Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Fred Anderson: Staying in the Game

237

Fred Anderson: Staying in the Game

By

Sign in to view read count
Fred Anderson: Staying in the Game
Bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Tim Daisy open with a rhythmic standard for tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson in Staying In The Game. An innate sense of melody springs from Anderson, a pure-tone player if there ever was one. But even more noteworthy is the ease with which Anderson improvises on one set of phrases.

"Sunday Afternoon" absorbs nearly half of the recording. Mastery of his musicianship over sixty years allows Anderson to manufacture unstoppable variations on his first back-and-forth, up-and-down musical picture that sets itself squarely in the musical hammock that Bankhead and Daisy keep rocking. Anderson draws lines that twist and turn in and out of low and high notes, cascading progressions, rapid and tempered passages and resurgences of melodic structure. Close attention reveals how the changes happen, how other directions are pursued and new paces occur. The alteration of the thematic material into explorative tangents happens early on in the track and carries through into exciting, electric territory. Following an up- tempo sax and drum flurry, Bankhead's solo brackets an entrancing arco passage with expressive pizzicato that thrusts Anderson and Daisy into the coda. The bass bears the weight to the closing note.

Anderson dwells in the mid to low range of his tenor. The energy with which he plays only emphasizes the wealth of instrumental knowledge he applies to each improvisation. Bankhead's ingenious pizzicato and arco conversation with Anderson demonstrates their musical compatibility ("The Elephant and The Bee"). Bankhead's versatility with the thumb piano and other percussive instruments allows Anderson to expose his lyrical, endearing side ("Wandering"). When the drums enter the flow with full rounds of the drum set, Anderson and Bankhead do not let up; the three continue in constant motion. Anderson might pause for a brief moment to take a breath before he digs in again to repeat or slightly change the riffs that follow in quick succession ("60 Degrees in November").

Acutely aware of the timbral vicissitudes that come with this bass and sax combination, drummer Daisy has a light and accurate touch that uses the entire kit. He does not focus on one aspect over another ("60 Degrees In November"); he is right in there, moving his sticks across the cymbals, catching the snare as he goes. Occasionally the cymbal reverberates, accenting the largeness of Anderson's figures ("Sunday Afternoon," "Changes and Bodies and Tones"). Or Daisy paints the backdrop for Anderson's excursions into clear-cut, erudite and relentless abstraction that in "Singing Winter" concludes with a full denouement, capped with a five-second vibrato. Daisy's solo in "Changes and Bodies and Tones" shows nothing less than his sensitivity to changing instrumental moods and colors (cf. the establishment of a regular pulse in "Sunday Afternoon").

Remarkable about this recording is its intimacy. The individual sax, bass and drums sounds are uniquely intertwined and simultaneously distinct. Staying In The Game carves out a place for itself that is not too far from first, in both relevance and memory.

Track Listing

Sunday Afternoon; The Elephant and the Bee; 60 Degrees in November; Wandering; Springing Winter; Changes and Bodies and Tones.

Personnel

Fred Anderson
saxophone

Fred Anderson: tenor saxophone; Harrison Bankhead: bass; Tim Daisy: drums.

Album information

Title: Staying In The Game | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Engine

Comments

Tags


For the Love of 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 create 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.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve 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.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.