Gerald Clayton: Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 2020)
Walter Smith, III: tenor saxophone; Logan Richardson: alto saxophone; Gerald Clayton: piano; Joe Sanders: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums.
Pianist-composer Gerald Clayton (son of bassist John Clayton) has for the past several years been one of the brightest lights and a mainstay of the current jazz scene. His broad command of the tradition as well as moving the music forward has garnered several critical accolades and he emerged as a strong writer and composer with his debut Tributary Tales (Motema, 2017). In addition, the pianist has proved his formidable improvised talents on trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire's When The Heart Emerges Glistening (Blue Note, 2008) and guitarist Peter Bernstein's Let Loose (Smoke Sessions, 2016). For his Blue Note debut Happening: Live At Village Vanguard he leads a wonderful tight quintet: tenor saxophonist Walter Smith, III (fresh off his own In Common 2) alto saxophonist Logan Richardson, bassist Joe Sanders and the phenomenal grandson of the legendary Roy Haynes, Marcus Gilmore at the drums.
As the world continues to deal with the unprecedented challenges of social distancing, for the pianist, Happening serves as a reminder of the community that live performances bring forth. Much of the material stems from Tributary Tales but Clayton also throws in some less than conventional looks at Bud Powell's “Celia”, the standard “Body and Soul”, and a closing 14 minute blowout on Duke Ellington's classic “Take The Coltrane”. From the composer standpoint, the pianist's writing for two saxophones (no Tony Williams Tokyo Live pun intended) is quite potent. Smith, III's tenor is a broad counterpoint for Logan Richardson's bright vocal cry, and on the opening “Patience Patients” (reprised from Tributary Tales) the combination is so effective. Smith, III is featured in a solo that explores the piece's subtle dark contours, Gilmore's flexibility with the straight eighth feel allows him to open the rhythmic floor for tumultuous commentary. The pianist's solo demonstrates just how wide his stylistic palette is, and his investigation of the composition's harmony is fascinating. Abrupt, abstract splinters of piano frame “A Light” where Clayton shows he is just as comfortable with vocabulary from the avant garde and new music idioms, in an extended intro. Eventually, the tune morphs into a thrilling relay type dialogue between saxophones, everyone, including the pianist taking a number of bars than handing off, rather than conventional solo methodology. Here, Logan Richardson shows why he has been one of the most significant alto voices in recent years. When Clayton pairs things down to a trio is where sparks really occur. The rendition of “Celia” is fabulous, and anything but well worn bebop. Gilmore adds tremendous momentum, summoning his grandfather's inimitable (and still commanding at age 94!) ride cymbal beat. Clayton is all over the piano, generating a ton of heat. Sanders Eddie Gomez inspired vocalization with his bass solo adds more fuel to the fire as does Gilmore's limber solo. Later on in the album, when the trio tackles “Body and Soul” shows a relative rarity among younger pianists: Clayton shows real reverence for the tune's melody and lyrics and gets knee deep into the tune's nuances. The double saxophone front line returns for “Take the Coltrane” to end things with a bang.
Recorded by Geoff Countryman and Tyler McDarmid the recording really captures the essence of the Village Vanguard. Despite the venue's small size and L shaped stage, the sound stage is impressively deep and wide. The recording itself has a very analog live to two track type sound... the saxophones quite bold, the bass woody and chunky, and the brilliance of Gilmore's K Zildjian cymbals and the crack of his drum kit. Clayton's piano is rich and accurate, however the stereo image of the piano appears reversed: the pianist's right hand is captured in the left channel, the mid range of the keyboard center left and center, and the left hand, the right and far right. There is very little to choose from between the CD quality 16 bit WAV files and the high resolution 24/96 version of the album except that the sound stage depth, instrument timbre and associated attack and decays are more present on the high res version. Also on the high res 24/96 version, in an other wise excellent sounding recording, during the section of “Take The Coltrane” with Sanders' bass prominent there is a click of digital distortion that does not seem to be a “snap” of a bass string, drum stick on rim, or something hitting the body of the piano from the ambiance of the live recording itself, which is quite curious.
Gerald Clayton's Blue Note debut with a crack quintet, adds to the long list of storied recordings made at the Village Vanguard. He has a knack for intriguing timbre combinations for the dual saxophone front line, and inside some fairly heady structures, there is plenty of room for heated improvising, and explosive group interplay. Clayton's balance of the tradition while being thoroughly immersed in contemporary jazz and other genre musical grammar adds tremendously and this album is well worth while as a portrait of where the pianist was in the moment, and a hint of where he could be in the future.
Yamaha RS 202 stereo receiver
Musicbee (for 16 bit WAV file playback)
Amazon HD Music (for high resolution 24/96 streaming playback)
Focal Chorus 716 Floor Standing speakers
