Seamus Blake: Bellwether

The music speaks for itself. This timeworn axiom has often served as a suggestion that there's an intangible aspect to music's universal language that is somehow beyond mere words. In some cases this may be true, but on the other hand, this outlook has occasionally in the past served as a viable excuse for justifying music of a somewhat dubious nature.

In recently talking with saxophonist Seamus Blake by phone from Vancouver, it occurred to me that his "less is more" approach to discussing the present album had nothing to do with being elusive, but more with the confidence he has for his original music to speak on its own terms. And there's certainly nothing dubious about Blake's inventive approach, which has served him well over the years from his first place win in the 2002 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition to high profile gigs with John Scofield, Victor Lewis, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and many other heavy hitters.

As our conversation progressed, it occurred to me that while Blake's saxophone voice is already highly developed, it's his knack for original composition that further drives home an individualistic muse that clearly sets him apart from the pack. By contrast, this also made me recall a recent radio interview I had heard with a critically acclaimed jazz pianist who felt no need to compose and was perfectly satisfied in reclaiming yesterday's standards. With all this in mind, I decided to explore with Blake the importance of finding your own voice via the path of original composition.

Without hesitation, Blake suggested, "It's a personal thing. Although Stan Getz didn't compose too much, he still was a great stylist, a masterful interpreter, and left an indelible mark on the saxophone legacy. Most of the time composing does help you find 'your thing.' Usually players with a strong original voice tend to be composers because improvising and composing are linked. If you're thinking about your own melodies or concepts, then you inevitably have to compose and write those things out. For me, I get more long-term satisfaction out of writing a piece of music I like than I do out of playing a good solo. A good solo is satisfying that night, but when you write a good piece of music it's satisfying for a long time and you can keep playing it. It's the ultimate challenge to me."

But while revisiting standards and imitating influences is a necessary and important step, Blake acknowledges that finding your own voice can be an elusive quest. "In my writing, I try not to get unnecessarily complicated, although sometimes I do write songs with challenging structures and harmony. I look for strong melodies with elegant and complimentary harmony, framed in a natural and supportive form. I also strive for a songwriting element. I think I get a lot of ideas from songwriters in other idioms outside of jazz. It's the idea of writing something that's singable and makes you feel good or makes you feel a certain way or conveys a mood that is important to me. "

Blake speaks from experience when discussing such matters and indeed his activities as both a solo artist and a sideman put him squarely in the middle of the action on a regular basis. "I do a lot of sidemen gigs," he says. "So I'm always playing different people's originals. Lots of different approaches and styles open my mind to possibilities for my own music. Being a sideman has helped me to grow as a musician." While the foregoing hopefully illuminates further the qualities and sensibilities that make Blake one of the music's important go-to individuals, it also serves to justify the title of the disc at hand, one that seems particularly appropriate at this juncture in Blake's career. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a bellwether is "One that serves as a leader or as a leading indicator of future trends." So if an elegant, simpler, and more cohesive mode of expression is the trend that Blake is working towards here, then he's certainly succeeded on many levels.

Of course, it helps to surround yourself with like-minded individuals and for Bellwether; Blake decided to return to the line-up he used for 2007's Way Out Willy (Criss 1288), with the exception of bassist Matt Clohesy replacing Orlando le Fleming. Over the past seven years, guitarist Lage Lund's star has been on the rise. A native of Norway, Lund had originally set his sights on break dancing or skateboarding before switching to music at the age of 13. Coming to the US, the guitarist spent time in Boston at the Berklee College of Music and then became the first electric guitarist to attend Julliard's jazz program. Lund also recently cut his own date for Criss Cross, Early Songs. "Over the last four years or so he has become one of my favorite guitar players," Blake says. "He has a beautiful tone and great sense of harmony and he plays very melodically. I have enjoyed playing in Lage's band off and on over the last couple of years."

