CLARINET THING: Cry, Want
BC, 2009

MODERN JAZZ – Bay Area all-clarinet quartet. The close sounds of the various clarinets give these tunes a unity and a friendly air, but with enough variety to keep things very interesting. And the lack of a rhythm section means they tend to stick to natural-sounding tempos: either bouncy upbeat numbers or carefully paced mood pieces, with just a bit of an avant edge creeping into some of the tracks. Nice work.

Sheldon Brown - Bb & bass clarinets
Harvey Wainapel - Bb, alto & bass clarinets
Ben Goldberg - Bb & contralto clarinets
Beth Custer - A, Bb, alto & bass clarinets

* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 3, 5, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 15

1. 1:14 – chorus of clarinet calls sounds like an echo chamber
2. 2:23 – lazy-sounding intro, relaxed pace, strong hints of Spain
3. 5:25 – perky sound; bobs along nicely, some quiet improv in the middle
4. 3:42 – somewhat moody and introspective; loosens up in second half
5. 6:33 – cool, quirky walk: solos range from busy bop to sly strides
6. 5:49 – bass clarinet sets pace: spiraling, then a cute bluesy groove
7. 2:37 – upbeat, lightly dancing Caribbean melody: happy stuff!
8. 1:53 – birdlike improvisations: lots of open space & slightly odd noises
9. 4:23 – slow melody levitates on repeated riff; open, quiet solo space
10. 0:59 – chugging: same melody as #1 but without the embroidery
11. 2:33 – improvisation based loosely on #2; flutters like a cloud of butterflies
12. 1:50 – goofy gallop, brief group improvisation in middle
13. 5:29 – interesting chamber-jazz piece, carefully built from several motifs
14. 6:13 – oooh… a languid, sexy version of “Night in Tunisia,” then gets perky
15. 3:01 – oooh again: quirky T. Monk ballad, nicely arranged

[ Fo ] 01/24/10