- Michael Musillami - guitar
- Joe Fonda - double bass
- George Schuller - drums
- Peter Madsen - piano
- Tom Christensen - tenor saxophone
- Dave Ballou - trumpet
- Dresden
- Archives
- Dachau
- Part Pitbull
- Rottweil
- Today the Angels
- Metaphor 3.4.5.
| Discography of Joe Fonda | 2005 |
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Lineup
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Recorded February 5, 2005.
Released September 6, 2005 by Playscape Recordings [PSR#J020505]
CD Reviews
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By David Adler for Jazz Times Regrouping with the rhythm section from his 2003 effort Beijing (bassist Joe Fonda, drummer George Schuller), Michael Musillami gives us the equally compelling Dachau, the latest from his consistently excellent Playscape label. Pianist and Playscape regular Peter Madsen joins the trio on the difficult funk-infused line "Part Pitbull" (the title track of an earlier duo album) and the rubato dreamscape "Today the Angels." Tenor saxophonist Tom Christensen gives "Archives," an older Musillami piece, plenty of free-jazz grit. Madsen, Christensen and trumpeter Dave Ballou swell the lineup to a sextet for the powerful 12-minute title track. Musillami plays trio on three cuts that typify his angular, darkly hued aesthetic. Exploring the space where avant-garde meets groove, Musillami leans toward challenging written themes, abstract and dissonant harmony and open-ended solo flights. Count on him also for that essential jazz ingredient, the sound of surprise — say, his unaccompanied breaks on "Dresden," the subdued, pent-up atmospherics of "Rottweil" or the cakewalk feel that follows Joe Fonda's ripping bass solo on the finale. Source: Guitartistry section from the March 2006 issue of JazzTimes |
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October 15, 2005 by Ken Waxman for Jazzword Confounding expectations, guitarist Michael Musillami adds a couple of twists to this otherwise exceptional classic guitar trio album. There's the off-putting title and the fact that his basic combo - bassist Joe Fonda and percussionist George Schuller - is joined by pianist Peter Madsen on two tracks, tenor saxophonist Tom Christensen on one, plus those two and trumpeter Dave Ballou on "Dachau". Blighted by its association with the nearby Nazi concentration camp, Dachau is the German city where ironically Musillami felt the trio members' musical ideas really fused. You can hear that in three of the selections, as the guitarist's unique chording structure brushes up against Schuller's unforced time-keeping and Fonda throbbing bass line. Longtime Musillami associate Madsen makes his presence felt on numbers like "Part Pitbull" and "Today the Angels" where his cascading chords and modal voicing push the others into tempo switching face-offs, including staccato guitar licks and exposure of the drummer's bell and shaker add-ons. With all hands on deck, the title - and longest - tune surges from a beginning featuring moderato tempo guitar chording and undulating stop-time fills from the horns, widens to include soaring trumpet grace notes and cascading runs from Musillami that speed up indolent theme variation, then reassembles into creating an evocative, multi-hued finale. This CD won't wipe Dachau's nightmarish associations from history, but, for sophisticated jazz fans at least, will give the name a more positive association. Reprinted with kind permission of the author. Copyright © 2006 Jazzword and Ken Waxman. All reviews written by Ken Waxman:
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September 26, 2005 by John Kelman for All About Jazz The intrepid Playscape Recordings imprint, founded at the turn of the century by guitarist Michael Musillami, has been responsible for a small but consistent catalogue of releases that constantly look for new ways to combine forward-thinking compositional form with a more exploratory aesthetic. Working with a relatively small core group of veteran players, the label has already made a mark on jazz. Albums like woodwind multi-instrumentalist Tom Christensen's remarkable New York School and percussionist George Schuller's imaginative rethinking of Miles Davis, Round 'Bout Now, have managed to define their own musical spaces, while at the same time fitting into the label's broader philosophy of creative music. With freedom a fundamental consideration, Playscape's albums seem to cleverly avoid the kind of jagged extremes that often make it so unapproachable. Musillami has released a dozen albums under his own name since the label's inception — the kind of output that is only possible with a small and focused independent outfit — with ensembles ranging from duo to octet. Dachau is the second by his working trio with Schuller and bassist Joe Fonda. This time, however, he enlists trumpeter Dave Ballou and labelmates Tom Christensen and pianist Peter Madsen to expand the sonic palette on four of his seven original compositions. By ranging from trio to sextet settings, the album is as much a vehicle for Musillami the conceptualist as it is Musillami the writer and performer. The trio tracks show just how far the group has come since its 2003 release, Beijing. Musillami's tone may be soft and round, but his lines are often angular — logical extensions of his almost mathematically precise compositions. While he travels in different circles than saxophonist Tim Berne, an inner logic that links the two. Even when