Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mario Pavone: Totem Blues

403

Mario Pavone: Totem Blues

By

View read count
Having spent several fruitful years performing with the late, great saxophonist/composer, Thomas Chapin amid numerous session dates, bassist/composer, Mario Pavone renders his third Knitting Factory Records release titled, Totem Blues. Here, the bassist utilizes the laudable talents of long time running mates, pianist Peter Madsen and drummer Matt Wilson along with some up and comers and ex-Duke Ellington trombonist, Art Baron.

Pavone's modus operandi consists of oscillating rhythms, tightly woven horn charts and multi-layered tonalities, while the band maintains a brisk pace throughout. The New York City-based artist seemingly chronicles the hustle and bustle of a colorful metropolis, brimming with geometrically opposed angles as the band often engages in linear themes atop simmering swing vamps. On "Poet O Central Park," Baron prominently displays his full-bodied tone, as Madsen staggers and accelerates the flow via his mammoth block chords and wily permutations.

"Bella Avo Fero" rekindles notions of Gillespie and Parker engaging in sprightly be-bop choruses, whereas Pavone's booming, walking bass lines and Wilson's loose pulse provide the ammo for what sounds like an old fashioned, after hours cutting session. However, Pavone strips away all the gloss and gets his point across in rather meticulous fashion during these altogether riveting works.

Track Listing

1. Not Five Kimono 2. Sequence 3. Totem 4. Poet O Central Park 5. Bass Song 6. Bella Avo Fero 7. Otic 8. New socks 9. Odette 10. Cherry Bars

Personnel

Mario Pavone: bass; Jimmy Greene: tenor sax; George Sovak: tenor sax, clarinet; Mike Dirubbo: alto, soprano sax, clarinet; Art Baron: trombone; Peter Mceachern: trombone; Peter Madsen: piano; Matt Wilson: drums

Album information

Title: Totem Blues | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Knitting Factory


About Mario Pavone

Tags


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Become a Sustaining Member

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter

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.

More

Kevin Sun, I.
Kevin Sun
Solitary Moon
Tommy Muellner
Guinnevere
Peter Sprague
Soho Elegy
Rachael Calladine Quintet

Popular

Desolation Row
David Maranha / Rodrigo Amado
2014 NYC
King Crimson
Beneath Lifted Skies
Linda May Han Oh & Melissa Aldana
Talamanti
Patricia Brennan and Sylvie Courvoisier

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletters highlight our top stories, top album reviews, website news, free songs, radio & podcast shows, news, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.