Billy Hart - "Quartet"

[sal]

Anyone heard this yet? Features Mark Turner, Ethan Iverson and Ben Street. Sounds like an excellent band, and the disc got a glowing review over at AAJ. On my short list. Any feedback?

[Chuck Nessa]

All interesting folks. Anxious to hear it.

[sal]

All interesting folks. Anxious to hear it.

Yeah, I thought so too when I read the lineup. I guess that the group was originally billed as the Mark Turner/Ethan Iverson Quartet, but after 1 night playing with Billy, they immediately turned over the leadership role and renamed the group after him.

[jlhoots]

F. Davis reviewed it in the Village Voice & liked it.

He also reviewed a Houston Person / Bill Charlap CD on the same label that I bought immediately.

This one I'm still thinking about. Ethan Iverson gives me some pause (perhaps unfairly).

[sal]

F. Davis reviewed it in the Village Voice & liked it.

He also reviewed a Houston Person / Bill Charlap CD on the same label that I bought immediately.

This one I'm still thinking about. Ethan Iverson gives me some pause (perhaps unfairly).

I don't care much for the Bad Plus. But I've heard some recordings with him in a more conventional jazz setting, and he strikes me as a really creative player. This one should be good....the idea of younger, more creative players like Iverson and Turner playing with a master drummer like Billy Hart sounds appealing.

Edited August 18, 2006 by sal

[JSngry]

Not a bad record.

[Nate Dorward]

Iverson's last disc with Billy Hart, The Minor Passions, is pretty terrific. There's more to the guy than the Bad Plus!

[relyles]

I have the disc, have listened to it a couple of times while driving and am enjoying it thus far. I am a big fan of Mark Turner and he is featured in good form on this disc. I have the Iverson disc Nate mentioned and like that a lot, but have not heard any of Iverson with the Bad Plus. On this disc, Iverson seems to be using space a bit in his soloing and not trying to overwhelm anyone with technique. On the whole, the quartet plays well together. None of the compositions feature any catchy heads that you will be humming in the street and are instead what you may expect from the personnel, tunes that will require the attention of the listener to appreciate. That is not to say the recording is inaccessible in any way. I would hope it will appeal to a broad audience. There is simply a slight cerebral overtone to some of the original compositions. There is also a very interesting arrangement of a Coltrane tune that features the hardest tone from Turner I have ever heard. Interesting stuff and something I look forward to further investigation.

[ghost of miles]

Look forward to hearing this--has Fly (Turner's trio with Larry Grenadier) put out anything else since their debut?

[relyles]

Look forward to hearing this--has Fly (Turner's trio with Larry Grenadier) put out anything else since their debut?

Not yet.

[relyles]

I had a chance to listen to this one a couple more times yesterday during a solo drive from Maryland to Connecticut. After listening further, I think my use of the term "cerebral" to describe the music may have been misplaced. For many when "cerebral" is used to describe music I suspect images of cold, boring or passionless playing come to mind. On this recording that simply is not the case. There is a lot of fire and good old fashioned blowing by the participants. It is true that some of the compositions take some twists and turns that require more attention, but on tunes such as "Moment's Notice" and "Confirmation" feature some very passionate playing that are more than just "cerebral". Anyway, this is the kind of thing I think about during a six hour drive by myself and decided to share with everyone else.

Oh yeah, the more I listen the more I think this is a great recording. Highly recommended.

[Bol]

What gives me pause about this recording is Mark Turner. About a year ago, I really liked him and bought a couple of his CDs as well as a couple of Reid Anderson CDs with Turner. And then a few weeks later, I became very sick of him, and I found him very boring. (I had a similar experience with Brad Mehldau.) His playing seems to just meander without having "a point", and his compositions are the same.

Another recording with Iverson that people may like is his quartet recording with Bill McHenry on Fresh Sound New Talent called "Live at Small's". It is a very nice standards album with a really passionate version of "The Look of Love". Yes, Dusty Springfield's song.

[sal]

Just got this one.....really nice disc. A quieter disc, with these musicians making really good use of space. Some very moving solos from Turner and Iverson. One of the better new releases this year IMO.

[Tom Storer]

This arrived yesterday. I've only listened to it once so far, but already it has caught my ear, especially Turner, who has never really convinced me in the past. He's really playing here, though; they all are. Impressive.

[montg]

High praise for this by Doug Ramsey this morning:

artsjournal blog

It reads in part:

Hart's compositions are as hip as his playing. I see no reason why his ballads "Charvez" (with allusions to Rachmaninoff) and "Lullaby For Imke" should not become jazz standards. Taken together, his four tunes, those by Iverson, Turner, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, and resourceful playing by all hands, add up to one of the freshest albums I've heard this year.

Does Joe Fields run Highnote (the label for this recording)? Is he the same one that owned Muse at one point?

[mailman]

This arrived yesterday. I've only listened to it once so far, but already it has caught my ear, especially Turner, who has never really convinced me in the past. He's really playing here, though; they all are. Impressive.

Yes