Customer Reviews

Contours

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hats off to the folks at Blue Note for recently reissuing two of Sam Rivers' best albums, "Fuschia Swing Song" (see my review) and this title "Contours," in its limited edition Connoisseur Series. It is particularly refreshing that these releases are resurfacing during the saxophonist's lifetime, and hopefully he will benefit from a renewed discovery of his unique brand of avant-garde jazz. On a personal note, I had the privilege of seeing Mr. Rivers in concert in Washington, DC in the late 1990s, and I was thrilled to see the musical fires burning so brightly after more than forty years on the scene. But back to the CD in question, this May 21, 1965 session features the incredible lineup of Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Joe Chambers on drums. The four Rivers originals (plus an alternate take of "Mellifluous Cacophony") can hold their own against any of the material produced by Blue Note, or anywhere for that matter, in the mid 1960s. This album easily ranks in the same league as Andrew Hill's "Point of Departure" or Wayne Shorter's "Speak No Evil." Its fiery, passionate outbursts of modern exploration are always offset by deeply personal, revelatory moments of inner beauty. It is a breathtaking combination that will wholly satisfy fans of the "new jazz," yet it is not too far out for the average listener. For years I have enjoyed "Contours" (via the Mosaic Set), and thankfully now you can too.

Sam Rivers' second Blue Note album, CONTOURS, is an excellent quintet date which, like FUCHSIA SWING SONG before it, straddles post-bop and the avant garde with loose ideas given gorgeous shape through top-notch playing. With trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Joe Chambers providing support, it's little wonder that Rivers' four lengthy compositions all come out winners. I'm assuming that anyone reading this is at least slightly familiar with some of these musicians' work, so details are probably superfluous; all five men get plenty of time in the spotlight, however, and their ensemble playing is tight and inspired. Hancock seems to have had a particularly fine day, providing some brilliant solos (especially on "Dance of the Tripedal") and anchoring the rhythm section solidly behind Rivers' own adventurous performances on tenor and soprano saxophones and flute. Anyone fond of the classic mid-sixties BN feel will enjoy this set, and so I'm sure would a lot of other people besides. This is, quite simply, fascinating music.

This recent RVG by Sam Rivers - tenor & soprano saxophones, and flute, Freddie Hubbard - trumpet, Herbie Hancock - piano, Ron Carter - bass, and Joe Chambers - drums was recorded on 5/21/65. Stars edited on 1/4/07 to 3 stars.

It took me a while to warm up to this one. Not really through any fault of its own, though. After getting Fuchsia Swing Song and going crazy for it, I had incredibly high hopes for this one. The first couple listens were a bit of a let-down but I didn't give up on it. I have been rewarded nicely for my efforts. =)

Now I only have one complaint with this album... or two depending on how you look at it. Mellifluous Cacophony is my least favorite song on here, and it happens to be the only one of which an alternate take is provided. That right there is 20 minutes of music that doesn't interest me very much. I like the head of it and both of Sam's tenor solos, but from Herbie's solo onward that song just doesn't do it for me. It's too linear or something.

As for the goodies, tracks 1 through 3, I'm not altogether sure why I felt let down by this album those first couple times I listened to it. I love these 3 tracks now! This is certainly a much different band than that of Fuchsia Swing Song, though. That needs to be clearly stated. Hancock, Carter, and Chambers don't have that degree of flexible, time-smearing elasticity that the Fuchsia core trio of Jaki Byard, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams had. On that album, Jaki and Tony may as well have been sharing the same consciousness. They are locked so tight on to what each other is doing. Tony reacts marvelously to all those master-class jaunts through jazz history that Jaki takes.

This band, the Contours band, is more straight-ahead than that. Kinda. They are oftentimes more about texturizing and decorating the vamp rather than changing things up altogether... though there is some of that here, also. Hubbard swings like crazy on Point of Many Returns, and elsewhere this just may be some of my favorite weird playing I've ever heard from Herbie. Yes, I have to make special mention of that... there is some fantastic and inventive playing from Herbie! Throughout the first 3 tracks there are some times where everything slows down and the music just has this awesome floating quality as if you've just been sucked into a dream in slow-motion.

If this disc had alternates of any or all of the first 3 tracks, and if those alternates were as interesting in their own way as are the takes presented here, I'd probably be giving this more stars but it pretty much tails off for me after the end of track 3. I like the best stuff here, I just wish there were more of it.

