Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Stamm/Soph Project: Live at Birdland NYC

96

The Stamm/Soph Project: Live at Birdland NYC

By

View read count
The Stamm/Soph Project: Live at Birdland NYC
Introduced as the Marvin Stamm Quartet at Birdland on September 11 and 13, 2003, this tight ensemble interprets straight-ahead jazz from several different contemporary sources, including dynamic originals by the band's trumpeter, pianist, and bassist. Stamm brings a unique and personal sound to the forum, allowing his tone to waver and fluctuate with a sensitive frame of reference. Frail, light, and airy, the trumpeter's tone evokes understatement and quiet passion. Stamm releases his emotions in a profound manner, ensuring that power never consumes his delicate demeanor. Even as he builds his interpretations to a higher climax, the trumpeter maintains a fluid appearance and downplays his role.

But this performance reflects a team approach. Ed Soph introduces "Samba du Nancy" with hands on drums in an informal affair that invokes myriad textures. Solemn and devotional, he prepares the quartet for an exotic escape toward festive celebrations. They deliver this one with a quiet fire and a cohesive sparkle.

Guitarist John Abercrombie joins the band for four selections. His pensive lines add a smooth, contemporary charm to the session, while inviting denser harmonies. With a vibrant guitar tone that contrasts sharply with Stamm's feathery touch and airy sound, Abercrombie gives the session a considerable lift. His interpretations contain lyrical passages that drive the ensemble on solid ground.

The high point comes with Rufus Reid's "The Meddler," a driving, hard bop blues that tears your heart out, opens your eyes, and sizzles with hip excitement. Abercrombie soars with gutsy conversational integrity, Bill Mays drives a swingin' affair, Stamm adds a guarded theme over a powerful rhythm section, Reid stretches out with an invigorating stand-up bass interlude, and the band proudly displays its love for the passion that underlies mainstream jazz.

Track Listing

Svensson; Samba du Nancy; In Her Arms; Waltz for Mia; Two as One; When She Smiles Upon Your Face; Gemma's Eyes; The Meddler.

Personnel

Marvin Stamm- trumpet, flugelhorn; Ed Soph- drums; Bill Mays- piano; Rufus Reid- bass; John Abercrombie- guitar.

Album information

Title: Live at Birdland NYC | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Jazzed Media

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.

Near

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.