Michael Sarian: Live at Cliff Bell's - Vol. II

There was no reason whatsoever for listeners who enjoyed trumpeter Michael Sarian's terrific 2024 release, Live at Cliff Bell's (Shifting Paradigm Records), to feel short—changed.  Capturing all the energy and excitement of a first-rate performance at the renowned Detroit jazz club from the previous year, the album traversed a wide spectrum of emotional registers and displayed the instrumental excellence which confirmed Sarian's standing as one of the premier talents of his generation.  But what was left unmentioned at the time of that record's release was that it represented only a portion of the band's set from that evening—and had that been known, it would have likely occasioned either a substantial bout of disappointment or a heightened anticipation for a possible follow-up (or both).  In any case, we are now fortunate to have the remainder available, and Vol. II lives up to the lofty standard of the first album in impressive fashion.

Leading off with the up-tempo "First Song," a piece penned by Polish trumpet legend Tomasz Stańko, Sarian's feisty trumpet gambols alongside pianist Santiago Leibson, bassist Marty Kenney and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell, with spirited leaps and a tuneful sensibility that helps him straddle the line between edgy abstraction and melodic immediacy.  Leibson possesses the same qualities, exhibited convincingly during a well-constructed solo that rides comfortably atop the fast-paced swing of his bandmates. 

Both Sarian and Leibson are just as effective on the album's three ballads. "Dle Yaman" is a poignant traditional Armenian tune sketched to perfection by Sarian's lissome trumpet over the band's spartan backing, while "Portrait of a Postman" offers a lonely melody which allows Sarian's sensitivity to come to the fore, followed by an equally affecting statement from Leibson alongside Kenney's adroit support, as the bassist displays his own tuneful instincts.  Kenney shines also on "Regarding Kobe," a tune first featured on Sarian's Living at the End of the World (ears&eyes Records, 2022), as his ability to merge beautifully with Sarian and Leibson adds emotional texture to the piece's somber hues.

As strong as the band is on its down-tempo pieces, it gets the groove going decisively on "Floating Sharks," a new Sarian composition.  Its hard- driving swing gives Leibson a chance to stretch out with another well-crafted solo before Sarian takes over, matching Leibson's heady maneuverings with his own careful delineations as the band alternately relaxes and re-establishes the tempo.  And the album's closer, "Picklepuss Romp," another composition recorded initially on Sarian's Living at the End of the World, finishes the album with aplomb, as the band struts through the piece's second-line vibe with saucy insouciance, as all four musicians get satisfying solos. 

Kudos to Shifting Paradigm Records for making the rest of this fine concert available, as it documents a superb band which is most worthy of the additional attention.      

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