Photo: Chris Weiss
Andrew Lamb first caught my attention with his passionate New Orleans Suite — still in my estimation one of the most poignant musical documents of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating aftermath — but this saxophonist and flautist has practicing his combustible brand of free jazz for a good deal longer than that.
Casbah of Love is the latest in a string of albums by Lamb who suddenly became more prolific in recording since the mid-2000s after having only album to his name (1994’s Portrait in the Mist). As in the case of most of these albums, Tom Abbs is his bassist and his usual drummer Warren Smith is swapped out for Ryan Jewell. Jewell quickly adapts to the language of the trio, easily backing up Abbs’ recommendation of him to Lamb.
Aside from the quick assimilation of Jewell, Casbah of Love is very much representative of a Andrew Lamb Trio album, ably walking the fine line between free and advanced modern jazz with bop always lurking in the background. It’s driven not only from the emotional energy of Lamb but also telepathic communication among all three players.
“The Casbah Of Love” is classic Lamb, an outpouring of his soul that goes straight up to the top but not over it. It’s also immediately clear that Jewell is great addition, able to match Lamb’s intensity stroke for stroke, but by such creative, non-hackneyed means. The three tamp down the fury to end the performance with a single-note, tense motif that suggests the intensity before it.
“Song Of The Wind And The Leaf” is a sweetened interlude between Lamb and Abbs, displaying Lamb’s fealty to melody. The three players engage in meaningful dialogue on “The Be In Be To Be,” with Abbs setting down the harmonic markers and Lamb improvising convincingly within a bop language and settling comfortably into Coltranian spirituality. Abbs sets “Intergalactic Parables” into motion with a pair of marching two-note patterns, and Lamb is heard playing two saxophones at once in the tradition of Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
Lamb’s diversity on wind instruments makes his records varied as well. “Wonders Of The Morning” features Lamb on alto sax with a soliloquy that’s an impressive showing of his inside/outside technique. The clarinet is Lamb’s weapon of choice for “New Moon On The Desert,” accompanied by Abbs’ brash bowing bass while Jewell’s tribal rhythms slowly comes into focus. The density and intensity gets taken up a couple of notches just prior to a soft ending. Flute is the instrument of choice for “Embrace Of The Twin Ponds,” where he plays with relative restraint, leaving much of the harmonic and tonal chores to Abbs and Jewell. Both excel at creating striking impressions with understated touch.
As an old school guy who thrives in the outer reaches of jazz, Andrew Lamb leads another formidable trio date with a lot of both head and heart. Casbah of Love is now on sale courtesy of Birdwatcher Arts.
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