The organ/guitar/drums structure usually conjures up recollections of Jimmy Smith and Big John Patton. Enter Bill Frisell, Andrew Cyrille and Kit Downes with a completely novel take for their new album Breaking the Shell (Red Hook Records). But to go ‘novel’ they went way back to medieval times, because the organ isn’t a Hammond B-3 but rather a big ol’ pipe organ ensconced in a church.
Keith Jarrett opened ears in the mid 70s to the idea of applying a pipe organ to modern forms of music when he sat down in front of one from the 17th century at an ancient church in Germany and recorded the unaccompanied Hymns, Spheres. Though from Europe, the British keyboardist Downes went to the other side of the globe to record on one with Frisell and Cyrille: this pipe organ resides in the New World, at The Church of St. Luke in the Fields in West Village, Manhattan.
These three are plenty capable of laying down soul-jazz like the B-3 greats but being that they’ve all made their names on the fringes of jazz, they weren’t going to do that with a ginormous church organ. Breaking the Shell is another excursion for each of them in their home base of creatively improvised music, only now, they get to expand that base using the stately yet otherworldly sounds of the pipe organ.
Using mostly pieces the three created on their own or in varying combinations of the trio, they came up with songs and arrangements that fits the old style keyboard neatly into their fresh harmonic concepts. The pregnant air of silence serves as a fourth instrument on “May 4th,” the pipe organ emitting eerie tones until Frisell introduces a loosely-defined figure and then the song dissipates away. “Untitled 2023” is the kind of avant/modern highly improvised jazz song all three are comfortable playing but sounds virginal this time because that pipe organ is frolicking in a foreign land.
“Kasei Valles” goes further out, outside the realm of jazz and into the abyss of experimental drone; it would be called electronic music if one were to go by sound instead of the source of the sound. Frisell does his part to add to that high-tech feel with his signature mastery of looping and sampling.
Cyrille’s important contributions are largely behind the scenes but it’s impossible to miss his discerning brush work on “El,” and Downes’ organ accurately portrays a majestic horn section as Frisell sprinkles melodic beads of light everywhere while guest Lucy Railton’s cello blends in much the same way Hank Roberts’ cello has done on Frisell’s early records.
The fragile, wispy “Southern Body” leaves the smallest footprint possible and another group improv cut called “Two Twins” stars Cyrille and his detailed, jagged kit work.
“Cypher” is melodic despite the melody being very open ended, allowing all three a lot of leeway in how to carry it out, especially Cyrille. “Proximity” feels like your classic, folk jazz Frisell tune, with Downes perfectly matching the guitarist’s genteel framing.
“Sjung Herte Sjung,” a traditional Norwegian song, is given a most unconventional treatment. Cyrille is at his spirited best, pushing hard against the floating quality of the song so delicately delivered by Frisell, guilefully supported by Downes. The two streams at odds with each other opens up the old tune and makes it sound ultra-modern. “Este a Szekelyeknel,” a Hungarian traditional, is given a delicate treatment, and Downes pipe organ is made to resemble more like a living, breathing pump organ.
Breaking the Shell is available now and can be acquired from Bandcamp.
*** Bill Frisell CD’s and vinyl at Amazon ***
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