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Conference Call: Prism
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Prism, by the band Conference Call, sounds, on the set's opening tune, "F.J.D.," like a bunch of guys who might mug you: a brash, turbulent, confrontational crowd with a "we-don't-take-no-mess-from-nobody" approach to making music. Credit reedman Gebhard Ullmann with his grouchy, working-man-roused-from-his-afternoon-nap tenor sax sound, and the powerful bass (which you can feel in your bones) of Joe Fonda, accompanied by the aggressive clamor of, Dieter Ulrichthe group's third drummer in its twenty year tenurealong with pianist Michael Jefry Stevens' percussive whirlwind machinations. It is an opening salvo which grabs the ear.
The title tune turns away from the tempestuousness; a brooding, late night soundUllman's tenor sounding rich and mellowgives off an introspective vibe, featuring pianist Stevens in an exploration of delicacy and nuance, while drummer Ulrich whispers, and Fonda lays down a forcefully patient bass solo.
The Fonda-penned "Listen to Dr. Cornell West" features Ullman on bass clarinet, sounding as adamant as he does on tenor sax. Fonda and Ullrich craft a subterranean volcanic activity backdrop, while Stevenssounding just this side of madcapmakes an ongoing soundtrack of bird flock bursts, until Ullman and Fonda get themselves involved in a contentious conversation that shifts, as the full quartet comes back, into (near) straight-ahead territory on a consonant groove.
Conference Call, with its two decades of playing togetheronly the drum chair has changed in that timehas developed an intense yet approachable free jazz sound. It is a true collective, all members contributing compositions, closing with the relatively placid Joe Fonda tune, "The Bee," a dark and moody piece, followed by Gebhard Ullman's beautifully lugubrious "Zeit Lupe."
The title tune turns away from the tempestuousness; a brooding, late night soundUllman's tenor sounding rich and mellowgives off an introspective vibe, featuring pianist Stevens in an exploration of delicacy and nuance, while drummer Ulrich whispers, and Fonda lays down a forcefully patient bass solo.
The Fonda-penned "Listen to Dr. Cornell West" features Ullman on bass clarinet, sounding as adamant as he does on tenor sax. Fonda and Ullrich craft a subterranean volcanic activity backdrop, while Stevenssounding just this side of madcapmakes an ongoing soundtrack of bird flock bursts, until Ullman and Fonda get themselves involved in a contentious conversation that shifts, as the full quartet comes back, into (near) straight-ahead territory on a consonant groove.
Conference Call, with its two decades of playing togetheronly the drum chair has changed in that timehas developed an intense yet approachable free jazz sound. It is a true collective, all members contributing compositions, closing with the relatively placid Joe Fonda tune, "The Bee," a dark and moody piece, followed by Gebhard Ullman's beautifully lugubrious "Zeit Lupe."
Track Listing
F.J.D.; Prism; Listen to Dr. Cornell West; Variation on a Master Plan; Sal’s Song; The Bee; Zeit Lupe.
Personnel
Album information
Title: Prism | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Not Two Records
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Gebhard Ullmann
Album Review
Dan McClenaghan
Prism
Not Two Records
Gebhard Ullman," with his grouchy, working-man-roused-from-his sofa nap tenor sax, and the powerful bass--that you can feel in your bones--of {{m: Joe Fonda
Dieter Ulrich
Michael Jefry Stevens