Open Ears
March 2002

Open Ears
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By Laurence Donohue-Greene

From 1965 to 1969, the now near 60-year old drummer Joe Chambers was perhaps one of the busiest drummers for perhaps the most creative jazz and improvisational recording label of that time and arguably of all time, Blue Note. Amongst others, he participated on a countless number of timeless sessions from that era with the likes of Joe Henderson, Sam Rivers, Wayne Shorter, Andrew Hill, and Bobby Hutcherson. A reliable percussion-minded and colorful drummer, Chambers always seemed to be surrounded by similar minded progressive improvisers of original and spontaneous musical creation.

Chambers was (and still is) an original composer, as well, having penned the title tracks to many of Hutcherson’s Blue Note recordings during the mid-late 60’s including Dialogue (1965), Oblique (1967), Patterns (1968), Spiral (1968), and Medina (1969). He rarely, if ever, found himself performing so-called “standards”, though in many cases those originals of yesteryear have since become the standards of today. Following his time as a sideman with Blue Note, or I should say following Blue Note’s demise until only recently in the 90’s (when coincidentally Chambers was signed on for a rare session as a leader entitled Mirrors), Chambers joined Max Roach’s exclusive percussionist group, M’Boom, for which Chambers was actually a charter member.

However, other than the occasional M’Boom reunion, his work experiences and playing since the 70’s have found Chambers settling for more of a mainstream style of playing and musical surrounding. He worked with Chet Baker, Tommy Flanagan, and Art Farmer (whom of course have all since passed on), in addition to leading his own groups, though rarely recording as a leader, having only half a dozen sessions under his belt as a non-sideman. Two of his drumming colleagues, each having similarly contributed to several more than memorable sessions during the same time period as Chambers, are Pete (Sims) Laroca and Walter Perkins. All three are without a doubt under-appreciated in regards to their respective contributions to the music, let alone the fact that they continue to perform today as often as allowed or invited given the lack of venues and opportunities, not to mention increase in younger competition. However, it is Perkins who I must single out as the one who continues to follow the path he started over 40 years ago. As evidenced on his recent performance and subsequent recording with Downtown bass guru, William Parker, and the unheralded avant-garde clarinetist Perry Robinson (Bob’s Pink Cadillac, Eremite), Perkins is as creative as ever and has not settled into any rut, so to speak, surrounding himself with forward thinking creators versus mainstream regurgitators.

Unfortunately, Chambers' creativity, which there is no doubt is very much still alive, has been stunted by the musicians he has chosen to surround himself with. It may simply be the odd mix of musicians and not each of them as individuals, but the fact remains that Chambers is not flanked on all sides by musicians of his caliber on a consistent enough level. Such was the case during his residency with his “Urban Grooves” quartet at Birdland in New York for three nights the second week of February. The lone hornman, tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, and the other two-thirds of the rhythm section were certainly strong with pianist Jacky Terrasson and bassist Dwayne Burno, but only Terrasson seemed to rise to the occasion and push Chambers out of his accompanying role which he seemed to otherwise take comfort in.

The set of standards opened with “Poinciana” with an unaccompanied Chambers brushing the first few bars of the tune that pianist Ahmad Jamal helped put on the map in the 50’s (coincidentally the aforementioned drummer and colleague of Chambers’, Walter Perkins, was actually associated with Jamal back in the 50’s). The order of solos within Chamber’s quartet remained constant from the first tune to the final one (certainly not a good sign there), with Jackson first up in an Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis gruff toned manner, then Terrasson, and finally Burno. Terrasson’s solos evenly matched Chambers’ drive throughout the entire set, and with his first solo the pianist’s percussive-minded runs occasionally even found his hands palm side up, awaiting the momentum of the others to catch up with him.

Wayne Shorter’s “Pinocchio”, which was immortalized on Miles Davis’ Nefertiti (Columbia, 1967) during the tenorman’s tenure with the trumpeter’s second legendary quintet, was given an appropriate uptempo treatment anchored by Chambers, who himself extensively had worked with Shorter in the mid-60’s. Burno (who has played and recorded with saxophonists Don Braden, Vincent Herring, and Antoine Roney) filled in adequately with walking deep bass lines as had Ron Carter on the original Miles recording. However, matching Shorter’s inventiveness on tenor proved to be no easy task for Javon Jackson, Chamber’s tenorman.

Jackson, who has led eight sessions, has been fairly quiet since Blue Note dropped him after his fifth and final recording for the label, Pleasant Valley (1999), which also represents his last recording as a leader in the three years since. The Betty Carter and Blakey alum studied at Berklee in the mid-80’s and at times it shows, for better or worse. His schooled sound harks back to many of the great bop-based tenormen that have ever recorded in the jazz world since the mid-50’s, in particular Joe Henderson and Hank Mobley, and in doing so he has certainly at the very least helped maintain a certain virility in the world of hard bop over the last decade. This isn’t to say that Jackson can’t and isn’t able to push the boundaries, it is just that he tends to comfortably not do so. His closing runs of the evening actually offered a glimpse into his experimental potential as he cut loose the reigns with multiphonic Coltrane and Archie Shepp-like blowing, momentarily as it may have been.

Terrasson repetitively built his solo around the same chord, garnering momentum before opening the floodgates with runs up and down in neighboring registers and chords. His ability to dissect and melodically deconstruct and then reassemble is absolutely phenomenal, and his playing around the melody of “Pinocchio” spilled over into the following tune, a feature for the pianist, Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way”. With Jackson sitting this one out, Terrasson astonishingly melded the two melodies together, consequently bringing Shorter and Brubeck closer than they may have ever realized possible. After an extensive unaccompanied opening in which the pianist even seemed to be putting his own abilities and creativity on trial, Burno and Chambers (subtly brushing away) entered into the mix with Terrasson even throwing out a quote of Sonny Bono’s catchy “The Beat Goes On” theme.

The extended closer of a medley was initiated by an unaccompanied Burno bass solo, leading directly into some of the evening’s musical highlights. Chambers played the side exterior of his kit, experimentally tapping while Terrasson stood and bent over the inside of the piano, plucking away one string at a time before Chambers finally gave himself his first official solo of the night. Immediately stamping his jazz veteran status on the proceedings, Chambers’ quartet moved into Eddie Harris’ “Freedom Jazz Dance”, another connection to Chambers’ 60’s playmate, Wayne Shorter, who recorded the tune with Miles (Miles Smiles, 1966) the year before Nefertiti.

Coltrane’s “Take The Coltrane” was segue-wayed as the closing vamp while the band members were individually introduced. If it weren’t for the fact that Chambers’ name was announced last, you might never have known who the actual leader of the quartet was that first evening of their three-night stand at Birdland. Like many of his contemporaries, Chambers over time seems to have settled into a fairly straight-ahead groove, though obvious hints of his past accomplishments occasionally rise through (or more commonly under) the music. However, it just may be a matter of gathering the right elements and players for Chambers to continue down the path that he was such a significant contributor in constructing, and Terrasson certainly seems to provide a good head start.

Keep your ears open to the music.

Upcoming concerts at Birdland include: Tribute to Joe Henderson featuring Dave Liebman, Craig Handy, Jimmy Greene, Don Friedman, Santi Debriano, and Idris Muhammed (2/28-3/2); percussionist Bobby Sanabria (3/6); Lewis Nash Trio with vibist Steve Nelson and bassist Peter Washington (3/7-3/9); Roy Haynes Quartet (3/14-3/16).

Or for more info, go to: http://www.birdlandjazz.com/