the quartet
gets more swinging—the deep rich sound of Lindberg's bass stands out,
as does Ochs's throaty tenor sax solo and Smith's trumpet solo. "Good
to Go" features the quartet with a melodic, catchy tune by Cyrille (all
the other compositions are by Lindberg), with Smith on muted trumpet and Cyrille
playing a shuffle pattern on the drums. The album ends with "Little m
and Big M," which has a bluesy tenor sax solo from Ochs.
The session is mysterious and haunting, which much emphasis on space, timbre
and dynamics. A Tree Frog Tonality gets richer and more enjoyable with each
listen.
— Alan Lankin, February 2001Release Date: 31 October 2000
A Treefrog Tonality (Between the Lines)
1. Thanksgiving Suite: I. At Home (5:29) / II. Mellow T. (7:26) / III. Dreaming
At... (5:40) / 2. Four Fathers (9:41) / 3. Drifter (5:47) / 4. A Tree Frog
Tonality (12:34) / 5. Good To Go (4:49) / 6. Little M and Big M (10:41)
Personnel:
Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet / Larry Ochs: sopranino, tenor saxophone / John
Lindberg: bass / Andrew Cyrille: drums
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