With roots in Chicago and drawing inspiration from that city’s AACM mission, two reedmen band together to make music from a fertile common ground. Bass clarinetist Jason Stein and alto saxophonist Greg Ward join forces to form a superstar quartet where relying upon instincts lies at the core of the music. That’s why this group is called Nature Work…they just let the music happen naturally. Helping them in this mission are improv masters in their own right, bassist Eric Revis and drummer Jim Black.
It takes only seconds to realize how tight Stein and Ward are, musically. The opening moments of “The Shiver” reveal an uncanny symmetry between the two, as if they came from the same womb. They share the same sense of adventure on their solos along with a tangible sense of purpose even when going ‘outside.’ But gosh, that rhythm section is hard to ignore, too, they are cooking with jet fuel.
We already know that Revis is a bass force to be reckoned with but his soliloquy to start “Hem The Jewels” is a tour de force even for him. The deceptively ramshackle rhythm he and Black conjure up produces the perfect foundation for Stein and Ward to ruminate over.
“Porch Time” does away with timekeeping altogether, replaced by Black and Revis enjoining Stein and Ward into some intricate, four-way improvisation until the horn guys spontaneously fall into a pattern. The drummer and bassist telepathically pick up on the change in direction and instantly convert to a proper rhythm section.
Black kicks off “Zenith,” and his rapid patters don’t fit the mode of most drummers. Stein and Ward add punctuation to his percussive exhibition, until Stein decides to ratchet up the fury with an agitated moment that summons the ghost of Eric Dolphy.
“Opter Fopter” is an exotic blend of Ward’s alien high notes, Stein’s low register meditation and Revis’ saws, settling unexpectedly into a low-key groove at the urging of Black. “Cryptic Riddle” springs from a simple bass riff that Black makes funky while the two guys out front go from cordial to combative.
The Revis/Back unit again puts together a very unjazz-like rhythm for “Tah Dazzle” that propels Ward’s solo into orbit (and Stein’s, too). “South Hempstead” goes full-on free, with Stein blow raspberries both on and off of his bass clarinet and the tempo refusing to find its footing. Ultimately the two leaders get around to a melody but mostly only hint at it. “Rise” may refer to a song that begins as smoldering ashes before igniting and ‘rising’ up to a cruising altitude.
Nature Work (Sunnyside Records) is highly recommended for those who crave that adventurous, impulsive jazz done by four men who have long thrived on this stuff.
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