Joe Santa Maria and David Tranchina

Oblique Rhyme

 Orenda

Though the two main artists are in the headline, this is not a duet album, Oblique Rhyme is a jazz quartet effort featuring saxophonist Joe Santa Maria, bassist David Tranchina, pianist Gary Fukushima, and drummer Colin Woodford. All are L.A.-based players and friends that have played across multiple genres, some engaged in films as well.  I did a double take when seeing Fukushima’s name as he is also a reputable jazz journalist who coincidentally wrote the liners for another saxophone led group by Jordan VanHemert, also releasing this week and reviewed herein.

The four set out not to just display their considerable chops; they’ve done that in many settings. They were after something deeper, more soulful, and more personal. Hence, the album is far more edgy than smooth (thankfully). They burst out of the gate explosively, Santa Maria’s tenor leading the way through the aggressive, edgy “War Crimes,” based in part on Ornette Coleman’s angular approach with touches of funk to give it a more contemporary edge. Santa Maria was after an agitated texture that reflects the chaotic balance of our current political and social state. Fukushima brings start-stop rhythms to his solo, before passing the baton to Tranchina for a robust pizzicato run before the trio gives room to Woodford on the eights to close it out emphatically.

Tranchina’s ballad “Hidden Lake’ goes in the opposite direction, far more tranquil but also highly improvised in the middle section, as Santa Maria takes to soprano, still playing aggressively, considering the heart of the tune is a ballad. It’s named for the street where Tranchina grew up in Forestville,  Sonoma County, apparently a well-known hippie enclave. This mood is extended into Santa Maria’s “Mood of Ming,” part of a series of compositions he calls ‘camp songs” that reflect his love of the natural environments. Described as meditative in the promotional notes, to these ears it comes off as vibrant and inspired. “Prism” is another of his ‘camp songs.’ What begins with a see-saw like melody gets embellished through layered polyrhythms and triplets that move around amorphously.

Santa Maria and Tranchina are not the only two composers, as the other two members contribute as well. Fukushima’s “Sum Thymes” was written for this album and this specific group of players and moves into a highly improvised free jazz piece. The piano and drums are linked in a rather complex pattern while the tenor and bass trade melodic lines with each other in a convivial dialogue. Woodford composed arguably the most straight ahead piece, having Herbie Hancock in mind as he wrote“This Must Be for You.” Santa aMaria and Fukushima both play remarkably tenderly, a major contrast to their vigor on the previous cuts but the fire remains, it just glowing more like embers in this context. The bassist follows suit.

Tranchina’s “Ambient Ambiance” is in 5/4 and features Fukushima employing electronics, creating haunting sounds on his synthesizer and Rhodes as the major soloist along with Santa Maria improvising around the melody, still on soprano and still spiraling and reaching outward. Tranchina’s closer “Picking Up the Pieces’ couldn’t be more different as he turns to a walking bassline and a bluesy melody that allows Santa Maria to conjure the old school tenor sound, somewhat reminiscent of those soul-jazz Blue Note albums of the late’50s and early ‘60s. Sandwiched in between is a tune, inspired by an unusual idea, Santa Maria’s “Caricature,” the only tune where he plays alto. The tune only has melody, no harmony. The angular, Ornette-like music itself isn’t odd it all, and is every bit inspired as the others. It’s what it’s supposed to represent that is striking.  Santa Maria says, “This composition is about going to a carnival and having somebody draw a picture of you that looks nothing like you, or it’s exposing features of you that you don’t even notice yourself. It’s supposed to entertain other people and maybe embarrass you a little bit. I wanted to capture that feeling.”

 The foursome clearly achieved their goal of deep, edgy, and personal. Oblique Rhyme moves through a series of moods and stays consistently inspired throughout, regardless of composer.  It’s a nice balance of ‘in’ and ‘out.’

– Jim Hynes

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