ps and Friends”

Bill Phipps Jazz Ensemble

(Pipeline Music)

By Buzz McClain

            The decades of practice, performance and teaching clearly have paid off. At an age – 79 -- when most performers are content to mail in a duet and shuffle off the stage, Newark sax man Billy Phipps releases a manifesto that demands to be taken seriously. “Phipps and Friends” is a remarkable late-career document that is as long over due as it is unexpected.

            Alternately playful and earnest, technical and loose, often in the same number, this collection serves as a vital antidote to today’s “smooth” sounds in jazz. Jazz reflects life, and life is anything but smooth; Phipps and his cohorts don’t even try to hide the edges as they lay down old school, closing-time jazz that is startlingly honest and unflinching.

            That’s not to say there isn’t joy in “Phipps and Friends.” The two “light” standards here, “Summertime” and “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby,” both with vocals by Maura Tier, highlight the generous interplay between Phipps’ tenor sax and Radam Schwartz’s masterful Hammond B-3; even these familiar melodies are made anew by the muscular dynamics of the instrumentation.

            The other vocal, “Kitts Kalypso,” features a playfully staggered beat – credit percussionist Otis Brown, Jr. for keeping it together – that borrows a close-but-not-exact calypso cadence for a propulsive, key-shifting workout by Alfred Patterson’s trombone and Phipps’ sax.

            Patterson is a longtime Phipps companion; they both helped put Newark on the jazz map when it was populated by the rising likes of Sarah Vaughn, Woody Shaw and Wayne Shorter who, as it happens, turned the young Phipps on to John Coltrane (imagine that statement for a minute). Patterson composed two of the more avant-garde jazz offerings in the collection, the all-in free-for-all “Mjade 2” and the disc closer, the chaotic, seemingly unstructured “The Point Beyond,” which finally resolves its groove midway through its 10:54 minutes. Until then it’s an unruly, but musically disciplined, glimpse into temporary lunacy.

            The band plays at a consistently high level, and Phipps is wise enough to know when to wait his turn. But since this is Phipps’ ensemble, Phipps gets to take the lead on occasion, and even then he’s a generous captain, something he learned, no doubt, when he was in outfits lead by Dizzy Gillespie, Brother Jack McDuff, Ray Charles and Lloyd Price (who taught him the secrets of soloing).

On his original called “Jac,” his sax serves in support as Patterson’s trombone goes off on a run, chased from behind by Schawartz’s gaining B-3.      The co-write by Billy and his pianist brother Nat, “ASAP,” features the difficult, rare trick of harmonizing trombone and sax while riding an undercurrent of B-3 vibrato. It works terrifically, and their brief shout of joy at the end is justified.

            The highlight here, the “hit,” if you will, is “Moscow Mule,” and Phipps’ arrangement proves to be equally as refreshing and satisfying as the vintage cocktail it’s named for (vodka, ginger beer, lime). The number starts as if in an early morning fog before resolving into solo handoffs by the ensemble as the number warms up. The groove gets dug, and deep, giving the band a luxurious playground in which to romp at will. The final three minutes, kicked off with a wonderfully wailing break by Schwartz, is a glorious jam that explores the far reaches of each instrument before things are restored to order.

            It’s quite a track, one that no doubt left the players exhilarated and exhausted.

And Phipps must be proud.

Album Title: Phipps & Friends

Artist: Bill Phipps Jazz Ensemble

Reviewer’s Name: Dan MacIntosh

Review Title: The Bill Phipps Jazz Ensemble on a creative exploration with Phipps & Friends Rating: 4 Stars

 Review:

The Bill Phipps Jazz Ensemble makes jazz that is saturated in a cool, ‘60s vibe. Led by Phipps on tenor saxophone, this 10-song collection swings at a steady pace with lots of improvisation and a whole lot of soul.

The outfit also includes Radam Schwartz at the hearty Hammond B3. Alfred Patterson exhibits a notable presence on trombone, particularly during “Mjade 2”, a song he wrote. The way Patterson and Schwartz trade off licks during this particular track is nothing short of thrilling. Otis Brown, Jr., on drums, rounds out the instrumental section of the Bill Phipps Jazz Ensemble.

Ah, but there’s more than just instrumental music going on here. In a few places, Phipps’ sound is accented by the lovely singing of Maura Tier. In each case, Tier takes on a tried ‘n true tune. She opens the disc by singing “Summertime”, that great old George Gershwin ode to the hot weather months. Later, she rollicks her way through Louis Jordan’s hip-ly asked question, “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby”. Somehow, this title has always sounded like something Yogi Berra might propose. But in Tier’s hands, it swings gently, and with pleasure.

There’s also one more singer here; Lady Laranah Phipps. She joins the party for the tropical “Kitts Kalypso”. Although it’s only 3:57 long, it’s nevertheless a wacky little break from this otherwise American jazz-centric project. And while Otis Brown, Jr. keeps the groove going at an unhurried island pace, Bill Phipps still finds more than enough space to stretch out with fine solo saxophone work. The drummer even gets a little love with his own solo toward the track’s end.

Phipps composed the majority of these tracks. With the exception of Tier’s vocal selections, as well as Patterson’s two contributions and one traditional tune (“Moscow Mile”), Phipps was the set’s main composer. There are also many varying lengths to these songs. For instance, the act’s take on “Summertime” is over and done in 3:21, whereas “The Point Beyond”, which closes out the disc, stretches out to 10:54.

Much of the time, there is fast-paced musical interplay among these musicians. However, “Obama’s Delight”, more than likely an ode to our first black president, takes it nice and easy as a warm ballad. On it, Phipps can be heard blowing thoughtful musical lines over Schwartz’s soothing, but insistent, organ bed. It’s hard to think of such a beautiful piece of music as political. Instead, it simply comes off as an instrumental tribute to the man and his accomplishments, no matter his political party or policies.