Brian Lynch: Con Clave Vol.2

The jazz musician's road to success and sustainability is a rocky one, marked with more than its share of ups and downs. Becoming the norm as of late, those with the strongest staying power have increased their flexibility by becoming more diverse in their efforts. The affect is thus twofold-providing an income to pay the rent, as well as honing a well-rounded perspective of the music. Of course, trumpeter and educator Brian Lynch began the journey down this path many years before it started to become routine. In terms of his knowledge and grounding in the areas of both jazz and Afro-Cuban music, he is without reproach. This has led to a fusion of influences that has morphed into a modern sound that speaks with clarity and an organic sense of purpose.

Currently, Lynch has been dividing his time between two projects. While the Spheres of Influence keep probing for that perfect hybrid of jazz and Latin sensibilities, his Unsung Heroes group pays homage to some of the neglected trumpet masters of our time such as Tommy Turrentine and Louis Smith. Together, they nourish each other and have helped the Grammy Award winning trumpeter to reach the pinnacle he has as an identifiable original talent.

A key to his forward-looking muse, Lynch doesn't view music as something to be classified into predetermined genres or categories. Accordingly, he says, "All this music really works well together. I don't see that much separation between any of it. I think it's a matter of organizing it in different ways. It's more about what kinds of influences are there and how you use them. I feel the same way about Cuban music from the '50s as I feel about Blue Note records, as they both have the same kind of classic quality. When you get that perfect balance of elements, it's very exciting. [In fact,] I consider all that music jazz."

For his 5th date as a leader for Criss Cross, Lynch convenes his Spheres of Influence group for a singular statement that really solidifies his previous efforts. But you'd be wrong in calling this group a Latin Jazz band. In fact, Lynch considers the mere term to be "a double-edged sword." Furthermore he explains, "It's a good marketing term, but it's also a straightjacket. It can sometimes be regarded as a bit lighter in nature or as party music. So there's a difference between the type of probing music that uses these concepts and principles and the lighter boogaloo type grooves. Part of the value of using these concepts is that you can hopefully get to a place where you can produce serious music that can make people move at the same time."

Lynch also finds great value in the kind of focused intent that goes along with putting together this kind of project for the purposes of recording, something he first experienced back in 1986 when he debuted with Peer Pressure (Criss 1029). "I'm always pushing the envelope in what you can do in this type of area," Lynch says. "You hear a lot of talented musicians playing music that's pretty complicated and you don't quite understand how they can get it down on tape in one afternoon, but it's done nonetheless. Those kinds of skills are very important to maintain and that's why I'm always very excited when [producer] Gerry Teekens and I get together and decide to do something."

So while he has been involved in many endeavors for a variety of labels over the years, not to mention current efforts marketing his own projects, Lynch sees the chance to return to the home of his maiden voyage as something special and rare these days. "Gerry and I have had this relationship for almost 25 years now and he's one of the last men standing," says Brian. "He's figured out a way to make this all work while everyone else has fallen by the wayside. It's a mutual thing where he can still support us and we can still support him and that's really great."

While the first edition of ConClave (Criss 1271) featured such Criss Cross regulars as Ralph Bowen and Luis Perdomo, this new installment introduces some of the young men who are active participants in Lynch's regular pool of like-minded peers. "As a group concept," explains the trumpeter, "Spheres of Influence has been in existence more than ten years now and has gone through different incarnations. I convened this particular group especially for this recording date, thinking that the material I prepared would be a good match with the choices I've made in personnel."

Much of the cohesion heard in these performances comes from the fact that the majority of these musicians have played together as sideman in other groups, with a common uniting factor being the bands of Dafnis Prieto and Eddie Palmieri. Like many of those that Lynch takes into his circle, saxophonist Yosvany Terry has straddled the genres of Afro-Cuban music and jazz since arriving to New York from his native Cuba in 1999. His resume includes gigs from both sides of the proverbial musical coin, including Silvio Rodriguez, Chucho Valdez, Roy Hargrove, and Dave Douglas.

Another Cuban native, pianist Manuel Valera began his classical studies on the saxophone, only switching to piano when he decided to move to the States in 1994. His experiences also reflect a range of influences, having played with Richard Bona, Paquito D'Rivera, and Louis Hayes. "I've done a lot of things with Manuel in other people's groups, like Dafnis Prieto's group and Yosvany's own band," Lynch says. "It's like a musical fraternity."

