Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Roy Nathanson: Nearness And You, Duets and Improvisations

1

Roy Nathanson: Nearness And You, Duets and Improvisations

By

Sign in to view read count
Roy Nathanson: Nearness And You, Duets and Improvisations
On saxophonist Roy Nathanson's 2009 disc Subway Moon (Yellowbird), he covers the R&B song "Love Train" a huge hit for The O'Jays in 1973. Nathanson's version was a relaxed take on the age old wish for world peace. By decelerating the music he accelerated the intimacy. He utilizes the same device on Nearness Of You, an album of duets and improvisations recorded with his friends and longtime playing partners during his 2015 residency at The Stone in New York.

Nathanson was a key player in the Downtown scene of the 1980s and 90s, performing with John Lurie's Lounge Lizards, Marc Ribot's Rootless Cosmopolitans, and in The Jazz Passengers, an outfit he founded with trombonist Curtis Fowlkes. With humor as his muse, he has charted a course of musicianship that pairs vaudeville with modern jazz. His most recent ensemble, Sotto Voce, has released three discs. The latest being Complicated Day (Enja, 2014), which combines text (often his poetry) with music.

The same intimacy permeates these duets. Reunited with Fowlkes, they mine some Jazz Passengers music with "Indian Club," picking up on their dialogue of the past thirty years. Saxophone and trombone call-and-respond, tangle-and-untangle. They move onto the theme of the session, Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You." Nathanson blows two saxophones over the trombone, before he moves to piano and Fowlkes sings (in sotto voce) the New Washington lyric. In true Nathanson form, the song title is transmogrified into "The Nearness Of Ewes," "The Nearness Of Youse," with Anthony Coleman "The Nearness Of Jews," and Myra Melford "The Nearness of You Too."

With each partner, there's a different sound. Pianist Arturo O'Farrell dresses Carla Bley's "Ida Lupino" as a melancholy gospel blues for Nathanson's alto to stretch and embellish. Marc Ribot's guitar acts as a deconstructing machine in their three improvised duos. "The Low Days" finds Nathanson on baritone saxophone rounding out the sharp edges Ribot produces. For many, the highlights here are the two pieces he performs with pianist Myra Melford. One, a tangled improvisation "What? Shoes?" and the other a lamenting cover version of "The Nearness Of You Too." Both pieces jump, skitter, and bounce notes between the players performing a stone's throw away from each other. The proximity is you.

Track Listing

The Nearness Of You; The Low Daze; Indian Club; What’s Left; The Nearness Of Ewes; The Nearness Of Youse; The Nearness Of Jews; What? Shoes?; Ludmilla’s Lament;

Personnel

Roy Nathanson
saxophone

Roy Nathanson: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, voice; Arturo O’Farrill: piano; Marc Ribot: acoustic guitar; Curtis Fowlkes: trombone, vocals; Anthony Coleman: piano; Myra Melford: piano; Lucy Hollier: trombone.

Album information

Title: Nearness And You, Duets and Improvisations | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.