Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bryan and the Haggards: Still Alive And Kickin' Down The Walls
Bryan and the Haggards: Still Alive And Kickin' Down The Walls
ByHere, Murray and Irabagon focus more intently on Haggard's melodies, and seem to capture the emotional content of the lyrics. One obvious precedent for this aspect of the band's musicality is saxophonist Albert Ayler's recordings of church hymns and spirituals. Concentrating mostly on Haggard's early- to mid-1960s output, Murray and his quintet generally hew to the tunes' original musical intent. "Ramblin' Fever" is a hard-rockin' stomp, played loud and proud, with angular saxophone squawking and Jon Lundbom's splendidly dirty guitar work. The band takes an equally gritty approach on "Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star," a sweaty, hard- working blues that was a huge hit for the Hag in the late 1980s. A Texas Swing feel pervades "Mixed Up Mess Of A Heart," where the saxophonists' absolutely nutty soloing contrasts with the ultra-buttoned-down work of bassist Moppa Elliott and drummer Danny Fischer. Bob Wills' "San Antonio Rose" goes a step further, with the requisite vocal yelps and a crazy Slam Stewart-inspired scat-and-bass solo.
The quintet digs into a couple of Haggard's ballads and drinking songs. The bathetic "Turnin' Off A Memory" starts with a brief spoken intro and has some impressively unhinged soloing from Murray and Irabagon. "Sing a Sad Song" gets a gentler treatment, with Murray's sweet, fluttering tenor sounding a little like Charles Lloyd. "If We Make It Through December" starts out just as sweetly, only to decay into a drunken stumble, as the saxophonists play bizarre variations on the melody while manically switching between various saxophones, clarinet, piccolo, and whistles in a theatrical evocation of a weary band playing the last tune of the night to a near- empty room populated by a few drunkssomething that Haggard himself probably experienced a few times.
Turning country music on its head to reveal a previously unheard avant-jazz underbelly, Still Alive And Kickin' Down The Walls combines Haggard's songs and Bryan and the Haggards' unceasing rumbustious improvisational energy, making for one of 2011's more engaging jazz recordings.
Track Listing
Ramblin' Fever; Seeing Eye Dog; Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star; Sing a Sad Song; Mixed Up Mess of Heart; Turnin' Off a Memory; San Antonio Rose; If We Make It Through December.
Personnel
Bryan Murray
saxophone, tenorBryan Murray: tenor and balto! saxophones, vocals (7), tin whistle (8); Jon Irabagon: c melody, alto and soprano saxophones, clarinet, picolo, penny whistle; Jon Lundbom: guitar, banjo; Matthew "Moppa" Elliot: bass; Danny Fischer: drums.
Album information
Title: Still Alive and Kickin' Down the Walls | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Hot Cup Records
< Previous
Take Five With Frank Herzberg
Comments
About Bryan Murray
Instrument: Saxophone, tenor
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To