The Creative Convergence Of R*Time And Doug Hammond

A metal sculpture, a borrowed ladder, and Doug Hammond's unexpected presence transformed a routine tour stop into the genesis of It's Now: R*Time Plays Doug Hammond (ESP-Disk, 2024). During R*Time's performance at a gallery in Linz, Austria, drummer Igal Foni spotted a metal sculpture he wanted to incorporate. When the venue declined permission, he found a ladder in the basement. That improvised percussion choice caught the attention of Hammond, who typically makes only brief appearances at local shows.

"The venue host told us, 'You won't believe it, Doug stayed for half an hour. He never does that,'" trombonist Reut Regev recalls. This seemingly minor detail carried weight: Hammond, a veteran drummer and composer who has called Linz home since taking a professorship at Bruckner University in 1989, rarely lingers at performances.

That night catalyzed a partnership bridging generations and continents. Through a grant, R*Time brought Hammond from Austria to New Jersey, where the band spent an intensive week living and rehearsing in Regev's home before recording at Tedesco Studios. The resulting album, released on ESP-Disk, marks both a departure and a continuation—pushing the historic label's experimental legacy in new directions while honoring Hammond's sophisticated compositional approach.

The Israeli-born Regev has spent over two decades in New York City's creative music scene, collaborating with boundary-pushers like Anthony Braxton, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, and Hazmat Modine. Her band R*Time, co-led with husband and drummer Foni, emerged iwith This is R*Time (Ropeadope Records, 2009). Their subsequent releases, exploRing the vibe (Enja Records, 2013) and Keep Winning (Enja Records, 2018), established them as fearless explorers of the territory between free jazz, soul, and experimental music.

R*Time approached Hammond's music from multiple angles. They'd worked extensively with tubist John Sass, a longtime Hammond collaborator. They knew Hammond's pieces from Charles Mingus recordings, via Sass as well as Hammond's own releases. But interpreting these compositions with the composer present required navigating between respect and reinvention.

"We were familiar with his music," explains Foni. "Then we managed to get a grant which allowed us to bring Doug over here and do this project." The current R*Time lineup proved ideal for tackling Hammond's sophisticated structures, with legendary free funk guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly (Miles Davis, Cassandra Wilson) and master bassist Eric Revis (Ornette Coleman, Stevie Wonder) completing the quartet.

The rehearsal process balanced Hammond's guidance with the band's interpretive freedom. During one session, Foni recalls hitting a wall: "We worked on this tune, and I'm playing it, and Doug says, 'No.'" After Hammond demonstrated what he wanted, the band asked for space to work it out. As Foni relates, Jean-Paul Bourelly suggested, "Okay Doug, just give us a few minutes to work on the stuff." When Foni opened the door shortly after, he found Hammond waiting, pleasantly surprised. "I'm shocked—nobody ever played my music like that," the composer said, appreciating how quickly the band had found their own way into the piece.

The recording sessions developed their own daily rhythm. Hammond stayed in Reut and Igal's Airbnb room, Bourelly in the guest room. Days began with coffee and conversation before moving to Regev's music room. They'd break for lunch, then return to working through Hammond's pieces. This close quarters arrangement led to deeper musical understanding.

Hammond valued the creative friction that emerged. "Sometimes your best work is when there's some tension," he told Foni in a later phone conversation. Rather than seeking perfect reproduction of his original vision, Hammond encouraged the band to push against boundaries while respecting the core of each composition.

The song selection evolved organically. "It was a three-way process," Regev explains. "Igal picked a bunch of them, then I picked from those, and then we sent them to Doug and asked if there was anything else he thought we should include." Though Hammond initially declined to add unreleased material, during the sessions he surprised them with "Chico," a piece that became one of the album's centerpieces.

The band discovered new dimensions in Hammond's existing repertoire. They approached the tribal, upbeat "Risbys," (aka "Rizz Biz") known from Hammond's recordings with Muneer Abdul Fataah and Steve Coleman, as a ballad. "It had lyrics. I didn't know that, but most of his music has song structures," notes Foni. This revelation exemplified Hammond's depth as a composer—each piece containing layers waiting to be uncovered.

Between rehearsals, Hammond shared stories spanning five decades in music—his early years withEarl Hooker and Sonny Rollins, his time with Mingus, teaching at Bruckner University, developing his compositional voice through collaborations with artists like Steve Coleman and Wolfgang Dauner. For Regev, who has built her own impressive resume of innovative collaborations, these conversations provided invaluable context.

The living arrangements fostered both musical and personal connections. Sharing meals and downtime allowed the band to absorb Hammond's approach naturally. This intimacy comes through in the recording—moments of tension balanced with deep mutual understanding.

"None of us, for even a moment, failed to realize the beauty of these songs," Regev reflects. "For me, playing the music in the presence of such an incredible musician, I want to learn. That's how I learned music throughout all my years of doing this—from the people I played with."

At Tedesco Studios, the mature compositions found new life through R*Time's contemporary energy. Bourelly's guitar work provides aggressive yet sensitive counterpoint throughout. The rhythm section of Foni and Peterson builds on Hammond's sophisticated structures while finding room to explore. Regev's trombone and flugabone navigate between melodic interpretation and free exploration.

The album represents a significant addition to ESP-Disk's catalog. While maintaining the label's experimental spirit, It's Now focuses on Hammond's carefully crafted compositions rather than extended improvisations. "That was Doug in the room," Regev says. "That's how he wanted it to be played—he wants the song to be a song, and then you can do a little with it. You can't escape the beauty of these songs." The result showcases R*Time's ability to honor compositional frameworks while infusing them with contemporary vitality.

This collaboration extends beyond a simple homage or reinterpretation. The band lived with these compositions, absorbed Hammond's guidance and philosophy through daily interaction, and emerged with recordings that capture both the sophistication of his writing and the explosive potential of contemporary creative music. What began with a borrowed ladder grew into a profound musical exchange, documented on an album that points toward new possibilities.

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