Records, Tapes, CDs

Waxin' Your Ears
Pohlman (guitar) and Chuck Berghofer (bass).
The live recording is superior. Each instrument
is clearly defined yet perfectly blended. The
opener, a Pierce original called "A Jug or Not,"
sets a pace that never lets up. Five joyous cuts
later Ernestine Anderson joins the band with a
rollicking version of "I Let a Song Go Out of
My Heart." Relaxed, in great voice and obviously having the time of her life, Ernestine
follows with "Spring is Here" and a boss a nova
treatment of a personal favorite of mine, "Street
ofDreams."ThenMs. E bends your ear with an
uncut version of"Never Make Your Move Too
Soon"-bluesy, sassy, world-wise and endearing. Already on my "Top Five of '88" list, this
is a winner! My nomination for a Grammy.
Sandy Burlingame

Mark Isham/Art Lande
We Begin
ECM 1338
Time was that ECM was the advanced guard
in this style of formal, Third Stream eclecticism. But what with Windham Hill capturing
the New Age front and ECM moving to embrace the black guard, the pasticheofinfluences
evidenced here adds up to a little of everything
but not enough of anything. A kind of '80s
sampler, We Begin offers one cybernetic dirge,
a twelve-tone-meet-Miles piece, some Reichian minimalism, a New Age processional or
two and a Monkian harmonic exercise.
Lande-fondly remembered for his years
here at Cornish and ever the imp of the musically perverse-and trumpeter/synthesist/
soundtrack composer Isham were stablemates
in the spasmodically brilliant Rubisa Patrol
sextet of the late '70s. They are both fine stylists-Lande owing to Bill Evans harmonies and
a rhapsodic, classically-influenced approach
that echoes Bartok and Chopin. In Isham you
hear the harmon-muted cry of mid-to-late period Miles. Many of these tunes, particularly the
title cut and the opening "Melancholy of Departure," are tone poems set around simple, declarative, three-or five-note trumpet chants,
shaded by synth and percussion. The former is
stately and processional with the feeling of
Burgundian folk music, the latter a dirge set to
a jitterbug drum figure that manages to recall
both Jo Jones and Sousa... this is some serious
eclecticism, folks.
"Surface and Symbol" is a Riley/Reich development of multiple voices shifting against a
steady state synth pulse. On "Sweet Circle" the
unadorned piano of Lande takes us on aMonkinflected stroll around the cycle of fifths, a
respite from multi-tracking that showcases
Lande's richly informed phrasing and crisp
attack. If you are an adherent oflsham 's movie
music, this set represents an expertly-crafted
variation on that theme. If you prefer Lande's
stellar solo work, or his perfectly-matched collaborations with Paul McCandless, this set falls
short in humor, muscle and piano.
Joseph Murphy

colors such tunes as "Ain't Misbehavin,"
"Willow Weep for Me" and "Summertime,"
with the whole project evoking an all-American
tone-starry nights, small boys at swimmin'
holes, etc. Even on the standards there is enough
surprise-a dropped phrase here, a change-up
in delivery there-to prevent musical ennui.
Hints of the late Vince Guraldi's bright, melodic style show up in "Carry Me Back";
Lande's own playful chopped cadences show
up throughout. Although this is not a pyrotechnic set by any means, the sprung phrases of
"Round Tripper" remind that here is a pianist
that, given the setting and desire, can dazzle as
well as entertain.
One of the hallmarks ofLande's style is a
Monkian regard for the humorous and so here,
in the kinetic "Round Tripper," and the Pete
Incaviglia dedication, 'The Wiggle," we get the
wink and nod and unexpected tum of phrase
that lightens up and focuses each tune. Hardball finds us around the piano bar with our
eccentric Uncle Art, a few umbrella drinks
maybe, the steady babble of the game on the bar
TV. Hey, lighten up, it's always summer somewhere.
Joseph Murphy

Art Lande
Hardball/Piarw Solos
Great American Music Hall Records

The Capp!Pierce Juggernaut
featuring Ernestine Anderson
Live at the Alley Cat
Concord Jazz CCD-4336

Hardball is the first of four planned solo
piano recordings by Art Lande for the new
Great American Music Hall label. Folksy liner
notes inform us that these were first-take, letthe-tape-roll affairs that had the pianist putting
down 43 tracks in two nights-a Zen painting
approach where the fingers never leave the
keys. They are testament to Lande's skill and
spontaneity. A loose-limbed, lolling swing

Seven seconds into this disc and you're
hooked. The Basie-influenced Frank Capp/Nat
Pierce Juggernaut plays with clarity, precision,
and irresistible energy. In short, they swing.
The 16-man group maintains an impressive
roster of soloists (Snooky Young, Conte Condoli, Bob Cooper and Red Holloway to name a
few) backed up by an impeccable rhythm section: Capp (drums), Pierce (piano), Ken

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Art Lande

Lunar Adventures
Lunar Adventures (Cassette)
New Moon (Cassette)
Available from Coat Cooke, 1150A Forge
Walk, Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6H 3P9

Vancouver, B.C. 's Lunar Adventures has hit
upon a unique ensemble sound that gathers the
innovations of the last20years of jazzhistory'60s free jazz rave ups, '70s Omette Coleman
harmolodics, '80s no-wave minimalism and
scronk guitar-into a new package that's tied
off with a bow of urban color. The ensemble
sound derives its integrity from the unison lines
of altoist Coat Cooke and guitarist Ron Samworth. Cooke is not your typical post-Parker
saxophonist. His lines are deliberate and sparse,
avoiding virtuosity for its own sake. He is also
effective as a counter-melodicist behind
Samworth's scronk guitar and proficient at a
number of styles. He can rock with appropriate
growl, scratch and feedback, or can sound like
Jim Hall with Paul Desmond (one of Ornette's
early influences).
The rhythm tandem of bassist Clyde Reed
and drummer Greg Simpson is one of the most
together sections I've heard in the Northwest.
They bring a traditional jazz feel to whatever
sound the group is exploring. These two tapes
share some of the same tunes. It's instructive to
note how the group's approach has solidified.
The headlines are now more concise, the improvisations more thoughtful. "Pacific Lean
Time" has also grown into a fully-realized
performance gaining both length and clarity.
Lunar Adventures is from the provinces, but
they 're sure not provincial. This band is so New
York I can't stand it.
Gary Bannister