Musillami's trio is exploring the outer boundaries of the material, there's always a path — obscure though it might seem — leading back to form. The interplay among the three is so intrinsic that it's not only impossible to tell who is reacting to whom. It's irrelevant. When the guests are brought in to create denser textures — especially on the sextet title track — the bond between Schuller and Fonda is brought into even greater focus, as is Musillami's clear direction. The twelve-minute "Dachau" traverses considerable terrain with clearly delineated soloists at times, but a more collective approach to its development at others. Madsen is especially on point, here and on "Part Pitbull" — which the two originally recorded as a duet — avoiding a more conventional accompanist role during Musillami's solo, instead engaging in interactive conversation. Musillami's complex world owes a lot to guitarist Joe Diorio — whose book Intervallic Designs pushed a number of known guitarists in new directions, even as Diorio himself has remained almost completely beneath the radar. But Diorio's innovatively anti-linear approach has provided players like Musillami an alternative foundation from which to evolve. Dachau continues to repay the debt, building a musical universe with its own unique lyricism, albeit one of a more oblique design. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 All About Jazz and John Kelman. All reviews written by John Kelman:
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December 5, 2005 by Troy Collins for One Final Note Following their debut album, Beijing, guitarist Michael Musillami's second recording with his touring trio once again finds inspiration in locale. Named in honor of its most explosive night of improvising on a recent tour, Dachau ushers in a sea change in the group's improvising dynamic. Working on an almost telepathic level, they have developed an innate familiarity with each other that enables them to second-guess abrupt tempo changes and harmonic detours with split-second timing. Bolstering this set of originals with a few notable guest appearances, Dachau is easily one of 2005's finest releases. Leading off with the breezy but subtly tense "Dresden", the trio immediately unveils its close-knit interplay with sudden dynamic shifts in tempo and rhythm. Musillami is a more traditionally minded guitarist than most of his contemporaries, but that doesn't make him any less interesting. With his clean, hollow-body derived sound, Musillami can conjure phrases of delicate beauty that a solid-bodied electric instrument often cannot. He can also belt out a slew of jagged notes, skronked harmonics, and discordantly disjointed phrases as well as any of his peers, but his resonant timbre is akin to that of the classic post-war guitarists. Joe Fonda employs a thick, rich tone on contrabass that provides all the bottom end one could desire, along with a liberal tendency to break out his bow, tearing into arco solos that are as acerbic and nascent as any electric instrument. George Schuller is an endlessly inventive drummer; tooling around his augmented kit, he is a whirl of tiny cymbal clashes and ping-ponging percussive accents one minute, a throttling mass of press rolls and punishing backbeats the next. Although the trio certainly doesn't need any help navigating Musillami's compelling tunes, they are occasionally joined by a few guest soloists, always to remarkable effect. "Archives" features a tumultuous guest spot by tenor saxophonist and fellow Playscape recording artist Tom Christensen, with one of his most explosive solos to date. Filled with angular ascending and descending melodic fragments, the tune's maze-like, elliptical nature helps ratchet up Christensen's solo excursion until he practically explodes. Under-recognized pianist Peter Madsen also makes strong appearances here, with his rambunctious, bashing solo on "Part Pitbull" a highlight of the session. Trumpeter Dave Ballou rounds out a sextet featured on the title track, a piece with a multi-part structure that casts a revealing light on the group's strengths. Christensen and Ballou get caught up in an unaccompanied cadenza that swings without rhythm section accompaniment, a la Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry's famous duet on the "The Alchemy of Scott Lafaro", while the leader delivers a subdued solo of controlled but vibrant freedom. Dachau is, at heart, a trio album and the ensemble's creative breadth is best exemplified by the album closer, "Metaphor 3.4.5.", a slow, noirish groove driven by Musillami's futuristic staccato blues lines. At once respective of the past and reaching well beyond it, this cut is also its most telling. While Musillami and company are aware of tradition and respectful of it, even to the point of embracing its structures, they are in no way limited by staid genre conventions. Dachau is the sort of jazz album that should have critics of all stripes heaping excessive praise on. But if ever there was a release that deserved the hype, it would be this record. Full of ingenious interplay and heated improvisation, Musillami and company have given us, at the very least, the year's finest jazz guitar album. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 One Final Note and Troy Collins. All reviews written by Troy Collins:
