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Fascinatingly eclectic, Sweet
Hands finds Dave Liebman’s band Lookout Farm exploring different styles such as
funk, free jazz, Indian music, song forms, and even a surprisingly successful
reharmonization of George Harrison’s Within
You Without You from The Beatles’ 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts
Club Band.
Listening to Sweet Hands
makes you nostalgic for a time when music executives had enough respect for the
public that they supported the creation of music that didn’t have an instantly
exploitable marketing hook.
Probably the standout is the
opening track, Dr. Faustus. The inspiration for the tune, originally titled
“Anxiety,” was an episode between Dave Liebman and his record label at the
time. It opens with a free chromatic melody, tweaked for maximum dissonance,
leading into a jazz rock vamp over which Liebman wails, egged on by Richie
Beirach’s itchy clavinet. The pounding bass line that underlies the tune is
meant to suggest, according to the liner notes, “New York City where so many
high pressured situations are dealt with constantly.”
The next tune, Dark Lady, is
by Richie Beirach. The tone of the piece is fittingly ruminative, being a
portrait of one of Richie’s female acquaintances. An A section is played by
Richie alone, followed by a B section of simpler harmonic material, which is
used as material for Liebman’s improvisation. A C section follows, a canon
based on material from the B section. Finally the A section is reprised, ending
the track.
The next piece is an
(unintentionally) humorous tune that combines an Indian rhythm supplied by
Badal Roy with funk, courtesy of the bass and a rhythmic figure by Liebman’s
overdubbed saxophones. It is not entirely successful, but it is hard not to
applaud the group’s spirit of adventure, and at a brisk 4:11, it doesn’t
overstay its welcome.
Within You Without You,
retitled Ashirbad, is treated to Badal Roy’s percussion before Liebman starts
in with the theme, which Beirach reharmonizes on electric piano, under which
the bass plays an E pedal point, with occasional countermelodies. Given that
Liebman is particularly fond of Harrison’s lyrics, which he finds profound, one
is grateful that Liebman’s musical taste far exceeds his literary judgement.
Napanoch starts with a
completely improvised duet between Liebman on tenor and Beirach on electric
piano which segues into a section with a straight ahead jazz feel based on the
F# Locrian mode, over which Liebman solos freely, accompanied by Beirach, who
spontaneously reharmonizes to support Liebman’s melodic variations. While
Liebman and Beirach continue to burn, swingtime is suspended and the rhythm
becomes free, drawing the tune to a close.
To summarize, Sweet Hands is
quite an adventurous and almost entirely successful date from David Liebman and
his band Lookout Farm. Now, the bad news, Sweet Hands is only available on LP.
~ Jazzbo
Horizon Records, SP-702, 1975
Recorded 25th, 27th, 29th
& 30th July, 1975 at Kendun Recorders, Burbank, California
Personnel:
David Liebman - Tenor Sax
(#A1,A3,B3), Soprano Sax (#A1,A2,B2,B4), Alto Flute (#A2,A3,B1,B2), Wind Chimes
(#B2)
Richard Beirach - Piano
(#A2), Electric Piano (#A1,B2,B3), Clavinet (#A1,A3), Bell Tree (#A2), Wind
Chimes (#B2)
John Abercrombie - Electric
Guitar, Acoustic Guitar (#A1-A3,B4)
Charlie Haden - Acoustic Bass
(#A3,B1,B2)
Frank Tusa - Electric Bass
(#A1,A3), Acoustic Bass (#A2,B1,B2,B3)
Jeff Williams - Drums
(#A1-A3,B3,B4)
Don Alias - Congas, Bells,
Tambourine, Shaker, Cymbal [Finger] (#A1-B4)
Badal Roy - Tabla, Ektare,
Vocals (#A3,B1,B2)
Arooj Lazewal - Sitar
(#B1,B2)
Gita Roy - Tambura (#B1,B2)
Track Listing:
A1. Dr. Faustus {David
Liebman} (10:49)
A2. Dark Lady {Richie
Beirach} (7:52)
A3. Sweet Hand Roy {Badal
Roy, David Liebman} (4:09)
B1-B2. Ashirbad {Badal
Roy}/Within You Without You {George Harrison} (12:13)
B3. Napanoch {David Liebman}
(5:27)
B4. Leane {David Liebman}
(4:12)
Credits:
Producer - Ed Michel
Recorded By, Mixed By - Baker
Bigsby
Engineer [Assistant] - Larry
Quinn, Peter Chaiken
Mixed By - David Liebman, Ed
Michel, Richard Beirach
Creative Director - John
Snyder
Art Direction - Roland Young
Design - Phil Shima
Cover [Front Cover] - Kenneth
McGowan
Liner Notes - Badal Roy, David Liebman
