Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jason Seizer: Time Being

151

Jason Seizer: Time Being

By

View read count
Jason Seizer: Time Being
Now that Germany's Pirouet label is getting some much-needed distribution in North America, and is growing its roster to include a number of American artists who, while known and appreciated in Europe, receive less than their due in their native country, it's also time to have a look at some of its lesser-known European contingent. Tenor saxophonist Jason Seizer's Time Being is his third release for the label, and the Pirouet program director continues his ongoing relationship with pianist Marc Copland, who has released a number of fine discs on Pirouet, including the first two of his New York Trio Recordings, 2006's Vol. 1: Modinha and 2007's Vol. 2: Voices.

It's easy to hear why Copland and Seizer are so comfortable working together. Both work close the center, but bring an introspection and slightly left-of-center harmonic abstractness, even to a well-worn standard like "All the Things You Are." Still it's Copland who possesses the most sophisticated and personal approach. Seizer enters, with only bassist Matthias Pichler and drummer Tony Martucci accompanying him for the first round of the familiar melody, but it's not until Copland joins that the tune, while remaining firmly planted in the mainstream, begins to distance itself. Seizer's tone resembles that of Stan Getz and, like the late tenor great, he also favors a relatively spare approach though, like Copland, he's capable of pulling out the stops when the time is right.

Pichler and Martucci provide constant, intuitive support, and possess the ears necessary to follow Copland's lead into the freer, more impressionistic coda to "All the Things You Are," but it's the simpatico shared by Seizer and Copland that gives Time Being its greatest strength, and differentiates it from the plethora of mainstream records out there. Like his playing, Seizer's writing is more straight-ahead, and while the quartet rarely breaks a sweat, it does swing harder than the majority of Copland's own discography. Seizer's approach to writing and soloing is, indeed, more centrist, but Copland's distinctive harmonization of Seizer's relatively conventional changes on "Corrections" becomes something else.

Still, while it's Copland's compositions that possess the greatest distinction—the dark-hued opener, "Between Now and Then" and even more brooding "Requiem," with Martucci's light, cymbal work the perfect dovetail to Pichler's spare bass lines—Seizer does step away from the mainstream on the title track. The longest piece on Time Being, it reflects a greater depth and more evocative resonance as it provides some of the most striking delineated and collective improvisation of the set, gradually building to a soft climax only to dissolve, once again, to a near-whisper.

Time Being may be more about understatement than overt demonstration—though Seizer does reach for greater expressionism during his solo on "Requiem." The album's appeal, then, is its delicate but ever-present interplay, and performances that draw in rather than push out. Time Being is a good entry point to the evolving musical relationship of Seizer and Copland, and an encouragement to check out where it began, with 2004's Fair Way.

Track Listing

Between Now and Then; Corrections; Time Being; Requiem; All the Things You Are; Trip to the Stars.

Personnel

Jason Seizer
saxophone

Jason Seizer: tenor saxophone; Marc Copland: piano; Matthiass Pichler: bass; Tony Martucci: drums.

Album information

Title: Time Being | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Pirouet Records

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.