FAB Trio: History of Jazz In Reverse (2011)

Dave Wayne

Contributor since 2004

Dave loves jazz like he loves a good 6-mile run.

Recent articles (63 total)

Published: October 20, 2011

Jazz violin, for some, is an acquired taste. Perhaps this has more to do with the instrument's dominant role in Western classical music, more than anything else, but there's something very naked and vocal about the sound of a violin—much like the saxophone, it calls forth all sorts of intense emotions. Billy Bang Billy Bang
1947 - 2011
violin , who died in April 2011, understood this all too well. He endured more than his share of slings and arrows early in his musical career, only to rise as a crucial participant and instigator of New York's Loft Jazz scene during the 1970s. From there, he went on to cofound the String Trio of New York String Trio of New York
, and record a string of stylistically diverse and artistically successful albums as a leader.

History of Jazz In Reverse, Bang's final recording with the FAB Trio and the group's fifth CD overall, is one of the late violinist's finest performances. Largely improvised, the music nevertheless imparts a very strong sense of focus—the sound of three master musicians really listening to each other.

Bang's partners in the FAB Trio are bassist Joe Fonda Joe Fonda
b.1954
bass and drummer Barry Altschul Barry Altschul
b.1943
drums —veteran musicians whose careers have been spent primarily in the modern jazz arena. Altschul is best known for his genre-defining work during the 1970s with Chick Corea Chick Corea
b.1941
piano , David Holland David Holland
, Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton
b.1945
reeds , Sam Rivers Sam Rivers
1923 - 2011
sax, tenor , and Paul Bley Paul Bley
b.1932
piano . Fonda, a product of the New Haven jazz scene along with Anthony Davis Anthony Davis
b.1951
piano , Wadada Leo Smith Wadada Leo Smith
b.1941
trumpet , and Gerry Hemingway Gerry Hemingway
b.1955
percussion , has also worked with Braxton.

Here, Bang's sound is full and rich, almost triumphant. On "Homeward Bound," he comes out swinging, firing off darting laser-sharp lines over the roiling rhythm section. Fonda's bass sings like Charlie Haden Charlie Haden
b.1937
bass, acoustic 's did on Ornette Coleman Ornette Coleman
b.1930
sax, alto 's "Lonely Woman," before he breaks out into a thunderous, unaccompanied solo. Altschul is also at the top of his game, as indicated by his solos on "Homeward Bound" and "From Here To There," the latter moving from a spacious, well-paced drum solo into an absolutely volcanic 180+ beats-per-minute jam that has Bang sawing away like a jazz Paganini. Altschul's take on the second line rhythm provides the reference point for "From the Waters of New Orleans." While the rhythm section has a funky party, Bang ekes some really unusual harmonies out of the violin that give the piece a dark, mysterious edge.

Textural, conversational improvisations are also part of the FAB Trio palette. "Implications" starts out in Art Ensemble Of Chicago Art Ensemble Of Chicago

band/orchestra mode, with each member of the trio exploring the timbral range of their respective instruments. Surprisingly, Fonda and Altschul converge on an angular 4/4 funk rhythm, as Bang's delicate pizzicato dances on top.

The title track finds the trio in a particularly interactive mode—each member playing fragments of lines, carefully spaced or overlain—before Bang takes up a melody that sounds like a field holler or gospel lament. The trio gradually moves towards a moderate tempo swagger as Bang continues to improvise; listening to this is almost like watching a flower open in real time. Beautiful!

Track Listing: Homeward Bound; Implications; For Bea; From Here to There; Chan Chan; History of Jazz In Reverse; One for Don Cherry; From the Waters of New Orleans