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February 5, 2006 by Renato Wardle for All About Jazz The cult of youth has poisoned the world of music. Pop culture would have "instant" artists shine momentarily, and then disappear quietly into the "where are they now" category before they lose their baby teeth. In spite of this, seasoned musicians continue to move forward, breaking boundaries and defying the international fetishism of youth. Michael Musillami is one such visionary musician. On Dachau, his veteran trio, augmented on several tracks to a quartet, quintet or sextet, fuses a warm traditional sound with highly modern playing into a seamless whole, stating unequivocally that the world of improvised music need not enslave itself to pop culture's obsession with disposable art(ists). The realm of jazz guitar is fettered with a duality of possibilities: the classic tradition of Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall or the anything-goes realm of Bill Frisell. The jaunty melody of "Dresden" reveals the dichotomy that is Michael Musillami: a traditional jazz guitar sound coupled with a penchant for freely improvised lines, odd meters, and a conjuring of otherworldly soundscapes. This unlikely union creates a unique moment in jazz history: highly listenable free jazz guitar playing. Throughout the record, Joe Fonda's warm bass tone anchors the movements of both Michael Musillami and drummer George Schuller. Like Scott LaFaro, he uses the entire register of the instrument for highly interactive and contrapuntal basslines. With music that exists on the fringes of jazz, maintaining group cohesion can be difficult. On the title track, "Dachau," Joe Fonda's playing serves to unite the frenetic drumming of George Schuller and the jaunty lines of Michael Musillami into a unified whole. Like Charlie Haden in Ornette Coleman's groups, Joe Fonda gives the music a completeness through strong melodic bass parts and intuitive interaction with the ensemble. Veteran jazz drummer George Schuller is the MVP of Dachau. His clever and rambunctious playing keeps the record grooving continually, showing that freer music need not be devoid of feel. Moving seamlessly from the frenetic "Archives" to the melismatic "Dachau" with aplomb, Schuller is part of a rare breed of drummers who are capable of making the drums whisper, roar, groove or swing without sounding schizophrenic. Bringing to the table a dark cymbal texture and round drum tone that complement the ensemble perfectly, he is johnny-on-the-spot, catching everything everyone does and raising the musical bar continually. Free improvisation can be a no man's land. The fainthearted need not apply. Over the years many carpetbagger musicians have seen fit to approach the daunting task of musical coherence in a freer setting without the ability to do so, effectively souring many ears to what can be highly imaginative and kinetic music. With Dachau, Michael Musillami demonstrates all that free music wants to live up to but often doesn't. Armed with a renegade ensemble of daring musicians with a classic jazz sound, Dachau is a work of surprising musical cohesion and inventiveness. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 All About Jazz and Renato Wardle. |
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November 11, 2005 by Elliott Simon for All About Jazz In the wake of its strong premiere effort, Beijing (Playscape, 2000), the Michael Musillami Trio continues its globetrotting, turning to Germany for inspiration to produce its sophomore offering, Dachau. While the opening "Dresden" and the title piece itself conjure up some of the 20th century's worst horrors, the music is wonderfully uplifting and powerfully creative. Musillami's signature guitar sound, a mix of catchy odd-metered melodies with intriguing chords, dovetails remarkably with Joe Fonda's bass lines, while drummer George Schuller disdains genre to move from mainstream to free. From the opening riff of "Dresden," which catches your ear with its inventive melody, to the beautifully put together closing "Metaphor 3.4.5," which has Fonda singing to his bass, there is no mistaking that this is a Musillami project. His knack for allowing a winning formula to develop is evident. Fonda's worldly experience is given ample room, as is Schuller's ability to segue stylistically. Pianist Peter Madsen augments the trio to a quartet to expand on both the frenetically driving "Part Pitbull," first heard on the Musillami/Madsen collaboration of the same name (Playscape, 2002) and construct a very reverential "Today the Angels" that debuted on Op. Ed (Playscape, 2001). The Musillami staple "Archives" features reedmaster Tom Christensen, his tenor ably matching the inventively melodic guitar runs note for note, in addition to honking its own creative path. "Dachau" finds Dave Ballou's trumpet joining the others for an extended and at times surprisingly warm take on its notorious namesake, while "Rottweil" is portrayed as a particularly bluesy German city. This is expertly played music from a core trio of true professionals who gel exceedingly well. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 All About Jazz and Elliott Simon. All reviews written by Elliott Simon:
