ALL ABOUT JAZZ - NEW YORK

MARCH 2009 ISSUE

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Eponymous Eastern Boundary Quartet (Biem Artisjus)
For Andrew Michael Jefry Stevens (Konnex)
Poetry in Motion Conference Call (Clean Feed)
Trading Post Southern Excursion Quartet (ARC)
by Karen Hogg
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Pianist Michael Jefry Stevens has enjoyed a prolific
musical journey but collaboration could be seen as the
inspiration behind his music. Each project Stevens
participates in offers a different framework to explore
his compositional and improvisational ideas.
On the eponymous debut of the Eastern Boundary
Quartet, the music literally crosses international
boundaries as Stevens, along with bassist Joe Fonda,
collaborates with Hungarian musicians Balazs Bagyi
(drums) and Mihaly Borbel (sax). This live recording is
a musical quilt combining the spirit of jazz with the
distinctive nature of Hungarian music. The disc begins
with Song for My Mother , a Fonda composition, that
starts off plaintively, building to an insistent
crescendo and ending with masterful drum work.
The End Game , a Latin-flavored Stevens piece,
features a melodic, virtuosic solo from Fonda and on
Tuzugras/Fire Jumping , the quartet exhibits an
uncanny energy and drive. Rounding out the disc is an
improvisational piece and Mongo Santamaria s Afro
Blue . With two American and two Hungarian
musicians, the Eastern Boundary Quartet is a musical
melting pot of the best kind.
For Andrew by Stevens trio with bassist Peter
Herbert and drummer Jeff Siege Siegel is a showcase
for Stevens the composer. Though the Miles Davis/Bill
Evans classic Nardis and the Moross-Latouch
composition Lazy Afternoon are included, the
majority of the compositions belong to Stevens. Spirit
Song exemplifies Stevens lyrical playing, Waltz is
a propulsive piece that lets Siegel demonstrate his
nuanced, expressive drumming and The Lockout is
a playful, insistent tune with a march-like feel. The
River Po , the closing track, begins with Herbert
bowing in the upper registers, creating a dark, moody
tone. The compositions exhibit various influences
from modern and free jazz, but each tune has Stevens
distinct stylistic stamp.
Conference Call, on the other hand, finds Stevens
as part of a composing collective. All the members -
Stevens, Fonda, reedman Gebhard Ullmann and
drummer George Schuller - contribute compositions to
Poetry in Motion. Stevens wrote the title track and the
aptly named Quirky Waltz . Another standout track
is Fonda s Next Step , a kinetic composition that
highlights the rhythm section. Schuller s Back To
School allows Ullmann to showcase his prodigious
skills. The last tune, Ullmann s Desert...Bleue...East ,
is a shape-shifting tour-de-force demonstrating the
rhythmic interplay of the ensemble.
Stevens is also a part of the Southern Excursion
Quartet, a collective of musicians living in the
southeastern part of the United States (with saxist Don
Aliquo, bassist Jonathan Wires and drummer Tom
Giampietro.) True to its moniker, Trading Post has a
distinctly southern feel. The Andrew Hill composition
Ashes is languid, like a humid Tennessee summer
afternoon. It builds in intensity, but never loses the
relaxed feel. Giampietro s A Long and Lonely Nights
Work sounds like it could be heard drifting out of a
jazz club on Beale Street. Stevens, who moved to
Memphis after years in the New York City area,
contributed two pieces to this CD, For Wheeler
(dedicated to trumpeter Kenny) and Spiritual , the
soulful closing track.
For more information, visit balazsbagayi.com,
konnex-records.de, cleanfeed-records.com and
artistsrecordingcollective.info. Stevens is at Roulette Mar.
16th with Joe Fonda. See Calendar.