“Horvitz infuses his jazz compositions with the tunefulness and economy of
rock, ‘60s R&B, and calypso, synthesizing these influences into his own
sizzling, concise style. . . . a rare balance between free jazz and
(uncompromised) accessibility.”
MARK KERESMAN-EXPRESS, Berkeley, CA
“. . . the band embodies an earthy, sweaty aura with chops and humor to
match.”
T. SEDLAK, OPTION MAGAZINE
“. . .powerful and unpredictable originals deliver a sound-spattered session
rife with skewed rhythmic dynamics, spontaneous surprises, and boundary-
pushing improvisations. . .tasteful, sophisticated, yet urgent approach to
melody, harmony, and rhythm. Dust Devil whirls with exciting musical blends
to satisfy the most adventurous listener.”
NANCY ANN LEE, JAZZ TIMES
“ . . . Horvitz has been working on the rugged fringes of guitar culture. . .
making music that benefits from the confusing embarrassment of riches
facing any open-minded modern jazz player. . . antic, angular themes to wide
open spaces . . . kinetically charged.”
JOSEF WOODARD, JAZZIZ MAGAZINE
“funky bite. . .strong rapport. . . joyous artistry. . . brooding lyricism. .
.dramatic suspense. This excellent session showcases funk fusion stripped to
its dynamic essence. Highly recommended.”
DAVID LEWIS, CADENCE MAGAZINE
“An intriguing composer and a pliant melodicist. While his music might be
free jazz, it’s not free form; it’s exceptionally well organized . . . each tune
has a personality and life of its own.”
CHRIS KELSEY-JAZZ NOW, Oakland, CA
“A major innovator in guitar music . . . a Zen master's intuitive certainty . . .
few musicians can make abstract music this gorgeous.”
ALEX VARTY-GEORGIA STRAIGHT, Vancouver, BC
“A superb demonstration of structure and expression
. . . a model for postminimal improvisation.”
KYLE GANN-VILLAGE VOICE, NYC
“A mix of melody, fracture, and structure . . . an all-star big band.”
JON PARELES-NEW YORK TIMES (The Bill Horvitz Ensemble)
REVIEWS FULL TEXT
AllAboutJazz.com
Dust Devil
The Bill Horvitz Band (Music & Arts)
By Glenn Astarita
While spending many years in New York City, guitarist Bill Horvitz (Wayne
Horvitz’ brother) performed with new music renegades such as John Zorn,
Elliott Sharp, Bill Laswell, Shelley Hirsch, Eugene Chadbourne and many
others. Currently, Mr. Horvitz exhibits his creative juices in Northern
California while managing to delve into a variety of frameworks and settings,
yet his Trio featuring ROVA’s woodwind virtuoso Steve Adams and the
estimable drummer, Joesph Sabella have been on the receiving end of praise
for quite some time now. With Dust Devil, Horvitz fronts a compact unit that
gushes with artistic expressionism while providing an abundance of good-
natured fun along the way.
Pieces such as “Busy Mind” and “Watch Your Back” explode with choruses that
at times, could be derived from a Beethoven opus as the musicians seemingly
mangle, deconstruct and transform these themes into hard edged free-jazz
and/or jazz-rock motifs. Needless to state, Horvitz appears to be an astute
student of the classics. - With that and prominent doses of rock-funk
backbeats, abrupt shifts in tempo and spirited soloing by Horvitz and
saxophonist/flutist Steve Adams, the band playfully reworks melodies and
improvises atop well-structured compositions. Throughout, the guitarist
burns both ends of the candle whether rocking out with fuzz-toned distortion
or displaying deft and often complex single note, jazz-based runs. On “Watch
Your Back”, Adams punishes his soprano sax while embarking on a fleeting
solo excursion amid Joseph Sabella’s sinewy yet flexible rhythmic support as
the absence of a bassist is barely noticeable thanks to Horvitz’ mid-toned
harmonics and lower register picking. The composition titled, “Tic” boasts a
free-rock type groove amid a – stop and go – motif while the band settles
down on the Caribbean influenced “Guadeloupe”.
Along with a few tasty spurts of semi-controlled mayhem, the musicians offer
the complete package while exploring areas that many would consider a bit
unique or divergent for this type of “new music” – power trio – format. Here,
the restless spirit and thirst for ingenuity prevails as Dust Devil is a welcome
surprise and a jubilant listening experience! Highly recommended.
* * * * 1/2 (out of * * * * *) 2001
Personnel: Bill Horvitz; Guitar: Steve Adams; Soprano, Alto & Tenor
Saxophones, Bass Flute: Joseph Sabella; Drums
Visit The Music and Arts website at: www.musicandarts.com
Allmusic.com
Artist The Bill Horvitz Band
Album Title Dust Devil
Date of Release Jul 15, 1997
AMG Rating 4 stars
Genre Jazz
The surprising part about this CD is that it is not more avant-garde,
considering the musicians who are involved. Multi-reedist Steve Adams is one
of the founders of Rova, Bill Horvitz has long been one of the most
adventurous of jazz guitarists, and drummer Joseph Sabella has played with
Derek Bailey, John Zorn, and Vinny Golia. As a trio, they perform fairly
melodically on some of the eight originals (seven by Horvitz), building up
their improvisations slowly and logically. Ballads ("Dust Devil" and the
haunting "Occurs to Me") alternate with more fiery improvs ("Watch Your Back"
and the rockish "Tic"), with the catchy "Guadeloupe" being a highlight. Horvitz
is such a complete player that one does not notice the lack of a bassist. The
versatile Adams switches between his reeds, adding variety to the ensembles,
while Sabella is very attentive, supportive, and stimulating. The musicians let
the music breathe and the result is a superior disc well worth several listens.
