Veteran drummer Winard Harper (who has played with Dexter
Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Betty Carter, Ray Bryant, Abdullah Ibrahim, Pharoah
Sanders, Clifford Jordan and others) gives us two albums in one on Make It
Happen. The first is percussion-heavy. The opening tracks, for example, present
an approach to ensemble sound that recalls Mosaic-era Jazz Messengers
(carefully arranged multiple-horn lines over a busy, insistent rhythm section).
The best compositions echo episodes in the Mingus lineage (notably Dave
Holland's excellent mid-'80s groups). These elements can be traced back to a
common ancestor in Duke Ellington, and you can't have better roots than that.
These musical elements are held together by a genuinely novel mix of Afro-Cuban
and unhyphenated African percussion. The percussion draws upon the more
familiar Latin rhythms known to jazz audiences since Dizzy Gillespie invited
Mario Bauza into his band (witness the flawless Latin jazz marriage in Harper's
treatment of Charlie Parker's "Segment"), but also other West African
elements which are distinct from the more familiar Yoruba heritage: most
notably the invigorating Senegalese talking drum passages on "Children of
the World." Three nearly all-percussion numbers are a special treat,
especially the title track, from Wycliffe Gordon's didgeridoo prelude to its
organ-drenched finale over a Brazilianesque rhythm. The other album is a
relatively crammed set of decidedly mainstream allegro ma non troppo jazz; more
than a few numbers have to be faded out long before they've worn out their welcome
to make room for the others. The locus of inspiration for this second part
fluctuates between the '50s ("I've Never Been in Love Before") and
'60s ("Chronic Mistakes", the bass/alto duet "Tamisha"),
and the added percussion is either inaudible or unobtrusive (and always
appreciated, when you can hear it). It manifests the same great Duke-ish
approach to group sound. Harper assembles a spirited ensemble, augmented on the
best tracks by an idiosyncratic band of supplementary percussionists, who play
with a palpable joy and solidarity. The percussionists, beginning with Harper,
lead the pack; trumpeter Josh Evans' brassy (as opposed to airy) tone recalls
Lester Bowie (and ultimately, Rex Stewart) and deserves special mention, but
then so too do guests Antonio Hart (alto sax) and Lawrence Clark (tenor sax). I
could listen to the numbers on the percussion-heavy part again and again. As
for the cuts on the "second" album, they offer fewer reasons to
return for more (with the exception of "Divine Surveillance, which has a
certain gravitas). If the balance between the two had been struck more
decisively in favor of the first, this would be a stronger overall release, and
there is no doubt in my mind that these players could have sustained the
passion of the percussion-based group over nearly eighty minutes. As it is, the
unflagging excellence of the compositions, arrangements and soloing (that's
just about everything on a jazz record, isn't it?), added to the evident
camaraderie of the players throughout, make for a strong and joyful entry under
the "soulful/mainstream heading. ~ by Jeff Dayton Johnson, AAJ.
Piadrum Records, PIADRUM-0602,
2006
Recorded 8th January &
3rd April, 2006 at Bennett Studios, Englewood, New Jersey
Musicians:
Winard Harper - Drums,
Balafon (#2,15)
Josh Evans - Trumpet
Wycliffe Gordon - Trombone
(#4,7,14), Didgeridoo (#4)
Antonio Hart - Alto Saxophone
(#3,5,6)
Lawrence Clark - Tenor
Saxophone
Stacy Dillard - Tenor
Saxophone (#1,12)
Sean Higgins - Piano
(#1,9,12)
T. W. Sample - Piano,
Synthesizer
Ameen Saleem - Acoustic Bass
Kevin Jones - Congas, Drum
[Jamba], Shaker, Triangle
Alioune Faye - Drum [Sabar],
Drum [Jamba], Djembe
Abdou M'Boup - Talking Drum
(tama) (#2,15), Vocals (#15)
Jeremy Jones - Tambourine,
Cowbell, Drum [Dundun]
Tracks:
01. Segment {Charlie Parker}
(4:12)
02. Children Of The World
{Winard Harper} (5:51)
03. Morning Glow {Onaje Allan
Gumbs} (6:05)
04. Make It Happen {Winard
Harper} (6:37)
05. Tamisha {Winard Harper}
(6:45)
06. I've Never Been In Love
Before {Frank Loesser} (6:48)
07. Get It! Get It! {Wycliffe
Gordon} (4:01)
08. Not One Chance {Winard
Harper} (5:14)
09. Reflection {Ray Bryant}
(4:18)
10. Divine Surveillance
{Winard Harper} (6:02)
11. Lourana {Lawrence J.
Clark} (3:31)
12. Chronic Mistakes {Winard
Harper} (3:52)
13. Bangbangboomboombapbap
{Winard Harper} (2:07)
14. After Hours {Avery
Parrish} (6:25)
15. The Prayer {Winard
Harper} (5:40)
Total Time: 77:28
Credits:
Producer - Winard Harper
Audio Engineer - Dae Bennett
Art Direction, Design, Photography - Janis
Wilkins
