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Bob Stewart: Tuba Gust Tsillis: Marimba and Vibes

Chico Freeman: Bass Clarinet and Percussion Josh Jones: Percussion

David Frazier: Percussion

Produced by Chico Freeman for ThreeWay Productions Production Assistant: Jill Newman

Executive Producer: Edward Woods ''eco^-rg c' omeec Lor, Poiter >jfr'

Mastering: John Greenham Photography: Jason Langer • Liner Notes: Art Lange

Design: Edward Woods

Recorded August 13,14 and 15,1996 at the First Unitarian Church of Berkeley, California.

Special thanks to Jack Bybbe, John Curl, Ron Fronberg and Paul Stubblebine. Jfrthur Blythe and Chico Freeman both use Rico Select Jazz Reeds by Rico International and

I SD Systems wireless microphones for live performances (but not on this recording). Chico Freeman plays Seimer Saxophones and Bass Clarinet. Some of the music on this

recording was developed using Logic Sequencing Software by Emagic.

©@ 1997 Clarity Recordings. Ail Rights Reserved: Unauthorized duplicated prohibited, j

For a Catalogue of Recordings write: Clarity Recordings, P.O. Box 411407, San Francisco, CA. 94141-1407.

v ________-————__y

with an uncategorizable, buoyant lilt. Blythe explains, "l look at it as a kind of World Music, rather than strictly 'jazz' - actually it’s World Music coming from a jazz base. 1 feel like it appeals to many other cultures too. My main hand drummer, Arto Tuncboyaciyan, is Armenian, and the others, as African-American drummers and percussionists, are coming more from the African tradition. But the mixture was a hybrid - Arto brought to the music a kind of cultural nuance that l liked and wanted, and that mixed with the American cultural nuances and made different kinds of rhythms, and l like that."

Night Song is a cornucopia of rhythms. The multiple percussion evokes rhythmic vibrations from Africa to the Caribbean, Brazil, and the Black Sea, not dependent upon any single source but flowing from the fluid nature of percussion itself, as a worldwide phenomenon. And, as in much percussive African music, there is a single "lead" voice which improvises atop the propulsive patterns - this is Blythe's alto, offering its song. Arthur says, "It wasn't that we were trying to get a specific Cuban sound or Ghanaian sound or Armenian sound. It was about trying to develop a creative music using elements from these different places. 1 was trying to think musically, to make music out of what was available, with what these musicians could do and did do. It wasn't necessarily me restricting them, asking them to do specific things. It was more of us coming together in a creative attitude, and the music reflects that."

The creative interaction of these seven talented musicians puts an exciting new spin on both familiar jazz standards and their own original songs. For example, there’s the lovely transformation of Thelonious Monk's "We See" from its typical jazzy urbanity to a more folk-pastoral clime (people sometimes forget that Monk was a dancer), the subtle Crescent City strut underneath "Contemplation" and the effervescent energy of "Down San Diego Way", (all previously recorded by Blythe), and the insinuating pathos (without the brooding quality others have applied) of Strayhorn's "Blood Count". New pieces provide new experiences, as in "Hardly", where the biting yet relaxed alto phrases against the percussive groove and spins a web back to some of those Swing Era altoists, the bluesy swagger of "Cause Of It All", and the bright, brassy, careening cry of "Night Song - (Reprise)".

Poised and personable through it all, Arthur Blythe sings a "Night Song" that reminds us, if we had forgotten, of his own special gifts, and of the multi-layered meanings that thread their way through truly creative music. _- Art Lange

-Chico Freeman and Arthur Blythe: A Conversation about "Night Song"

Chico: What was your concept for "Night Song"?

Arthur: l was thinking about doing something a little different - once before l had worked with Bob Stewart on Tuba with Gust playing vibes, but not marimbas, and three hand drummers.

Chico: So what do you find special about the musicians involved that makes this situation work?

Arthur: Excellent musicians with sensitivity, like Gust who's very musical. Bob also brings something special to the music. In one setting he can be a part of the ensemble - playing the bass part, but he also plays solo.

Chico: You mentioned that the last time you used this combination of instruments you had only the vibes - but this time you also used the marimba. What prompted that?

Arthur: It was for a color change, plus the idea to use the bass clarinet in that setting with the tuba and marimba.

Chico: The low woodwind, low percussion and low brass - all instruments in the bass range?