— Scott Yanow
Dust Devil
Building on eight powerful and unpredictable originals by leader-guitarist Bill
Horvitz, this Northern California trio with saxist Steve Adams (from ROVA) and
veteran drummer Joseph
Sabella, delivers a sound-splattered session rife with skewed rhythmic
dynamics, spontaneous surprises, and boundary-pushing improvisations.
Less boisterous than Frisco-based Splatter Trio, this band harbors a tasteful,
sophisticated, yet urgent approach to melody, harmony, and rhythm. Dust
Devil whirls with exciting musical blends to satisfy the most adventurous
listener.
Nancy Ann Lee Jazz Times
Dust Devil (Music and Arts)
Guitarist Bill Horvitz has been working on the rugged fringes of guitar culture
for several years now, making music that benefits from the confusing
embarrassment of riches facing any open0minded modern jazz player. Based
in the Bay Area, Horvitz has found worthy allies in alto saxist Steve Adams —
who also plays with the Rova Saxophone Quartet — and drummer Joseph
Sabella. Like Horvitz, both are well-versed in diversity, and they roll with the
changes of Horvitz’ quirky compositions. Horvitz doesn’t swing in the
traditional sense, but instead comes at the music with an intensity sometimes
reminiscent of Sonny Sharrock. Dust Devil opens with “Busy Mind,” which
ventures from antic, angular themes to wide-open spaces, with Horvitz’
doubled octaves providing a phantom-bass presence. “Tic,” composed by
Adams, bears its own kinetically charged charms, which contrast nicely with
say, the collapsed calypso of “Guadeloupe” or the slow exultation of the
closing track, “The Lakes.”
Josef Woodard Jazziz Magazine
Dust Devil
Although guitarist Horvitz has played with such improvisers as Butch Morris,
Elliott Sharp, and John Zorn, this trio recording finds his group stretching out.
Joined by drummer Joseph Sabella and reed player Steve Adams (on loan from
the ROVA saxophone quartet), the Horvitz band uses each of the eight tracks
of Dust Devil to explore something distinct from the rest. The expansive night
music of “Occurs to Me” leaves plenty of space for the players to imply
landscapes both physical and spiritual. Sensuous flute work from Adams is
complemented by long, staid notes from Horvitz, whose playing suggests Bill
Frisell from time to time. On the other hand, “Tic” could hardly be more
different in its mix of tumultuous drumming, blaring sax honks and dense
guitar noise that ought to befriend admirers of Sonny Sharrock. The three are
unafraid to latch onto a groove from time to time, as in the wacky rock-steady
riffs and flighty melodic fun of “Guadeloupe.” The title track patches many of
their interests into a single quilt, effortlessly wandering to and from a jittery
funk, an Arabic-flavored saxophone solo and a sparse middle section that
evokes the hazy quietude of the desert. Though their leanings toward funk
might have benefited from more teeth, even on the more heady pieces the
band embodies and earthy, sweaty aura with chops and humor to match.
T. Sedlak Option Magazine
Bill Horvitz Band Live at Roulette, NYC
Roulette recently played host to a performance by San Francisco Bay Area
guitarist Bill Horvitz and his trio. Horvitz’s music is typical of the kind
normally heard at Roulette—transcending classification, uncompromising in
conception, and demanding of both listener and performer. Horvitz had with
him the very fine saxophonist Steve Adams, best known for his work with the
ROVA Saxophone Quartet, and the drummer Joe Sabella, with whose work I
had been unfamiliar. Adams is an aggressive and expressive, yet ultimately
very self-controlled improviser. He plays with a small, tight vibrato; his
articulation and phrasing are unusually clean for a free player, and his use of
tonal shading is sparing but effective. Sabella really opened my eyes.
Throughout the concert he was, by design, the trio’s freest contributor. While
the compositions tended to call for a certain amount of restraint on the part
of Horvitz and Adams, Sabella was given a bit more latitude to complement
the music’s melodic and harmonic components, which he did to near
perfection and without abusing the privilege.
Horvitz himself was an intriguing composer and a pliant melodicist. While his
music might be free jazz, it’s not free form; it’s exceptionally well organized,
often with chords or modes to play on and structures to be negotiated. Each
tune had a personality and a life of its own, from the boppish unisons and
serialist ostinatos of “Busy Mind,” to the gentle lyricism of the ballad “Heart
Rumors.” The latter was a particular highlight, as Sabella used a pair of
mallets to accent the tune’s gentle contours and counter the dialogue
between Adams and Horvitz. The guitarist himself is a forthright melodic
improviser. Horvitz’s lines are crafted with the same careful consideration that
he gives his compositions. Horvitz is hardly given to excessive ornamentation;
he’s an appealingly direct soloist. A very nice concert and further proof of the
excellence of the Northern California free jazz scene.
Chris Kelsey Jazz Now
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