photo: Mamoru Kobayakawa
by S. Victor Aaron
Here at Something Else we take a shining to rising young talent who puts a modern, interesting twist on jazz while honoring its tradition of deep harmony, creative improvisation and unselfish group symbiosis. That’s what I liked about E.J. Strickland’s debut album In This Day, which came out this past spring. I didn’t have to look much further to find more of the same; in fact, it was found close by within his own family. Twin brother saxophonist Marcus, who already has had four or five albums to his credit, is following his look-alike sibling just a few months later with his third for his own Strick Muzik label, Idiosyncrasies.
It’s really hard to tell which of the two is more talented, but Marcus has nonetheless made a name all his own. He cut his first record in 2001, and was named “Best New Artist” for 2006 in JazzTimes Magazine’s Reader’s Poll. That year, he started up the Strick Muzik record company, from which records by both him and E.J. are released. Marcus has certainly paid his dues to get his present stature: five years playing in Roy Haynes’ band, as well as other greats like Charles Tolliver, Lonnie Plaxico, The Mingus Band, the Milt Jackson Big Band and Tom Harrell. He’s still soaking in other people’s influences to this day, currently playing with Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Will Calhoun and Dave Douglas (we duly noted Strickland’s solid contributions to Douglas’ Moonshine last year).
His ruminative, intelligent sax lines is his hallmark, as his solid ability to pick tunes from other genres and bend the melodies to his own vision without breaking them. His knack for writing songs that contain memorable melodies and are rhythmically aware has grown to the point where it matches his ample capacity to interpret other people’s songs and, naturally, play the saxophone. Idiosyncrasies, however, breaks ground in another area. You see, all of Strickland’s prior records have been performed within a quartet format; not always the same four man configuration but a foursome, nonetheless. For a horn player, that’s pretty lean already. For his new record, Strickland tries his hand at a trio setting: himself on saxes and clarinets, Ben Williams on acoustic bass, and brother E.J., as always, on drums.
Ever since I first heard the magic of Sonny Rollins’ Live At The Village Vanguard more than a couple of decades ago, I always regarded the sax supported by only bass and drums as the ultimate litmus test for sax players. For a guy like Rollins, he made it sound simple to hold down both the melody and the improvisation parts, although you know it’s a high wire balancing act that doesn’t come without a lot of woodshedding and just plain talent. But Marcus has got it mastered.
Idiosyncrasies carries over his abilities to craft interesting songs and re-cast other people’s songs. The album gets started with Marcus’ own dedication to his sometimes boss Tain, “Cuspy’s Delight.” It’s a rollicking piece that connects chords logically together while being mindful of the knotty rhythm rumbling underneath it. The tenor swings mightily and emotionally, but in a composed fashion. “Rebirth” gives the listener a breather with its slow tempo and a sax that plays long, pensive notes that honors the melody while Williams (as he does everywhere else) takes care of business on the harmony side. “Middleman” is closer to no-frills straight bop, providing a chance for both Williams and E.J. to run around the playground more than they already do. “The Child” stands out because Marcus overdubs bass clarinets that state the repeating chorus. He solos over it with a tenor sax that sometimes reaches the boiling point.
And then there’s the unusual—for jazz, anyway—choice of covers. “She’s Alive” is from rap artist Andre 3000, although Marcus’ conception of it is very much in the vein of soft, modern jazz, and a nicely sensitive reading at that. Stevie Wonder’s “You’ve Got It Bad Girl” is one of E.J’s finest moments on this record, adapting his time-keeping to the absent lyrics, and stuffing it full with spirited fills along the way. Marcus merely plays the singing part on his tenor and lets his brother take the spotlight. Arguably his best cover on this CD, Jaco Pastorius’ “Portrait of Tracy” retains all the natural beauty of the original melody, while tossing in shifty rhythms and some prime soprano saxophone playing by the leader.
It’s really, really difficult to tell the whole story of intricate songs with just a sax, bass and drums. I think that Marcus Strickland largely succeeds in doing that, though, through his judicious use of note selection and passion, along with the help of his powerful rhythm section. Coming out on September 21, Idiosyncrasies is, simply stated, an album that does a lot with a little.
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