Mark Masters salutes Sam Rivers: Freedom of structure and solo-band interplay

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Sam Rivers in action 

It was understandable that Sam Rivers would be hailed as an elder statesman of jazz long before his death at 88 in 2011. He had a career of restless, inspired collaboration and his personality as both saxophonist and bandleader was firmly stamped on the vast realm of post-bop jazz. It was a fertile area for exploration, and Rivers affected a host of younger players, including, briefly, the well-established Miles Davis.

He had a loose sense of form and ensemble balance, but it was by no means mindless free-for-all thinking that animated him. One writer described his big-band writing as a cross between Duke Ellington's range of work and John Coltrane's "Ascension," a superficially chaotic ensemble that included Indianapolis' Freddie Hubbard.

The common bond (between Ellington and Coltrane) fed into Rivers' artistry partly through trust in the individuality of his sidemen as both ensemble members and soloists.

With "Sam Rivers 100" (Capri Records), the Mark Masters Ensemble continues with a long-running series of imaginative tribute albums, which has included a range of monumental achievements, from the songs of Alec Wilder to "Porgy and Bess." The title harks back a short distance to the Rivers centennial year, 2023. 

Rivers' compositions are the bedrock; Masters' arrangements, the outgrowth. The abstract theme of "Cyclic Episode" is practically cubism in musical form. The players display pinpoint coordination in Masters' arrangements like this one. The framing of solos is clever here and elsewhere: Tom Luer's baritone-sax outing moves into call-and-response with the other horns. Solos also are placed to complement each other. Chris Colangelo's bass picks up on the soliloquizing mood Dave Woodley had established in his trombone solo.

The featured soloist from outside the ensemble is Billy Harper, a tenor saxophonist of fascinating individuality. Unfortunately, that  includes some poor intonation in places, notably the opening track, "Fuchsia Swing Song." Still, his phrasing is imaginative: his linking skills display a distinctive stamp. Harper's way of standing out without going too far "outside" matches the authenticity behind Masters' tribute to Rivers. The arrangements are also commendable for their unfussy endings, even when they sound abrupt at first hearing. 

Sometimes, the way the band reintroduces itself after a good solo, such as Jerry Pinter's in "Fuchsia Swing Song," bridges the inevitable contrast between solo and ensemble. Rivers' tribute to his wife and collaborator, "Beatrice," is among the fine arrangements, but again Harper's nice solo ideas are marred by some off-pitch playing. On that track, it's  a relief to take in  Luer's bari-sax outing, consistently in tune. As on some other Masters Ensemble CDs, it's a pleasure to have veteran trumpeter Tim Hagans weigh in, especially on the edgy "Calls of the Wild" and the commendable "Paean." 





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