Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

226

Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land

By

View read count
Mike Pope: The Lay of the Land
In a year that has already produced a number of excellent recordings, Mike Pope's The Lay of the Land may well be one of the best. It's certainly one of the most exciting new albums this reviewer has heard in a long time. Pope, who excels on both acoustic and electric bass, has surrounded himself with major label talent for this indie label release: both Randy and Michael Brecker make appearances, saxophonist Seamus Blake appears on two tracks; guitarist Mike Stern, bassist John Patitucci, and vibraphonist Joe Locke turn up on one track each; and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts plays on all but two cuts.

All of this star power doesn't diminish Pope's talent, nor does it diminish some of the lesser known players, especially the magnificent pianist Henry Hey and drummer Jim White. It was a risk for Pope to put so many heavy hitters on one album—and then not crediting them on the back cover, which means a big surprise for the unknowing jazz fan who picks up this disc—since there was the possibility that such an aggregation of talent might overshadow the album's leader. And while the album's personnel rotates from track to track (a quartet on one track, a trio on the next, a duo on still another), the overall effect is far from incoherent. The album is a showcase for Pope's ability on his instruments, and the revolving groups show the bassist to excellent effect in a variety of settings.

To choose just a few of the highlights from this exceptional disc, Randy Brecker shines on the opener, the dynamic "The First Order of Business," which is a quartet track with Pope, Hey and Watts. There are some who run screaming from any album that features a Brecker, and those people will miss out on some of Randy Brecker's most exciting soloing in years. Hey, Pope, and Watts perform as a trio on the brisk "Climate," another Pope original. Pope and Patitucci double up the bass for the title track, with Pope playing electric while Patitucci anchors the band on acoustic.

Pope and drummer Jim White perform as a duo for a version of "Cherokee," played by Pope at breakneck speed on electric bass. Again, it was a risky move for Pope, since this performance automatically invites comparison with Jaco Pastorius's version of Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee" on Jaco's debut album. Fortunately, Pope is as distinctive a voice on electric bass as he is on acoustic, and he brings off his performance with brio. Finally, there is the closing track, a decidedly non-flag waving version of "The Star Spangled Banner," which features Joe Locke on vibes. This performance is pensive, asking as many questions as Jimi Hendrix's famous barn-burning version of the National Anthem.

Just as Jimi's performance sought to redefine the concept of "freedom" for a generation lost in confusing times, so too does Pope's version attempt to reclaim the song for the post-9/11 generation. By sweetly and tastefully couching "freedom" in terms of the jazz musician's ability to improvise on a familiar melody—creating something familiar, yet entirely new—Pope and company provide a refreshing repudiation of the present administration's hijacking of patriotism. It is probably the most overtly political statement a jazz musician has made since Max Roach recorded We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, although Pope is very subtle in his protest. It is a magnificent closing to a wonderful album.

Pope's mixing of acoustic and electric bass on what is essentially a straight-ahead album is also exciting. The variety of musicians from different genres and generations show that the leader isn't shy about crossing boundaries. In Mike Pope's music, we get the sense that jazz's past and future and both found in jazz's present. It is refreshing to hear such a strong voice coming from such relative obscurity. Pope has made a terrific album, and it is my hope that as many people hear it as possible. In fact, when finishing this disc for the first time, I did something I hadn't done in ages: I hit play, and listened to it again.

Track Listing

The First Order of Business; Essence; At Home Again; The Lay of the Land; Cherokee; Climate; The Avid Listener; The Way You Look Tonight; The Star Spangled Banner.

Personnel

Album information

Title: The Lay of the Land | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Whaling City Sound

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.