Sean Imboden Large Ensemble moves toward milestone of spreading the word
In my six years of checking in with Sean Imboden's development as a composer and leader of sizable jazz groups, I have appreciated the wisdom of his identifying the group as "Large Ensemble" instead of "Big Band." That's no reach after upward mobility in the form of wishful thinking.
Someone walking in on an Imboden gig and seeing a crowded bandstand will orient their ears to what they see: several each of reeds, trumpets, and trombones and a conventional rhythm section of piano, guitar, bass, and drums. That says "big band," and leads to expectations of dialogue among instrumental choirs and blends that shift toward the outcome of intensifying the unanimous swing factor.
 |
| Sean Imboden conducts his 17-piece Large Ensemble at the Jazz Kitchen. |
Starting with this piece, animated by a blazing solo from guitarist Joel Tucker and a well-centered solo turn, flecked with arabesques, by guest trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, I worked that out. In somewhat the same way, jazz fans had to get used to drummer Elvin Jones in the post-bop era. What was called his "spread rhythm" alienated many listeners used to a steady pulse, the beat going on.
That was before Jones' innovations seduced almost everyone. As a New York Times obituary article noted
in 2004, the drummer "never lost that pulse: the beat was always palpable when he played, even as he embellished it with layer upon layer of interlocking polyrhythms."
So one way to think of SILE is an expanded, richly colored embodiment of the Elvin Jones spirit. The independence of the sections is vast and ever-changing. Imboden's contrapuntal skill is immense and continually exercised. And I think I was enjoying big-band approximations of "interlocking polyrhythms" almost as much as I like saying the phrase.
In "Fire Spirit," the long tones dominating the trumpet section's lines were goosed by short notes layered underneath. The other horns were not so much accompanying as they were suggesting another way of playing the music. Throughout the set, I might characterize the interplay as one instrumental choir saying with collegial good cheer to the others: "That was OK, but how about this?"
 |
| New York-based trumpeter/flugelhornist Mike Rodriguez sat in. |
The set opened up room for more reflective aspects of Imboden's creativity. A floating quality in the ensemble setting tenderized alto saxophonist Matt Pivec's lyrical yet assertive solo. Right after that the leader took one of his few solos, giving himself "Then and Now" as a vehicle that set the stage for another excellent Rodriguez solo. (Imboden works fast, but I don't think that new Beatles song, "Now and Then," was supposed to come to mind.)
As a composer, Imboden seems to believe in giving his pieces time to coalesce. An extended tease came late in the set, as the bandleader introduced "Stella by Starlight" only by calling it a song from the 1940s that has been played and sung by many. Until the melody became explicit, it was for me a long and winding road (nuts — I've caught the Beatles ear-worm disease!).
Elsewhere in the set, the nature of some pieces was boldly evident from the start. After the concept became clear, the staggered elements of "Portal Passage" were assembled and fruitfully expounded upon as the performance proceeded. Joel Tucker rained down one insight after another in his solo.
The set finale, "Follow the Kite," put everyone in the 17-piece band on their mettle. Through many twists and turns, the kite stayed aloft and presented a flight bent on training the eyes of our ears, the way Elvin Jones did behind the kit decades ago.
That training continues to be an assignment worth taking up for jazz fans in the area. Permanent status is in the offing, as Imboden raises funds through Kickstarter for a SILE recording intended for release next year.
[Photos by Rob Ambrose]
Comments
Post a Comment