Anyone looking to get roused by the sheer possibilities of duo spontaneity in the outer reaches of the contemporary jazz realm should get acquainted with Old Stories, the brand spanking new 2CD set on Mahakala Music, featuring Chad Fowler on reeds (specifically the stritch and the saxello, both variations of the saxophone) and Matthew Shipp on piano, which releases on April 15. The discs contain 14 pieces (chapters, in fact), that range from raucous and scorching to lyrical in a manner that’s congruent with the sweet jazz root. Altogether, it’s 82 minutes of elevated communication (indeed, extemporaneous composition) complete with splendid cover art from painter Fred Stonehouse.
We will begin with Chad Fowler’s choice of instruments. Jazz aficionados, or at least those familiar with the music of Rahsaan Roland Kirk, will recognize the stritch, which is another name for a straight alto sax produced in the 1920s by the Buescher Band Instrument Company (less famously played by in the early 1960s by George Braith on recordings for Blue Note). The saxello, which is similar to the soprano sax, also dates from the ’20s, an instrument Kirk also played, though he called it a manzello.
The late multi-horn specialist David S. Ware also played the stritch and the saxello, a reality that brings us closer to the duo of Fowler and Matthew Shipp, as the pianist was long a part of Ware’s quartet. It’s through another member of Ware’s group, bassist William Parker, that Fowler and Shipp made their initial connection (Fowler has also played with Parker, and notably on the upcoming CD Sparks alongside pianist Eri Yamamoto and drummer Steve Hirsh, also on Mahakala Music).
The stritch and the saxello both possess a rawness of tone that enhances a bluesy sense of direction, of which Fowler is in command. He’s an Arkansas guy, correctly assessed by Shipp as having R&B in his background, and Fowler admits to playing in R&B bands in his younger days, with HI Records a part of his listening diet.
The mention of Ware resonates deeply across Old Stories, but not because he and Fowler sound alike. Rather, their individual styles spring forth from the same era of free jazz, namely the Fire Music scene of the 1960s. There is a ferociousness to Fowler’s playing that makes it easy to imagine him wailing from the stage at Slug’s Saloon in ’68 or thereabouts. In the album’s final chapter he explodes like a cross between Charles Gayle and Peter Brötzmann.
But arising frequently are beauty moves that underscore a connectedness to earlier forms, in this case Duke Ellington, a major influence on Shipp, as Fowler openly expresses his appreciation of Ellington’s saxophonist Johnny Hodges. This love of the jazz’s bedrock reinforces the relationship to Fire Music, as that generation of free players all possessed firm, unique grips on history as they barreled forth for the future.
Shipp is in typically exquisite form throughout Old Stories, reinforcing his stature as the music’s greatest pianist post-Cecil Taylor. Make no mistake; in 50 years’ time, people will be poring over the man’s voluminous discography, and this expansive set will be a sure source of wonder, its exchanges cohering into a grand statement in instant composition.
Chad Fowler and Matthew Shipp aren’t prodigies. Their music thrives on practice and more practice, alone and in communication with others, the recordings attaining their brilliance through tireless dedication. Then you show up and you just go for it, and sometimes, the results sound amazing. That’s the case with Old Stories.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A
