Robertson, Herb - Elaboration
SKU
CLEANFEEDCF42
Herb Robertson, trumpet/Mark Dresser, bass/Sylvie Courvoisier, piano/Tim Berne, alto sax/Tom Rainey, drums.
"A new Herb Robertson release is always cause for celebration, at least in my household. There’s always that anticipation to see what he’s done this time. Ever since his first JMT releases in the mid-80s, (Transparency and X-Cerpts, both done with his early quartet of Tim Berne, Lindsay Horner and Joey Barron) Robertson has always delivered something different that discriminating listeners can sink their ears into. He released a superb album of Bud Powell compositions arranged for brass sextet and rhythm. His trio with bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jay Rosen (a killer rhythm duo) put out a pair of records that specialized in free improvisation in its purest form yet could also essay a stunning rendition of that hoary old chestnut “Deep Purple”. Robertson has led large ensembles in free improv blowouts (Knudstock 2000) and he’s shared duo space with drummers (Phil Haynes on Ritual) and fellow trumpet players (Paul Smoker on drummer Jay Rosen’s Drums And Bugles). In addition to being a creative leader, Robertson has also been the consummate sideman. When Paul Smoker needed a fellow trumpeter for his brass trio recording Brass Reality, Robertson got the call. When, back in 1992, Joe Fonda and Michael Jefry Stevens were forming their long lasting group (Fonda/ Stevens Group), they needed a trumpet player who could play as outside as the music went, yet still be mindful of the tradition from which their music sprung. Robertson was the prime candidate. According to bassist Fonda, “Herbie was always the first choice.” Which brings us to Elaboration. For this date, he’s assembled a new ensemble, Herb Robertson’s Downtown All-Stars, a group handpicked from the illustrious list of players he’s performed with in the past.... Although everyone in the band had played with each other before, they’d never played together in one band. Four of the five players have a history going back over 20 years and they are players who know each other’s style well. As I said before, a new Herb Robertson is always an event. This one is no exception. So just put it on and listen. The music speaks for itself. It needs no further Elaboration."-Robert Iannapollo February, 2005