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September 28, 2005 by Paul Olson for All About Jazz There's nothing new about a jazz guitar trio, or, for that matter, a jazz guitar trio augmented with piano and horns. That said, guitarist Michael Musillami has done something truly innovative with this format on Dachau. Musillami, bassist Joe Fonda, and drummer George Schuller — augmented on four of the album's seven tracks with various combinations of tenor saxophonist Tom Christensen, pianist Peter Madsen, and trumpeter Dave Ballou — have created a work that, in a truly novel fashion, fuses composed material and free improvisation, limber ensemble drive and rubato expansiveness. Most impressively, Musillami and his fellow players do the almost impossible: while remaining rooted in a jazz vocabulary, they play here with an almost complete avoidance of stock phrases and licks. Under the leader's guidance, these musicians are finding new ways to make their statements. The overall effect is magical. That word's not a cliché here, because there is something alchemical, an element of ritual, in the performances of these Musillami compositions. Some of the pieces were inspired by a German trio tour that included a performance at the Dachau concentration camp, and the album's opener, "Dresden," is one of those. It's built around a wry, singsong theme with tight, nimble playing from Fonda and Schuller. Previous Musillami CDs like Those Times and Spirits showcased in different ways how well he could play others' material, but his angular, information-rich style is best served by his own compositions; his soloing on "Dresden," with its characteristic rapid clusters, percussively drummed lines, and bent notes (made all the more effective by their underuse) are as wonderful as they are absolutely distinctive. Terrific enough — but in the latter part of the tune, the group slips into a free section, with exotic percussion, almost Derek Bailey-like guitar effects and most notably, an ominous, looming, sawed bass solo that somehow invests the entire piece with a deep, resonant gravity. The title track, featuring all six musicians, is even finer. A brief, chiming guitar intro moves the group into a long, free section that's fascinating in the way the various instruments separate at times into independent lines and then come together. During various solos by Musillami and Madsen, the two horns lay out, then enter and reenter with long, groaning single notes that, in the context of the piece, seem to evoke the voices of those lost at Dachau. Yet the overall free section has a feeling of space, expansion and ultimately, liberation — and if these musical voices are the voices of ghosts, they're unsilenced, even playful spirits that sing. The tune moves unexpectedly into a more composed section with supple, responsive playing from Fonda and Schuller as their accompaniment delicately shifts under various soloists. This is a song worthy of many listens — and more words than a short review can provide. And that's just two songs. The other tracks are emphatically of the same quality. This is Musillami's finest recording to date, and one of the very best albums of this year. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 All About Jazz and Paul Olson. |
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Spetember 2, 2005 by Jerry D'Souza for All About Jazz One of the significant moments for the Michael Musillami Trio came when the group played in Dachau, Germany in November, 2004. At that time, says Musillami, they were "elevated to a new level." That plateau is still evident on this recording, made possible by several factors, including shared empathy and each player's strength as a musician. The writing on Dachau moves from swing to free elements and builds a strong emotional scale within those parameters. A pronounced joy is countenanced by sadness, tumult is balanced by the sedate, and an inherent power gives the music strength of character. These players are not averse to picking up the thread and weaving it in their own image. Musillami also brings in Tom Christensen (tenor saxophone), Peter Madsen (piano), and Dave Ballou (trumpet) to add color and impetus and to define different aspects of the music. The title track, which features all six musicians, starts off introspectively as Musillami plays a quiet stream of notes with bassist Joe Fonda, but then the music gradually gathers momentum and becomes volatile when Christensen and Ballou drop in. The two head out front and engage in heated deliberation while Fonda churns the base. Then comes a ray of sunshine as Musillami feeds in melody, the trio now in charge of the path ahead. Madsen leads them into hardier terrain, forging on with a storm of ideas before he ignites Ballou, who keeps the pulse molten. "Metaphor 3.4.5" is lighter in its manifestation, but it showcases the trio as a tight-knit band: Fonda loosens up the notes and sings along; George Schuller keeps the beat light, flexible, and swinging; and Musillami plays a nice melody, embellishing it with trills, in an articulate dip into mainstream jazz. A winner in every way. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 All About Jazz and Jerry D'Souza. All reviews written by Jerry D'Souza:
