World-champion whistler Geert Chatrou performs "Der Hölle Rache" from Mozart's Magic Flute -- and doesn't cheat on the high notes. Most impressive. (Via 24 Oranges, a delightful English-language blog about all things Dutch.)
At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, in Lincoln Center's Time Warner shopping mall-cum-airport terminal, the Doctor and I caught a blazing set by Jane Ira Bloom (pictured right, in a photo by the great Jack Vartoogian) and her quartet tonight. Bloom's a longtime favorite of mine: a soprano saxophone player of striking originality and technical security; a primarily acoustic performer whose use of electronics is singular and innovative; and a composer of rich, vivid music.
One of my favorite things about Bloom, though, is that as a balladeer, she doesn't set out to break your heart. Instead, she's happier reminding you about how joyous and energizing it can be to bare your most intimate emotions, and to share them with that one special someone.
I've been following Bloom for more than two decades now. Apart from a pair of records on Columbia early on, she's mostly gone from one indie label to another. The latest, Mental Weather, is on her own label, Outline, available through Amazon. I'd like to say that it mystifies me how a performer like Bloom has remained under the radar for so long.
I'd like to say that, but I can't, because it's no mystery. Bloom has the luxury of picking and choosing her engagements carefully, which means she doesn't have to accept compromise. She plays when and where she wants to play, makes the albums she wants to make, disappears for longer than we'd like. You can hardly blame her for doing things that way; still, you wish she worked out a little more often, or had some help pushing her records just a little more aggressively, if only so she'd enjoy the wider recognition she deserves.
With her at Dizzy's was someone new to me, Dawn Clement, a gifted Seattle pianist and the latest in Bloom's long string of sensitive partners (which runs back to Fred Hersch in the '80s). There was also bassist Mark Helias, who without fail reminds me that he's one of this city's most consistently satisfying musicians every time I hear him play (to say nothing of his immense skills as a bandleader and composer), and drummer Matt Wilson, a buoyant spirit and a restlessly creative performer. Most of what they played was from Mental Weather, a characteristically heady mix of intellectual rigor, painterly attention to texture and timbre, and unambiguous romanticism. I went in exhausted and came out revitalized.
I'd urge you to go see Bloom and her band with all due haste, but alas, this was a one-night affair.
Playlist:
Phill Niblock - YPGPN (XI)
Reid Anderson - The Vastness of Space (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Miles Davis - Miles in Tokyo (Columbia/Legacy)
Jussi Björling - Jussi Björling Collection, Vol. 3 (Naxos Historical)
Elisabeth Rethberg - Prima Voce (Nimbus)
Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden (Sanctuary)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Le Nozze di Figaro - Mirelli Freni, Leyla Gencer, Edith Mathis, Heinz Blankenburg, Gabriel Bacquier, Glyndebourne Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Silvio Varviso (Glyndebourne)
Steve, I wasn't aware of Bloom at all (bearing out your thesis that she could promote herself more), so thanks for this, which sounds right up my alley.
Posted by: Bruce Hodges | October 01, 2008 at 02:14 PM
I like Bloom's last two records quite a bit, but wasn't familiar with her before that. Might have to start digging backward.
Posted by: pdf | October 02, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Any of Bloom's discs with Fred Hersch are worth hearing; that was an outstanding partnership, as Hersch somehow knew how to add just the right amount of plushness to balance Bloom's straight-horn sound without overwhelming it.
Two of the best earlier sets are Mighty Lights on Enja, with the added benefit of a mighty rhythm section in Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell, and Slalom, the second Columbia CD, with bassist Kent McLagan and genius drummer Tom Rainey. (In a previous lifetime, I personally agitated to have this one reissued on Koch).
I'm also very fond of Red Quartets, a 1999 Arabesque release with Hersch, Mark Dresser and Bobby Previte. What a great live band that was!
Posted by: Steve Smith | October 02, 2008 at 11:48 AM
The whistling is strangely beguiling. I was listening while doing something else in another tab (so therefore not watching) and at times he sounded like a non-ear piercing piccolo. If only there were such a thing in real life.
After listening a couple of times, I'm still no sure what to make of it.
Anyway, all this to say, thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Miss Mussel | October 04, 2008 at 12:51 AM