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Tony Malaby and Firebath Ignite the Jazz Gallery
ByAt the Jazz Gallery, Malaby was accompanied by stellar (mostly) New York-based musicians including Angelica Sanchez on piano, Dave Ballou on Trumpet, Ben Monder on Guitar, Mark Helias on bass, and Allan Mednard on drums. With the possible exception of Mednard, all of these musicians have a lengthy history of working with Malaby. The term "Firebath" is an Old English term meaning a bath in intense heat and deep cleansing effect like a sauna (Wiktionary). Music described as a "firebath" signify a fiery, intense, and transformative journey. This is a perfectly apt description for the performance. Sanchez, Mallaby, and Ballou brought the heat in their solos. Monder uses a lot of electronic effects and is more of a sonic explorer, which was a perfect complement. Both Helias and Mednard stoked the flames, but also added nuance and shape to the sound. The music wasn't all fire and brimstone, there were extended melodic passages, periods of greater intensity followed by stretches where the music was spare. Canadian drummer Nick Fraser employed the term "improvising at the edges of composition" in an interview. That was a fitting description of the Firebath experience. It was an exhilarating 60-minute set that seemed to pass by in an instant.
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About Tony Malaby
Instrument: Saxophone, tenor
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In Pictures
TONY MALABY
Dave Kaufman
United States
New York
New York City
Jazz Gallery
Dave Ballou
Ben Monder
Mark Helias
Allan Mednard
Nick Fraser
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