feature photo: Tory Williams
Étoilée is named after Joe Martin’s daughter’s middle name, which is a signal that the music contained within is personally inspired. Reaching within his household for inspiration, Martin takes a rare turn as a leader but making it count like he did the last time.
As a sideman bassist high in demand for everyone from Chris Potter to Donald Fagen, Martin’s credit list is long but his own discography is wafer-thin: the last time Martin put out a record under his own name, Barack Obama was just settling into the White House.
His last outing was start-studded but Étoilée is, too: joining Martin is Nasheet Waits on drums, Kevin Hays on keyboards and Mark Turner on saxophones, but with all songs composed by him and the sessions under his direction, this is one man’s artistic vision.
Martin’s presence is felt implicitly but unmistakably on “A World Beyond” just in the sophisticated way he forms a connection between Waits’ restless rhythms and Hays’ Fender Rhodes. That leaves Turner to lead the melody with much leeway. But midway through, the song shifts direction and Hays moves out front to take charge on this free-flowing chapter before Martin signals a return to the original pattern. It’s an example of not only intelligent composing on Martin’s part, put knowing how to leverage the considerable talent at his disposable. “Long Winter” is highly appealing for much the same reasons: a melody that unfolds in unexpected ways and everyone playing in such a way to make everyone else sound better. Here, Hays delivers a superb piano solo and Martin returns to the theme overdubbing himself as an arco bass quartet.
“Malida” runs at a lengthy ten minutes but makes every second meaningful. Turner soon takes flight on this waltzing affair and Hays on piano is straddling the line between comping and co-soloing and doing it rather nimbly; eventually Turner yields the whole floor to him. When Martin’s turn in the spotlight comes, it’s hard not to notice that he has a pianist’s mindset when soloing.
Waits’ loose-limbed snare work sets the tone for “Prospecting,” and turns up the heat in tandem with Turner. Waits is even more unrestrained on “Safe” and Martin’s muscular, rapid bass walking adds fuel to Turner’s sax asides. Martin’s slithering bass on top of Waits’ shuffling drums power the loose ‘n’ funky “5X3.”
When Martin goes for a more intimate feeling, there’s that same level of intricacy and sensitivity found on the faster tunes. “Two Birds” is a sensitive and mysterious Shorter-esque ballad. Turner, this time on soprano sax, leads the delicate, poetic strain titled “Étoile.”
Étoilée is now on sale by Sunnyside Records.
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