Customer Reviews

Saudades

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked this disc up tonight and am so happy about it. Scofield is one of my favorite guitarists, and his work on this release is fabulous. Of course Jack DeJohnette is one of the best drummers alive at this point in time, and Larry Goldings plays excellent hammond b3 and electric piano. The track listings above are not accurate, but that shouldn't matter - any fan of Lifetime, any of the 3 musicians, or jazz music in general would be happy with this release!

Trio Beyond consists of Jack Dejohnette (drums), Larry Goldings (Hammond organ and electric piano), and John Scofield (guitar). They are recorded in a live set that was meant to pay tribute to the late Tony Williams, whose trio, Emergency, which featured Larry Young on organ and John McLaughlin on guitar, was a blast of elemental energy back in the day when fusion music was new and exciting stuff.

There is plenty of elemental energy at work here, too; unfortunately, it no longer sounds new and exciting. To these ears, the whole thing sounds a bit tired, with Scofield's guitar work being the main culprit. Amazingly, Saudades got something like 4½ stars in Downbeat, with Scofield garnering the lion's share of the praise. For those who value the opinion of Downbeat above the opinion of a deadbeat, it's time to beat feet to the record store.

I really like all three of these musicians, and had high hopes for this release, but after listening to it over and over again, I just can't get into it. Many of you jazz fans will, though, so I at least want to point out that it is available, and it is valuable to have a live recording of three great musicians paying tribute to the musical forebears. Perhaps I should say that this is a really great recording of really energetic jazz that is just simply not my cup of tea--but you may very well love it. Listen and decide for yourself--then beat those feet, daddy, four to the bar.

When I saw this group and this show live at Yoshis several years ago it was titled "The Tony Williams Project", which identifies the theme of the album. Jack, Larry, and John pay homage to the work Tony Williams did as leader. For the most part they stick to songs written by Tony Wiliams, or songs that Tony's group typically played. Jack really sounds a lot like Tony on the album by playing primarily light, soft, pulsing rhythms with a lot cymbal play. Larry Goldings sounds a lot like Larry Young on this performance. The jazz organ here is more of an explorative, post bop noodling sound, and not a soul jazz or funk sound. It is very similar to the style pioneered by Larry Young. John Scofield also doesn't sound quite like himself here. Unfortunately I don't have a great comparison for his sound, but it has fragments of his usual tone, but in a more subdued meandering style. One thing I don't really recall hearing in Scofield's playing that you hear a lot of on this album is some killer note bending with effects. At times it sounds haunting and it really hits the mark. Overall the tone and sound of the album bears a lot in resemblence to Larry Young's Unity and late Miles Davis work circa 67-68 (only without horns). The mood is very laid back and meandering with a lot of space for soloing. The songs are a bit long but they are filled with great solos. A great live show, and good album, but not a 5 star album.

Song Highlights:
Saudades: This original written by the group is my favorite song on the album. It's got a great groove, its exciting and it features killer solos throughout. If there was more like this on the album this would have been 5 stars for sure (but then it wouldn't really be a Tony Williams homage album).

If: I've never really been a fan of this Joe Henderson song, but I really like this version. There is a lot of energy and great soloing. I think this version is modeled after the version played on Larry Young's Unity album.

Big Nick: A fresh take on a John Coltrane song. I haven't heard too many versions of this song, so this was new and fresh for me. The 5 minute Dejohnette drum solo is a little bit much though.

Three superb musicians in top form, in an excellent tribute to the great Tony Williams. I particularly enjoyed hearing Larry Goldings in this band; he plays more aggressively and "outside" in this setting than what I have heard from him previously.

Nothing can touch the original Tony Williams Lifetime, but in today's world, this recording is a very exciting breath of fresh air.

As a drummer, I love to hear beautifully played and recorded drum sets. This album is the ultimate for me in that regard, plus it has the added benefit of being played 'live'.
The drums and cymbals just jump out at the listener, fittingly for a Tony Williams tribute.

The music varies - it swings, is funky, goes 'outside' and creates compelling sonic atmospheres.

Anyone who buys an album with Jack DeJohnette on it will get their money back over and over again, as one hears different things each time it is played. If anyone wished to study modern jazz drumming and how it fits into the classic organ trio format, this album would be a great place to begin.

Those people who know John Scofield from his funky albums are in for a surpise, as he does not play that way too often on this album. Another reviewer has pointed out that organist Larry Goldings plays more 'outside' too, which is true. I really like the Hammond sound and the organ bass notes come across beautifully deep and rich, without being overpowering. This is a digital recording, by the way.

I find the track 'If' from this album particularly inspiring and often play it loud on the way to gigs I am playing.

I hope every musician finds a recording as inspiring for them as this one is for me.
Highly recommended for when you are getting tired of hearing the same albums in your collection - take a trip somewhere else with this record.

So far, this is turning out to be a jazz year for me, and in search of new music, I've been Googling Miles sidemen. That's how I stumbled across the Trio Beyond CD.