Little introduction needs to be given in the case of pianist David Kikoski, a dynamo who is known for his incendiary style and a Criss Cross regular in his own right. "I first met David around 1997," explains Seamus. "He was playing with Bob Berg and I was on the road with Scofield. Then we started playing a bit in the Mingus band together. He was really one of my favorite guys in that band because he was into the Beatles and rock and roll and different stuff as well as jazz. We have become close friends and play together a lot. He has incredible chops, amazing intuition, and is just a powerhouse musician."

A budding talent worthy of wider recognition, bassist Matt Clohesy is a native of Australia and has been seen most prominently with pianist Geoff Keezer. He locks up tight with master drummer Bill Stewart, a gentleman who is quickly becoming one of the most imitated and influential musicians of his generation. "Some mutual friends of mine have been playing with Matt so I had heard about him," says Blake about the bassist. "But after doing a couple of gigs with him, I realized he has the best sound and agility. He can play in any style and is very quick." As for Stewart, the saxophonist simply states, "He's one of the most imitated, original, and killing drummers on the scene. He has perfect time and feel and is very interactive."

From the first number, "Dance Me Home," one notices how much pure tone Blake gets out of the way he voices the melodies with Lund's guitar. It's a very pleasing front line sound that offers an alternative to the more traditional saxophone and trumpet lead. This John Scofield piece was originally a funk tune, but Seamus says, "I thought it might sound cool with a swing feel. It has interesting modulations and it's fun to play on."

With an ear towards the music of Brazil, Blake pays homage with "A Beleza Que Vem," which roughly translates to The Beauty That Comes. "This piece is somewhat inspired by Ivan Lins' Comecar De Novo," Blake explains. "Of course, I like Jobim, but I also like Djavan, Milton Nascimento and Toninho Horta. These guys write such great progressions and beautiful melodies." Blake's soprano takes on a vocal-like inflection that perfectly fits the mood of this lovely piece.

The pace quickens for "Subterfuge," a piece with a creative twist. "I just wrote it out in four, America's favorite time signature, but I was trying to find a rhythm that sounded like another meter even though it was actually in four." Both Blake and Lund solo over vamps that indeed create the illusion of being in an odd meter. Pay special attention to how Stewart thrives on such structures both in support and during his brief solo. His fluidity in moving around the drum set and displacing rhythms across bar lines speak of a highly developed sense of musicality that is rare for drummers.

A particularly mature ballad statement, "The Song That Lives Inside" opens starkly with Lage on acoustic guitar and Blake's tenor delivering the melody before the rhythm section falls in. Although the majority of his originals here were penned right before the date, this piece was written a while ago after Blake had read the book Tonight at Noon: A Love Story by Sue Mingus. "I wrote it on guitar about her and Charles Mingus. It does have words, although I did not sing them on this version."

The title track, "Bellwether," and "Minor Celebrity" sidestep the customary by embracing odd meters, the former based in 5/4 and the latter swinging along in a brisk seven to the bar. Lund's solo on Bellwether is one of his best; his dry tone and linear melodies not unlike that of guitar ace Pat Metheny. Pay special attention to Blake's tenor work on "Minor Celebrity." He uses the entire range of his horn with uniform agility, plus his use of space and filigreed runs creates a sense of drama that distinguishes only the best storytellers.

Choosing to bring things to a close on a gentler note, Blake and crew combine classical and jazz sensibilities with a sagacious reworking of the third movement from Debussy's String Quartet in G Minor, Opus 10. "I used to play classical music on violin when I was a kid and I became familiar with the piece while in college," explains Blake. "We play it like it's a tune and we create a solo section out of some of the chords and loop that area. I guess you could say we sort of 'jazzify' it."

While album titles tend to vary in their degree of significance to the music at hand, it bears repeating that Blake has chosen this one wisely. Looking closer at the derivation of the term bellwether, it seems to refer to the act of placing a bell around the neck of a ram leading its flock of sheep. In this manner, the flock's movements could be discerned by ear well before appearing in one's sight. Blake's music can be likened to this proverbial bell in that it seems to lead the way with a sound that will hopefully influence others to follow his lead.

Liner Notes copyright © 2024 C. Andrew Hovan.

Bellwether 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.

Comments