Released in 1965, Contours is an album that needs to be heard more than it probably has. With a lineup like Rivers, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Joe Chambers, it's an automatic assurance that this is going to be a classic album. Yet, it doesn't seem to get spoken of as much as all the others (Maiden Voyage, Speak No Evil, Out to Lunch) that are regarded as classics of the genre. Hopefully this will change over the course of time, as it's a passionate, brilliantly composed and fascinatingly played record. It stays very much in the line of the classic "Fuchsia Swing Song" from 1964, being pulled back-and-forth between "in" hard bop with elements of "out" playing. In 1965, all of these guys were already masterful musicians with unbelievable powers. "Points of Many Returns" blasts out of the gate with a knotty yet swinging theme, followed by a bold solo by Hubbard. (By this point, Hubbard was fully able to work amazingly well with both "out" and "in" playing, and really pushes the whole group, yet stays firmly anchored to the harmonic aura of the song.) Hancock solos next, testing the rhythms and the harmonies simultaneously, working into some odd corners and crevices in the music. As Hancock nears the end of his solo, Rivers eerily drifts up out of the piano notes with his soprano sax and quickly works into the edgiest solo yet, with twisting lines and some forceful blowing (yet staying in his own direct connection with the harmony, much like Hubbard). Carter finishes up the solo sections with a driving, tasteful yet forceful bass solo. I don't want to go through the album song-by-song, but it's full of great performances like this. More people need to hear this classic.

The vinyl record arrived earlier than projected, which was great as the record was a present. Packaging was excellent. I would order again without hesitation.

The first thing I want to know about this release is how on earth a band can play this tightly together when the band only exists for the recording date and they are offered very limited rehearsal time for each master take? Contours is beauty, anger, humor, love, etc all rolled into a single release. I think it is a startling artistic statement and it is bold statement in that Rivers somehow manages to blend together old-school type composing, arranging and playing (there's a harmonic center and structure) with an approach that was considered to be too far out (in its time). How did he do this? Yeah, I know the guys are playing from charts but there is a tightness here that only a band who has had serious rehearsal time can achieve.

Virtuosity abounds on Contours and it's all played with fire and passion. In my opinion there is not a single moment that is "throw away" as at least one short-sighted reviewer has alluded to. I want more of this music! But the "problem" with a real artist like Rivers is you aren't ever going to get more of the same, you have to keep up with him, i.e., he's not going to try and duplicate success. If you want pure artistry and virtuosity then you must have this. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to find Contours in anything but mp3 format these days - unless you want to pay an outrageous sum of money for a CD. I do encourage you to buy the mp3 version until you can get your hands on the CD (I'm old fashioned that way, I want to hold the thing in my hands and pour over liner notes as I listen over and over again). Lucky for me I found a brand new 2004 edition for just $10.00 from a dealer in England. I received my copy in less than one week too!!!

God bless Sam, he's lived a determined, mission oriented life of improvisational music and if I ever get back down Orlando way I'll look for a Rivbea big-band performance.

I feel about Sam Rivers how I feel about Sam Waterson: he may not be the biggest name on the marquee, but you will never mistake the master for someone else

Contours is a hard bop date recorded in 1965 with Herbie Hancock and Joe Chambers. This is no surprise--the two were all over 60s Blue Note records, and Rivers had worked, briefly with Miles, before Wayne Shorter took the tenor slot.

Well, Wayne may sound like Coltrane, but Sam Rivers sure does not. For a River's album, this is pretty straight, more geared towards hard bop than free jazz. But no one told Rivers.

He has this extemely angular style on tenor. He is not interested in exploring the chords before flying with no net--that alone sepetates him from 'Trane. So does his whole tone. Where Coltrane did sheets of sound, Rivers does thorny little swiggles--dense, yes, but consice and thrown like paint onto canvas.

There is a pacing to his playing, but it is in service of little gestures that build his quick solos--an almost non-linier style that seperates him from Master John. In 1965, this was a gutsy move.

Either way, this is a terrific album, and a good way to introduce yourself to River's playing if not the overall direction of his music.

Amazing. Truly amazing. Finnaly released on cd. Now Blue Note should release Dimentions and Exstentions.