I was introduced to the Miles / John McLaughlin / Mahavishnu Orchestra / Tony Williams Lifetime school of fusion by a friend and fellow guitar player years ago. He let me borrow his vinyl copy of Emergency!. While the performances are unquestionably hot, the vinyl version of "Emergency" stands as one of the most poorly recorded and mixed classics of its decade. It's muddy, it's sludge-y, and while the CD release improved matters, you can still hear the flaws that ran through the original vinyl release.

That's what makes "Saudades" such a joy...you've got a living tribute to a master, and a quality of recording that should have been available when the original "Emergency" album was recorded.

Having heard Scofield's prior work with Miles, I was not expecting him to channel McLaughlin in such a tasty and aggressive manner. McLaughlin's reputation grew largely because of his "1000 notes per minute" dexterity on the fretboard while fronting the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but the real pearl in his oyster is the chunky, attitude-filled rhythm comping on Miles classics like "Right Off" from A Tribute to Jack Johnson. Lesser musicians might have missed this. Scofield picks it up and runs with it.

Larry Goldings fills the Larry Young chair admirably, and Jack De Johnette...what is the issue that some reviewers have with this man? He smokes on this set, and when you consider the fact that the performance is all about Williams, De Johnette shoots, De Johnette SCORES.

This set snaps, crackles and pops. It's a loving return to a forgotten era, of jazz-rock "fusion" before the field became so overpopulated with minor players that it became a joke rather than an art form.

This is art. This is rock. This is jazz. This needs to be added to your collection, pronto.

Excellent album overall. Firstly, Dejohnette's percussion snap-crackles-and-pops all over the place yet maintains rhythm and keeps perfect time. Dejohnette never misses a beat and is perhaps the best drummer alive today. Golding's playing isn't your typical fast-fingered blu-boppin' of a Joey Defrancesco, nor is it stuck in the soul-jazz chicken-shack mode-- Golding's playing is pensive and mysterious at times, and Scofield, a guitarist who I have never really liked, is actually quite good on this recording. Scofield's playing does meander and he hits a few wrogn notes-- but he doesn't always fall back on licks like other players, his playing seems to wobble on a tightrope and you think he'll miss the beat but he actually comes through with that magic note quite often. The trio as a whole isn't as cohesive-- they don't have a good sense of eachother, but the spare trio itself opens up the field for more individuality so ultimately the 3 players work, inspite of a few dead moments of wandering off from eachother.

I do recommend this album. It is an updated version of the organ trio with strong nods to the drummer-boy wonder Tony Williams. This is an organ trio looking forward while the others are still back at the chicken shack trying to repackage Jimmy Smith.

Some fabulous, in some instances, almost destructive stuff. Don't try to relax and listen. I tried to and Spectrum jolted me like a direct hit. Would have loved to have been at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London for this blitzkrieg.

Recorded live at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, in November 2004, the trio of drummer Jack DeJohnette, organist/electric pianist Larry Goldings and guitarist John Scofield are in cracking form. I didn't know that much about Tony Williams, aside from some work he did with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, but I've learned a bit more since buying this CD and I think it is a lovely tribute to a phenomenal drummer. I'm a more of a John Scofield fan than I am of the other two players here (and only bought the CD because he's on it) and so was really looking for some stunning performances from him. He does well but I wasn't stunned.

But when I take a step back and appreciate that this is a trio performance with each member making an equally important contribution to make the whole thing come together, as opposed to one or the other trying to break out with showy solos, the album makes a lot more sense. On that level, I think it is well worth every penny I spent on it. That said, when each individual does play a solo, it is quite something. I'm loving it and the more I listen to it, the more I love it. No favourite songs on here; I love all of them equally.

Trio Beyond is a collective unit made up of Jack DeJohnette on drums and percussion, John Scofield on guitar, and Larry Goldings on Hammond organ and electric keyboards. With the glut of tribute albums coming down the pike it's refreshing to hear one that calls attention to the pioneering fusion band Lifetime, originally made up of drummer Tony Williams, guitarist John McLaughlin and organist Larry Young. This collection is a two-CD live recording that channels some of the energy of the original band and also adds some very interesting covers and originals. "If" is a straightforward groover with some clean sounding guitar over organ and drums. The organ then moves out from, cookin' hard before trading phrases with the drums.

"7 Steps to Heaven" kicks in fast and hard with some great drumming. Jack DeJohnette, is inspired throughout the entire recording, no doubt by paying homage to his friend and colleague Tony Williams. "As One" and "I Fall in Love Too Easily" slow things down to a spacey groove with some probing electric keyboards. "Spectrum" and "Emergency" are the two most direct links coming from the original Lifetime Emergency LP and show the band improvising collectively at a very high level, with all members of the trio quite inspired by the proceedings and the audience roaring its approval. This is a very exciting album and is recommended highly to fans of fusion or modern jazz in general, with these three players at the peak of their powers.