Jerome Sabbagh: Stand Up!

While much great jazz has emerged from one-off encounters among musicians, there is a lot to be said for the synergy of longstanding working bands. The former may provide more spontaneity and produce fireworks, but it can also lead to the occasional dud due to a mismatch in approach. Players in a working band, in contrast, gain a deep knowledge of each other's artistic choices, learn what works and what does not, and—by definition—must be doing something right, since their longevity indicates audience interest. This thought was sparked by Stand Up! (Analog Tone Factory, 2025), on which Paris-born, NYC-based saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh reconvenes his longstanding quartet including guitarist Ben Monder and bassist Joe Martin, with Nasheet Waits replacing Ted Poor on drums. The group has played extensively for two decades and released three prior albums: North (Fresh Sounds Records, 2004); Pogo (Sunnyside Records, 2007); and The Turn (Sunnyside Records, 2014). Each of Stand Up!'s eight tunes is dedicated to a personal acquaintance or a musician who has influenced Sabbagh and his development. The quartet's rich history is apparent in their seamless interplay and sympathetic music-making, captured live to two-track analog tape, at NYC's fabled Power Station studio. The LP, mastered by Bernie Grundman, is available in both standard and one-step pressing formats, and can also be heard on all streaming platforms.

Opener "Lone Jack" is dedicated to both Ray Charles and Pete Rende, the pianist and producer who is also Sabbagh's partner in the Analog Tone Factory label. It has a loping, hymn-like, country-blues feel, with Sabbagh's main melody cushioned by Monder's spacey chords and arpeggios. The guitarist adopts a fuzzier tone for his solo, taking the tune into heavier rock territory. "Michelle's Song" and "High Falls" were written for personal friends. The former is a sweet ballad that features Martin's elegant bass solo, sensitively supported by Waits' cymbals and tom-toms, and some lovely interaction between the leader and Monder. The latter is a bossa-nova tune whose melody, despite being an original, feels like a well-worn classic. Waits is impeccable, and both Sabbagh and Monder solo fluently.

"Lunar Cycle" takes its inspiration from "Cyclic Episode," a track from Sam Rivers superb Fuschia Swing Song (Blue Note Records, 1965). Its post-boppish head leads into Sabbagh's solo, under which Waits puts on a drum clinic, flitting from rim shots to robust tom patterns to dramatic cymbal crashes, never losing his propulsive swing even during his solo with support from Martin. Monder's grungy guitar dominates "Mosh Pit," dedicated to Nine Inch Nails' leader Trent Reznor. This brief tune combines 60s free jazz aggression with modern sophistication, with Sabbagh and Monder playing freely over a boiling bed of drums and droning bass. Both Sabbagh and Monder played with drummer Paul Motian in a new trio shortly before he died in 2011, and "Vanguard" conjures up the floating, ethereal feel of his best work for the ECM Records label, Monder's abstract solo providing his finest moment of the set. Dedicated to Stevie Wonder, "The Break Song" is a winning soul groover, while album closer "Unbowed" is a gentle, well-sculpted tune dedicated to pianist Kenny Barron.

Stand Up! is a welcome return of Jerome Sabbagh's working quartet, enhanced by the superb drumming of new addition Nasheet Waits. Its varied tunes provide ample evidence of the group's musical range, yet hold together in classic album fashion.

Comments