Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Paul Motian Trio 2000 + 1: On Broadway, Vol. 4: Or The P...
Paul Motian Trio 2000 + 1: On Broadway, Vol. 4: Or The Paradox of Continuity
Pianist Masabumi Kikuchi, featured on five tracks, brings vocal "inarticulations (picked up via close mic'ing), unusual chord voicings and accompaniment textures, and a gently cubist approach to deconstructing melodies that's more suggestive than emphatic. The remaining tracks substitute vocalist Rebecca Martin, who—with the exception of "Tea for Two, done as a ballad—offers straightforward interpretations of the songs (faithfully including their lesser-known verses) in a timbre more often associated with alternative rock or twangless country.
The saddle between these divergent aesthetics is provided by Motian, bassist Larry Grenadier and saxophonist Chris Potter. The drummer, as always, is the epitome of simpatico, while Grenadier and Potter ameliorate the anarchy—the bassist through consistent rhythmic pulsing and emphasis of chord tones, the tenor saxophonist through obbligato parts and creatively articulated solos that supply (or strongly imply) the inner voices of the underlying harmonic progression.
The strength of Motian's earlier efforts in this vein lie in the amalgamation of "in" and "out," a delicate balance in which freedom is anchored within a discernible structure; here, two co-dominant interpretative aesthetics alternately emphasize black and white extremes at the expense of those fascinating grays only possible in the middle.
Track Listing
The Last Dance; Tea for Two; In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town; Never Let Me Go; Never Let Me Go (2); Folks Who Live on the Hill; Everything Happens to Me; Last Night When We Were Young; Born to be Blue; Brother Can You Spare a Dime; I Loves You Porgy; You're Getting to be a Habit with Me; How Long Has This Been Going On.
Personnel
Paul Motian
drumsPaul Motian: drums; Chris Potter: saxophone; Larry Grenadier: bass; Masabumi Kikuchi, piano; Rebecca Martin: vocals.
Album information
Title: On Broadway, Vol. 4: Or The Paradox of Continuity | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Winter & Winter
About Paul Motian
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
