Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Loren Stillman: Blind Date

261

Loren Stillman: Blind Date

By

Sign in to view read count
Loren Stillman: Blind Date
Not having the advantage of hearing altoist Loren Stillman's earlier albums, Blind Date can only be compared to having seen him in concert some five years ago. Opening for the more straight-ahead Lew Tabackin Quintet and singer Roberta Gamborini, Stillman and his quartet showed no mercy and spent the entire set in full free jazz flight. Stillman had either misjudged this very mainstream audience or wanted to make the most of such an opportunity.

Blind Date begins promisingly, the title tune showcasing Stillman's balladry and coming across fully as a combination of Lee Konitz and a dry martini; the perfect start for someone who blew the house away—a negative connotation—with his avant-garde playing in the past.

Stillman reports that he studied with both Konitz and Dave Liebman, but his influences also include Béla Bartók and Frank Zappa. After bassist Drew Gress and pianist Gary Versace solo on the seven minute-plus "What Will People Think," the altoist approaches his playing with some edginess, in the general vicinity of Ornette Coleman's early-1960s Atlantic period.

Stillman's group is well-chosen to accompany him. Versace doesn't always provide the more standardized comping and cushioning, laying out during Stillman's solo on "Theme For A New Regime," while providing some dissonant flourishes on "Don't Be Too Nice" that are later matched by Gress and drummer Joey Baron. Gress and Baron are individualistic musicians and the drummer's experience with outside players helps.



"Theme for a New Regime" and "Don't Be Too Nice" find Stillman very carefully toeing a line between mainstream and avant-garde. It is almost as if his long phrases and swoops are making it clear that he is fully capable of taking it out, but is providing just a taste of it here. Appropriately, the closing tracks ("Major," "Legroom" and "Etude) offer something that this listener would want to hear more of, but that may well have to wait for another occasion.

Track Listing

Blind Date; What Will Other People Think; Etude; Shape Shifter; Theme For A New Regime; Don't Be Too Nice; Major; Legroom; Etude - Reprise.

Personnel

Loren Stillman
saxophone, alto

Loren Stillman: alto saxophone; Gary Versace: piano; Drew Gress: bass; Joey Baron:drums.

Album information

Title: Blind Date | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Pirouet 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.