Arthur: Yeah, and for the rhythm, the hand drummers instead of trap drums. They tend to give a different feeling to the groove. The space between each beat is not like jazz drumming with dotted 8ths and 16ths. It's like straight up and down notes which gives up another little flavor. With hand drummers, it tends to put it in a multi-cultural, world music class.

Chico: So, on this recording, you actually had four percussionists ultimately.

Arthur: On some songs, but on others there was no percussion at all

Chico: You had duos, too, allowing for real interpersonal communication with each of your colleagues - real private moments.

Arthur: Also, Gust was veiy important in holding down the harmonic aspect of most of the tunes. He gave us some really nice harmonic aspects that helped to create the color - sometimes using marimba and vibes simultaneously to get a combination of colors. He plays in a very "organic" way.

Chico: There were also times when he would switch off in different pieces - or mix it up in the same song.

Arthur; 1 liked that - it contributed to the ultimate color of the music.

Chico: And then the tuba - Bob Stewart kept the pocket. It was the placement of the beat and how all of the musicians were able to go either way. It's about tracinq the beat - everybody at exactly the same spot - whether it’s in the middle, on top or in back of the beat - choosing a spot and everybody’s there. It allows you the freedom to move around.

Arthur: Some musicians play on the back of the beat - you know? And then sometimes when that occurs, it has a tendency to want to drag so, in that case, 1 tend to play on top of the beat to keep it stable. There’s a mental communication between us and we tend to play with it a bit.

Chico: So you shift the feeling, at will, yet you have control over it.

Arthur: It usually comes about in a musical sense. We’ll make that shift when the music tells us to and that's really a pleasure - playing with it.

Chico: Do you find this to also be true with others in the band?

Arthur: 1 think so - both Bob and Gust help stabilize the beat. Gust can play the back and the front and I’ll be in the middle.

Chico: And Gust and Bob can go either way so you all have that kind of communication - you can make the shifts knowingly. You’re in control of it and everyone can just jump right in the middle.

Arthur: We try to let the music tell us what to do and everyone is sensitive to that.

Chico: How did the addition of Josh Jones on Percussion work?

Arthur: 1 liked that because Josh's orientation was Afro-Cuban and African-American while Arto’s background was Armenian - he lived in Turkey so he has cultural influences from both.

Chico: And the third percussionist was David Frasier....

Arthur: He was Puerto Rican, but raised in the United States so he had American influences but was more African oriented. I liked the hybrid combination - it was really solid.

Chico: Now there were some duos with you and Arto and the three percussionists and you had a different kind of density on these.

Arthur: I’ve been listening to them over and over and each time l hear a bit more.

Chico: But isn't that the beauty of this music - it's what keeps it alive and fresh - every time you hear it - you hear something different.

Arthur: You understand more, you can hear the sensibility in it. When l first hear it, it sounded different -1 wasn't used to it. Coming back - listening to it - that's the creative aspect of playing music together - it’s the unknown - tne surprise - that's what improvisation is about - making a mistake and than making the mistake into music, that’s the key quality.

Chico: Previously l produced The Leaders, which you were part of. To produce you again gave me the chance to perfect a marriage between the technical aspects and creative expressions of your music.

Arthur: You were fantastic as a producer, which stems from being an artist yourself. As a buffer between the musicians and engineers, you allowed my music to flow, so that the best musical performances got captured. All l had to think about was playing - your understanding of sound quality and mike placement in this audiophile genre allowed me to free up and just play.

Chico: And this technology which we used - the audiophile approach - the natural sound and the use of two microphones....

Arthur: Yeah, 1 liked that!

Chico: And the recording in a church rather than a studio - the sound in that church was incredible - natural reverberation that wasn't too much, as it is in a lot of churches - but pure and natural.

Arthur: When they hear it - the room tone - it comes across as real sound.

Chico: And that was one of the things that we wanted to accomplish so that when the listener puts on the CD and closes their eyes, they feel like they can reach out and touch the musicians - they have a concert being played for them in their living room. Arthur, can you tell me about the instrument that you used for this recording?

Arthur: It's an old boy - a 1928 Bucher alto saxophone.

Chico: Well that's a hell of a horn!

Arthur: It's older than my daddy - not really, but almost as old.

Chico: But that horn has really got a sound to it. What about the reeds?

Arthur: 1 use Del Rico Reeds because of the dynamic margin -1 can easily go from very soft to very loud - you can get that punch when you want it. The mouthpiece is a Berg Larson.

Chico: That's good. I'm sure that it will be interesting to people to know how you were able to achieve that tone and that dynamic sound on this recording.

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