Chris Greene Quartet: Conversance

Saxophonist Chris Greene is back. The Evanston, IL native and his group the Chris Greene Quartet—comprising Greene on sax, Marc Piane on bass, Damian Espinosa on piano and Steve Corley on drums—recently released its newest project, titled "Conversance." The album is the first jazz recording released on the Pravda Records label in the label's forty-year history. According to the recording's press release, the Chicago-based indie rock label took a chance on Greene, but it feels more accurate to state that Greene took a chance on Pravda Records.

Throughout his decades-long career, the saxophonist and bandleader has been largely independent. The owner of Single Malt Records has racked up club dates, tours, recordings, and brand endorsement deals all on his own. In order for an artist to grow, however, sometimes it requires one to take a leap of faith and that's what joining Pravda Records represented for Greene. Fortunately, the new collaboration doesn't require him to be anything other than himself. One listen to "Conversance" and there is no denying that it is the Chris Greene Quartet in its fullest splendor. The group's signature components are all there: cohesion, familiarity, fluidity, skill, thoughtfulness and creativity. Could this partnership be the difference maker in Greene's career? Only time will tell, but with the release of "Conversance," it is clear that they are off to a good start.

The recording features seven tracks including five original tracks written by Greene and other members of the Quartet, a reinterpretation of a jazz classic and a Duke Ellington composition.

On "Thumper" and "The Emperor Strikes Back," Greene sounds his strongest. The opening section of "Thumper" (written by Piane) feels familiar. It sounds like a slowed-down version of Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce" or some other beautifully-written tune from that era and it ends up feeling like an updated version of Branford Marsalis' "Whiplash." The update is that more saxophone is highlighted in "Thumper" than on Marsalis' tune, which is great for Greene because his playing is phenomenal on the song. Greene plays so much saxophone on all of his recordings —he reinterprets and reimagines pop, hip-hop and jazz tunes on most of his records —that his actual command of the instrument can be overlooked and taken for granted, so hearing how Greene's playing flows from breezy to strong and then all-consuming is the highlight of the entire song. The rhythm section plays beautifully as well. Corley's drumming is stellar ,while Piane and Espinosa really support each other in pushing the rhythm forward. Their contribution anchors Greene in a way that allows him to soar. The recording's press release mentions that the tune includes elements of Frank Zappa and King Crimson. The song is so well played that the influence does not matter. It is a fantastic piece of work. On "The Emperor Strikes Back," Greene draws influence from a melody that was written by his thirteen-year-old son Alex. The song features fun and funky solos from Espinosa on the keyboard and Corley, while Piane eggs them on with that steady bass groove. Once again, the Quartet anchors Greene as he energetically weaves through the song and ties everything together.

Count on the mind of Greene to mix blaxploitation sonic deliciousness with a classic jazz tune. On the standout track "You Don't Know What Love Is" (written by Don Raye and Gene de Paul), Greene strips down the opening section of Curtis Mayfield's "Gimme Your Love" (a song included on the soundtrack of the 1970s movie, Superfly) to intro the popular jazz composition. The resulting sound offers a slight tug-of-war that one might expect from mixing the chosen songs: the subtle desire and longing pulling against a laid-back, quiet confidence, which brings that air of romanticism to a good ballad. It is almost as genius as pairing peanuts and chocolate. You don't know how good it is until you experience them together. "Superfly" meets the classics... Who knew?

The recording also includes a stellar take on Duke Ellington's "Just Squeeze Me," along with songs written by band members Espinosa ("Broken Glass" a hip and contemporary groove-heavy song that balances out the recording nicely), Piane ("Inspiration," an elegant counterbalance to Piane's other composition, "Thumper") and the recording's opening number "A Gentleman's Breakfast," written by Greene.

The members of the Chris Greene Quartet play to see each other shine. When a band has played together as long as these guys have, it is probable that they do so because they realize that it means they will all shine brighter together. That is what makes "Conversance" such a good recording: the band members are so familiar with themselves and each other that it sweetens the sound of the recorded music. Well done.

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