Explosive Post-Bop Jazz By Five Master Musicians
In February 1978, saxophonist Dave Liebman assembled Pendulum, a formidable quintet with trumpeter Randy Brecker, pianist Richie Beirach, bassist Frank Tusa and drummer Al Foster.
The group was assembled for a one-week engagement at the Village Vanguard in New York City. Sadly, its lifespan was that one gig, but fortunately John Snyder of Artists House Records and engineer David Baker were on hand to record the last two nights of the run.
The following year, stunning performances of Beirach's Pendulum, Liebman's Picadilly Lilly and Wayne Shorter's Footprint were issued on an Artists House LP. The label soon fell into inactivity and this critically acclaimed album by five post-bop masters fell off the radar.
Case closed until Liebman recently revisited those tapes and came up with three CDs of explosive music with scorching versions of Solar", Well, You Needn't", Blue Bossa", Impressions" and more. Fueled by Al Foster's unrelenting fire, Liebman, Brecker and Beirach take chorus after brilliant chorus. This might be the finest example of what an extraordinary improvising artist Randy Becker is; few recordings capture him at this level.
This is hard-hitting modern jazz performed by musicians who grew up on hard bop and informed it with the later innovations of John Coltrane and Miles Davis.
In February 1978, saxophonist Dave Liebman assembled Pendulum, a formidable quintet with trumpeter Randy Brecker, pianist Richie Beirach, bassist Frank Tusa and drummer Al Foster.
The group was assembled for a one-week engagement at the Village Vanguard in New York City. Sadly, its lifespan was that one gig, but fortunately John Snyder of Artists House Records and engineer David Baker were on hand to record the last two nights of the run.
The following year, stunning performances of Beirach's Pendulum, Liebman's Picadilly Lilly and Wayne Shorter's Footprint were issued on an Artists House LP. The label soon fell into inactivity and this critically acclaimed album by five post-bop masters fell off the radar.
Case closed until Liebman recently revisited those tapes and came up with three CDs of explosive music with scorching versions of Solar", Well, You Needn't", Blue Bossa", Impressions" and more. Fueled by Al Foster's unrelenting fire, Liebman, Brecker and Beirach take chorus after brilliant chorus. This might be the finest example of what an extraordinary improvising artist Randy Becker is; few recordings capture him at this level.
This is hard-hitting modern jazz performed by musicians who grew up on hard bop and informed it with the later innovations of John Coltrane and Miles Davis.
For more information contact All About Jazz.