Luques Curtis has played a valuable role in Spheres of Influence over the past several years. Along with drummer Justin Brown and percussionist Pedro Martinez, the bassist helps drive the forward momentum that fuels this engaging music. Followers of up-and-coming phenom Gerald Clayton will already be aware of Brown's credentials. "He's not a Latin jazz drummer in the traditional sense of the word," Lynch insists. "He's more of a modern jazz drummer who has knowledge and can converse in those forms. He's very flexible and that's a real testament to his talent as a rising force on the drums."

As for Martinez, the percussionist can be seen in the iconic film Calle 54 and such players as Jane Bunnett, Stefon Harris, and Cassandra Wilson have availed themselves to the talents of this Cuban dynamo. "He's one of the greatest percussionists in the world today in both secular and sacred forms of Afro-Caribbean music," boasts Lynch. "It's an amazing experience to play with him and it's a pleasure and an honor to know that he's my musical buddy and friend."

Getting to the music, those familiar with Conrad Herwig's Latin Side of Miles Davis project will be familiar with Brian's take on "Solar." "I've always enjoyed the affect of this arrangement and it's one that's been in the book for a while,' explains Lynch. The vamp that introduces the melody and launches each solo is a smart addition. "It's a good example of how this group can take familiar material and put a little bit of a twist on it. It's an attempt to respect the son montuno form within the jazz feel."

Brian calls "Magenta's Return" "an oblique reference to my wife." It's taken at a medium gait, but boats a level of complexity that makes it anything but a toe tapper. "When guys can play very interesting cross rhythms within the scheme of 12/8," says Brian, "Sometimes you can hear the rhythmic flow in a couple of ways at the same time." Skillfully navigating the structure and changes, Valera, Lynch, and Terry have important things to say in their solo statements.

First heard on At the Main Event (Criss 1070), "Dance the Way U Want" To dates back to 1991, but has returned to Brian's consciousness lately. "I always felt it needed a little more Latin flavoring than what I used in the original," he says. "So we started playing this and a lot of the ideas that are in there came together with feedback from the rest of the group. Interestingly, it's a simple sounding thing, but it can be tricky to play." Particularly clever is the switch to a 12/8 groove for the bridge.

"The Downside of Upspeak" alludes to a recent trend in the modern vernacular that finds many youth ending their spoken phrases with a rise in pitch. Adding to the tune's derivation, Brian simply says, "You really know when you're getting older when certain things about contemporary culture irritate you as opposed to becoming something you identify with." Keeping everyone on their toes, Lynch retains the tune's syncopated hits during solo sections.

Tapping material from the Blue Note cannon, "Truth" is a Charles Tolliver composition heard on Jackie McLean's classic It's Time from 1964. While Tolliver has raised his profile via the formation of an incendiary big band, Lynch states, "He's always going to be under appreciated." A wonderful ballad feature for Brian, this bolero possesses an arrangement that sticks fairly close to the original.

Another original that raises the bar in terms of complexity, Lynch calls "With a Single Step" "a long meter clave structure in nine." He further adds, "It's sort of like a two and a half bar clave, but then it's rearranged. The other patterns are then arranged around that, making it a bit complex and a little tricky." Trumpet and saxophone banter over a closing montuno cap this album centerpiece.

Tipping his hat to another influence, Lynch recalls the intrinsic simplicity that endears us to the work of neglected trumpeter Kenny Dorham. "Blue Friday" comes from the 1959 Prestige session Quiet Kenny, an album which still stands as one of Dorham's finest moments. "It was an end of the session kind of thing where you use it to kick back and it's probably the most traditional piece on the date."

The proceedings wrap up with the quicksilver tempo of "One for Armida," the namesake being the older sister of Brian's wife. "She's a great lady and so I wanted to send a shout out to her," explains the trumpeter. "It's got a happy sort of feeling, but still has a few tricks in it as it moves around the changes." Both Martinez and Brown get a chance to speak their minds before the final notes fade.

Covering a lot of ground, Lynch can be proud of an effort that solidifies all the best elements of his style. "I'm always trying to put my influences together, from Eddie Palmieri to Art Blakey or from Freddie Hubbard to Chocolate, the great Cuban trumpet player. So much of it too is the influence of my colleagues. Their ideas and concepts are just as big an influence on me as my heroes. In some ways they are the new tradition and I'm trying to be that old dog learning new tricks."

Liner Notes copyright © 2024 C. Andrew Hovan.

Con Clave Vol. 2 can be purchased here.

Contact C. Andrew Hovan at All About Jazz.
An avid audiophile and music collector, Chris Hovan is a Cleveland-based writer / photographer / musician.

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