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Bill Shoemaker for Point of Departure Where is the median point on today's jazz spectrum? Is it the polite regurgitation of time worn changes and licks? Reiterations of the same old same old? Ray Charles covers? Guitarist Michael Musillami has ardently argued to the contrary on a succession of self-produced albums fueled by his virtuoso brinkmanship, of which Dachau may be his best. Musillami's playing always seems to be outbound as if propelled by some centrifugal force, and the interplay between him, bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller is consistently heated, yet precisely calibrated. However, the trio's experience of playing in the city made infamous by the Nazi concentration camp caused their passions to be even more intensified on this album, and are quelled only occasionally by a deep-in-the-pocket theme or a soothing Coltranish rubato. Though billed as a Trio date, Musillami, Fonda and Schuller perform alone on only three of the album's seven tracks. Pianist Peter Madsen is added for three tracks, one of which also features trumpeter Dave Ballou and Tom Christensen (the saxophonist also plays on a second quartet track). Despite the rotating personnel, this is a very cohesive, persuasive statement that jazz's median point should move in Musillami's direction. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 Point of Departure and Bill Shoemaker. All reviews written by Bill Shoemaker:
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Bruce Lee Gallanter for Downtown Music Gallery This is the second trio disc for Mr. Musillami's formidable trio, the title "Dachau" is taken from the name of the Nazi concentration camp where this trio performed one of their best sets ever. Michael, like his most often collaborator, Mario Pavone, writes pieces that always test the skills of his bandmates. Although Pavone is not on this disc, his main piano man is, plus Mario did do the cover art, so he did have a hand in this disc. Musillami writes these tricky pieces, tightly knit and often changing quickly. Joe Fonda is the perfect bassist for the job at hand, as is drummer George Schuller. Both of these great players add their flair, self-confidence and intense energy to the proceedings. "Archives" is a brilliant piece that splits the band, a quartet with Christensen added on tenor sax, into two unified subgroups. Both the guitar and sax play ferociously around one another as the bass and drums circle them playing the difficult quick changing rhythmic scheme. The title piece, "Dachau", begins slowly and mysteriously with the full sextet present. As the trio plays the skeletal structure, the trumpet, sax and piano spin slowly like ghosts around them in the first section. The second part is another challenging section for the guitar trio playing their intricate tightly together as the horns and piano soon float back in to punctuate the quick moving trio. The ever-amazing Peter Madsen takes one of his incredible piano solos in the center of the focused storm around him, followed by inspired solos from Ballou and Christensen with Michael swirling underneath it all, helping navigate the turbulent waters. "Part Pitbull" is a super-quick and difficult one with layers of nervous lines swirling around one another. This is by far the best jazz guitar- based disc I've heard this year, the writing and the playing are both super! Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 Downtown Music Gallery and Bruce Lee Gallanter. All reviews written by Bruce Lee Gallanter:
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Un lager e dintorni I tour in Germania, e la recente storia di questo paese, sembrano avere lasciato una profonda impressione nella musica del trio del chitarrista Michael Musillami, qui rappresentati nei titoli di tre città tedesche, "Dachau", nota per la triste eredità di un campo di sterminio, "Dresden", con il bombardamento che la distrusse intermanente, e "Rottweil". La loro musica è ulteriormente maturata rispetto al lavoro prcedente e così accanto al trio di base si è avvertita la necessità in alcuni brani di allargare l´organico. C´è il sassofono tenore di Tom Christensen su "Archives" ed il pianoforte del fido Peter Madsen su "Part Pitbull" e Today the Angels", due musicisti presenti sul catalogo della sua Playscape. L´interazione fra i tre protagonisti del disco è ancora più compatta e l´ascolto del tono della chitarra elettrica di Musillami, caldo, umano, rassicura anche nei momenti più astratti. La loro è una musica che ormai trascende i generi e comunica direttamente con chi vuole prestargli un pò di attenzione. Sanno usare più linguaggi rimettendoli insieme in un nuovo ordine gramamticale. Non manca, comunque, anche il mainstream ortodosso con il finale "Metaphor 3.4.5.", eseguito da fare invidia a tanti colleghi. "Dachau", il brano che dà il titolo al disco, è interpretato in sestetto insieme al trombettista Dave Ballou. Un lungo percorso ricco di astrattismi e momenti più concreti, di tessiture quasi orchestrali dirette da una mano invisibile. Un brano di assoluto rigore ed in cui i musicisti danno il massimi in termini di espressività e precisione esecutiva. George Schuller, il batterista, è rilassato e preciso, anche lui con i suoi ritmi capace di sviluppare una dinamica in cui gli stili del passato sono solo un modo per ridare le esigenze dei brani. E Joe Fonda, con il suo contrabbasso così forte ed esplosivo, vivo, non è solo un supporto ritmico, bensì rappresenta un altro polo all´interno del gruppo da cui emanano stimoli che vengono subito elaborati dagli altri musicisti. La musica di Michael Musillami è ormai arrivata ad un livello da cui ci si aspetta una maggiore presenza sulla scena musicale internazionale. Senza retorica, senza clamori, il suo è un gruppo fra i più interessanti di quello che il jazz attuale può offrire. Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 Musicboom and Cosimo Parisi. All reviews written by Cosimo Parisi:
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