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GRAHAM CONNAH'S SOUR NOTE SEVEN
Gurney To The Licoln Center Of Your Mind (Rastacan)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Ambitious, humorous, creative and way out there, Graham Connah's Sour Note Seven would never be allowed near the neatly-kept stage of the Lincoln Center. They knew this when they recorded Gurney To The Lincoln Center Of Your Mind in 1997, of course, but this group of San Francisco jazz masters has too much talent for that stage to hold them in the first place.
Led by keyboardist Graham Connah and featuring a top-notch lineup that includes Trevor Dunn (bass), Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Rob Sudduth (sax), Elliot Humberto Kavee (drums), Jewlia Eisenberg (vocals), and Marty Wehner (trombone), the Sour Note Seven seems to draw on influences as diverse as Cecil Taylor and Frank Zappa for a sound and a style that challenges the listener and pays off big for those who can hang in.
Connah's arrangements are endlessly fascinating, with angles and depth that give the music a well-sanded flow to conceal the splinters just beneath the surface. Dunn's fluid bass lines set you in the groove and Goldberg's jagged clarinet cuts you to pieces. You can't listen casually because the Sour Note Seven won't allow it. Many avant-garde units can stir you around with a 10 minute track, but check out the 4:26 "Tiddlywinks," and wear a seat belt, because it's a lightning-fast journey through avant-garde AND bebop neighborhoods, complete with terrific vocal excursions by Eisenberg. The miracle is that "Tiddlywinks" holds up without losing context.
By the end of that ride you're ready for the bluesy motif of "Cretins and Crumbs," which slips into contemplative avant-garde so gradually that you might not catch it until you're already deep into the mystic. The ability to do this so well, the knack for momentarily camouflaging the splinters, and the overall chemistry sets this group firmly into their very own corner of the avant-garde. Gurney To The Lincoln Center Of Your Mind is highly recommended to anyone with an adventurous ear.
© 2000 - DJ Johnson