feature photo: Erik Fuglseth
Through an extended string of notable works as a reedist, composer, bandleader and sideman — and by sheer longevity- – John Surman had risen up the ranks of the UK jazz society and now he’s practically the dean of it. Arguably so for European jazz as a whole as well, and a stalwart of ECM Records’ lineup of legends since the mid 70s. But the seventy-nine year old saxophonist is not coasting to the sunset; he remains a very viable force still making music that pushes himself and the musicians with which he surrounds himself.
Words Unspoken (ECM Records) is Surman’s latest case in point. For this project, Surman employed the ‘open composition’ approach, whereby he brought rough sketches and building blocks and left it to his band to work out together how these pieces of clay would be shaped into complete songs. For his ensemble, Surman chose Rob Luft (guitar), Rob Waring (vibraphone) and Thomas Strønen (drums, percussion), accomplished musicians from the UK, US and Norway, respectively.
Exquisitely recorded, even by ECM standards, Words Unspoken has just enough reverb to make the notes hang in the air but not too much that the instruments are mushed together into a blob of sound. Moreover, being able to clearly hear each musician is especially nice for these performances which relies so heavily on interplay, intuition and the interchanging of roles.
Waring introduces a motif around which “Pebble Dance” is conjured up. Surman plays in his signature, quivering, intense soprano sax staying on one chord in a minimalist-like trance until a bridge is reached nearly at the end, commencing with a vibes/sax pairing through the twisting line played only previously at the outset.
On “Word Unspoken,” Surman’s baritone sax emits the same kind of vulnerable sentiment as the tenor sax of his contemporary and ECM stablemate, Charles Lloyd. It luxuriates in the glow of Waring’s soft bed of vibraphone. Luft’s fuzztone drifting in the background provides just enough edge to keep the song from going too far into the fog.
“Graviola” is constructed around an ostinato on vibes where the key goes up and down. Luft’s delicate guitar voicings echo that of Pat Metheny’s, while Surman shows off his adeptness in making a bass clarinet sound delicate, too.
“Flowers In Aspic” is a lovely piece of balladry, carefully played out, especially Strønen’s softened drums. Strønen’s importance grows on “Precipice” and “Around The Edges,” using mallets and brushes to paint tonal hues that complement Surman’s mural. Waring and Luft underpin the former track with bright, melodic pulses.
“Onich Ceilidh” is very sophisticated in its chord progressions, made more amazing when considering they had only basic elements from Surman to build from. Moreover, the interplay is wonderful, with Waring playing the melody and Luft with a harmonic counterpoint that fits hand in glove. Luft also delivers pleasant lines for his solo part.
Luft and Surman couple up to state the main motif of “Bitter Aloe,” then everyone helps in fleshing it out further. “Hawksmoor” saunters like a cat even as it lightly swings.
By painting impressionistic portraits out of cues and basic figures, John Surman got the best contributions from his quartet, as well as from himself. Words Unspoken is a stunningly gorgeous record from an artist who long ago proved all he needed to prove.
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