Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tony Malaby Tamarindo: Somos Agua

17

Tony Malaby Tamarindo: Somos Agua

By

Sign in to view read count
Tony Malaby Tamarindo: Somos Agua
Saxophonist Tony Malaby's Tamarindo, featuring the unerring bassist William Parker and explosive drummer Nasheet Waits explore the possibilities of the saxophone trio on Somos Agua with frequently staggering results—sort of like a very free version of the Sonny Rollins unit with Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones that recorded A Night at the Village Vanguard some 57 years ago.

Waits crackles and pops like gunfire in a high-rise alley as Malaby riffs in a stream-of-consciousness style reminiscent of Ornette Coleman's infinite melodic information with some Albert Ayler tonal manipulation thrown in. Parker's strums, pedals, and arco construct a mooring pylon around which the raging currents of tenor shrieks and drum fusillade circumnavigate on the blistering "Mule Skinner," which concludes on an archetypal bowed solo that serves as the connective tissue into the free-dirge of "Loretto," where his resonant pizzicato holds down the fort.

Although it's possible to hear bits of Rollins, Coleman, Ayler and Dewey Redman in Malaby's aesthetic—they're only bits—he's found a voice of his own; surviving in the intensely swinging melee conjured by Parker and Waits wouldn't be an option otherwise, especially in the sonic onslaught of "Matik-Matik" which burns hot enough to melt steel.

Waits's dynamic finesse is quite amazing; he can churn the kinetic-energy up to triple-forte or dial it as quiet as a church mouse—something he does several times during the course of the wildly episodic "Can't find you..." which shifts from maelstrom shouts to pensive wails —all with a groove strong enough to climb on.

The concept of groove, of course, is one he shares with the redoubtable Parker, whose inventions can gild even the most skeletal constructs into a dancing being—whether he's plucking like a free Percy Heath or sawing like a hornet's nest —it all pulses with the primal force of the human heart.

Malaby's got something going here, and the music on Somos Agua is a prime example of where the saxophone trio should be headed in the years to come.

Track Listing

Mule Skinner; Loretto; *Matik-Matik*; Can't find you...; Bitter Dream; Little Head; Somos Agua.

Personnel

Tony Malaby: soprano and tenor saxophone; William Parker: double bass; Nasheet Waits: drums.

Album information

Title: Somos Agua | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.