Eisenstadt, Harris / Canada Day Quartet - Live
SKU
CF 535
Nate Wooley trumpet
Alexander Hawkins piano
Pascal Niggenkemper bass
Harris Eisenstadt drums, compositions
Recorded live at AJMI, Avignon, France, by Bruno Levee, March 23, 2018
Harris is one of the great, under-appreciated bandleaders of our time!
“Harris Eisenstadt’s Canada Day project was originally a quintet, but the band has undergone several transmutations through the years – an octet (the original quintet plus the horns of Jason Mears, Ray Anderson and Dan Peck), a quartet (without Chris Dingman and his vibraphone) and a trio (during a recent Russian tour), now returning to the four musician format, with only a melodic instrument, Nate Wooley’s trumpet, a piano, played by Alexander Hawkins, and a double bass, in the hands of Pascal Niggenkemper. The Canadian drummer and composer notes that when an ensemble’s instrumentation and/or personnel changes, it “problematize(s) the notion that an ensemble must stay the same to continue to evolve.” Here we have sonic evidence to support that assertion. The music is different from previous recordings, but the ensemble’s identity keeps its integrity. Rhythm is the basis of everything happening, showing Eisenstadt’s devotion to (and knowledge of) traditional African and Diaspora music systems. Lyricism and abstraction are on equal terms here, often moving from one to the other and back in a flash. A must have / must listen album."
- LabelClean Feed
- UPC5609063005356