Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tim Berne and Nasheet Waits: The Coandă Effect

10

Tim Berne and Nasheet Waits: The Coandă Effect

By

Sign in to view read count
Tim Berne and Nasheet Waits: The Coandă Effect
Even by the customarily prolific standard he's set over the course of his career, 2020 is shaping up to be an especially accomplished year for saxophonist Tim Berne. His Fantastic Mrs. 10 (Intakt) offered another scintillating formulation of his well-established Snakeoil outfit, and his first solo album, Sacred Vowels (Screwgun), was also released. Sandwiched in between, but hopefully not overlooked for that reason, is The Coandă Effect, a live recording with drummer Nasheet Waits, which illuminates yet another facet of Berne's multihued creativity.

In some ways it's an unexpected pairing. Berne often likes frenetic drummers who can match his energy and internalize the serpentine logic of his compositions. Frequent partners Jim Black, Tom Rainey and Ches Smith, the last of whom is featured on Fantastic Mrs. 10, are good examples. Waits is a less demonstrative drummer, with a sound less driven by overt mannerisms than a rhythmic ebb and flow guided by a subtle musicality. It allows him to provide a steady undercurrent of support for Berne's unpredictable detours, with a malleable pulse that emerges organically in the course of the duo's mutual journey.

Recorded direct to two-track audio at the Sultan Room in Brooklyn, the album captures the intimacy of the performance while still having a spontaneous live feel. It's not exactly free improvisation, as it's clear throughout that Berne is drawing from themes and phrases from which he extrapolates longer, winding digressions; but Waits is so skillful in traversing Berne's unique pathways while leaving plenty of room for new developments that the music seems inherently fresh and undetermined. There's a sense that anything can happen. Of the album's two tracks, the forty-minute "Tensile" is the most impressive, with Berne moving through a handful of set pieces that serve as launching pads for his and Waits' musings. Ranging from lilting to torrid to deeply soulful, it displays the full scope of Berne's facility on alto, and Waits' similar ability to shift registers is noteworthy. He relies especially on his toms, which have a compelling tunefulness that renders his instrument a perfect complement for Berne, whether in his languorous or his more extroverted moments.

"5see," the album's second track, is less immediately engaging but still potent, as Waits' brushes dance gently alongside Berne's obliquely lyrical phrases. Perhaps as much a chance for the two to wind down after the vigorous explorations at the heart of "Tensile," the first few minutes may also provide a chance for the audience to get its breath. But halfway into the ten-minute piece, Berne can't help himself from spinning out another rapid series of dervish-like lines, and Waits is unable to resist the centrifugal pull of Berne's acerbic alto, with one last gasp of impassioned fervor before finally ending the night's memorable, riveting performance.

Track Listing

Tensile; 5see.

Personnel

Tim Berne
saxophone, alto

Album information

Title: The Coandă Effect | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Relative Pitch Records

Comments

Tags

Concerts


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

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

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