GEOF BRADFIELD, MYRA MELFORD, BEN GOLDBERG, DANA HALL

OPEN OR CLOSE

Calligram Records

Geof Bradfield, tenor & soprano saxophones/bass clarinet/composer; Ben Goldberg, clarinet/contra alto clarinet/composer; Myra Melford, piano/composer; Dana Hall, drums/cymbals/composer.

“Open or Close” is a composition by Ornette Coleman, as well as the title of this album. All four players on this project are a part of the experimental, Avant-garde jazz community. Similar to Ornette Coleman, they enjoy stretching the edges of any box to the ultimate rhombus. Their unison theme is tight, then suddenly elastic.

First of all, the instrumentation is unique. Often what would be bass lines are interpreted by the contra alto clarinet of Goldberg. Myra Melford has composed Track #2 called “A Line With a Mind of its Own.”  She’s an explosive pianist, who fell in love with the instrument at age three and never looked back. She has deep roots in “boogie woogie” and Bach. At college, she was hypnotized by the music of Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman. So much so that she switched her major from Environmental Science to Music.

This second song is arranged to showcase Dana Hall’s drums, along with the unique counter-melodic piano melody. Harmonizing horns weave in and out throughout this arrangement, with the drums pounding like a sewing machine needle. Hall stitches my attention into place.

I enjoyed the Bradfield composition called “No Brand.”  Goldberg walks his contra alto clarinet beneath Bradfield’s melodic structure. While Hall pumps the drums, Bradfield’s tenor saxophone sings like a wild bird. This quickly becomes one of my favorites on this unique album. His composition is somewhat of a tribute to pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, whose work has greatly influenced Bradfield.

Ben Goldberg has contributed a couple of tunes to the project: “Study of the Blues” and “Three Ingredients.”   The latter has a lovely melodic structure. Both arrangements feature Goldberg and Bradfield (clarinet and tenor shine on “Study of the Blues”). They branch off to contra alto clarinet and bass clarinet on the second original composition by Goldberg. Ben says Lightin’ Hopkins is one of his greatest influences, although I don’t really hear that in these arrangements. Still, I love the low-toned instrumentation on “Three Ingredients.”

Myra Melford offers her original composition, “The Kitchen” to this project.  Dana Hall opens the tune with a flurry of rhythms and drum brilliance.  The horns slap their harmonics inside the drum rolls, finally settling the rhythm down so that Bradfield and Goldberg can explore their improvisations. Myra’s piano parts flutter and fly with fingers that seem to have wings. This becomes another favorite.

They close with the drummer’s original composition titled, “Aargh.”  This one is no nonsense bebop with shades of Thelonious Monk influence.  It becomes another favorite tune of mine.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

Subscribe to Our Newsletter