Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Bates' Outside Sources: A Fine Balance

151

Michael Bates' Outside Sources: A Fine Balance

By

View read count
Michael Bates' Outside Sources: A Fine Balance
Michael Bates says that as a jazz musician, he takes a punk attitude to things. If anything, that is a refreshing attitude. When it comes down to music, he achieves a fine balance. He has all the right ingredients: a jazz sensibility, an open approach to classical music, a tingly edginess, and a sense of adventure.

Bates has a band that helps him along in no uncertain terms. Reed specialist Quinsin Nachoff is exciting as he lays bare unusual vistas in his improvisation; Kevin Turcotte, one of the finest trumpeters around, slips compactly into the mould and brings his own vision into play; drummer Mark Timmermans adds textures and accents that broaden the palette. The main protagonist, of course, is Bates, whose writing gives the musicians the room to change shape and density.

Bates shows his ability to channel ideas into new directions, even as he respects the tradition, on "Prokofiev, which is based on the composer's Cello Sonata in C Major. His arco dwells on the melody, albeit briefly, the signal for Nachoff's clarinet. The pace is deliberate and warm as Turcotte comes in, his notes at first a soft wisp, but then more pronounced as the shift in trajectory begins. The playing field opens and the thrust becomes stronger as the saxophone projects tensile lines.

"The Prodigal is an evolving tune that never stays in one place. Movement is constant, from the gliding ensemble horns to the saxophone taking off in unfettered flight, before returning home and clasping the other instruments in conversation. A bristling tempo characterises "On Equilibrium. The shift of pace and pulse, the roll and tumble of the saxophone, the intense urgency of the bass, and then the airy, pliant lines of the trumpet, with a sting in its tail, make the tune exceptional.

Visit Michael Bates on the web.

Track Listing

Small Obstacles; On Equilibrium; Entrance; Charcoal; Prodigal; Prokofiev; Partly Innocent; St. Helen; Coppertone; Simple Interlude.

Personnel

Michael Bates: bass; Quinsin Nachoff: reeds; Kevin Turcotte: trumpet; Mark Timmermans: drums.

Album information

Title: A Fine Balance | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Between the Lines

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, 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.