One Dave Burrell's finest efforts; features his new working trio

Dave Burrell has long been recognized as an important
pianist among the most astute jazz fans. Best known for his
contributions to the music of Archie Shepp, David Murray,
Pharaoh Sanders, and others, Burrell has finally positioned
himself as one of the pre-eminent bandleaders in jazz.
After a long hiatus from recording, Dave Burrell returned
in 2004 with the album Expansion (High Two). His new
trio recording, Momentum, is his best and most self-assured
album to date.
Fronting a new, more dyanmic trio, featuring bassist
Michael Formanek (Tim Berne, Elvis Costello) and drummer
Guillermo E. Brown (David S. Ware, Matthew Shipp),
Burrell shows a brave and complex new vision for jazz
– one that respects precedents while forging a new path, all
without falling into the traps of wandering improvisation.
While Formanek and Brown lay the foundation, the pianist
boldly roams in and out of the structure of his compositions,
elegantly improvising on the songs’ motifs. Momentum is a
lesson in both vigor and restraint – a captivating achievement
that is certain to impress and attract.
After going nearly 30 years without a proper studio
recording as a group leader, Dave Burrell returned with a
definitive recording, 2004’s Expansion. Despite the long
break from group recordings, Burrell was anything but
inactive during that period. He worked for many years
with David Murray and experiment in composing music
in a variety of genres, breaking away from free jazz that
established his career in the 1960s, playing with artists like
Pharaoh Sanders, Marion Brown and Archie Shepp.
While Expansion captured the variety of Burrell’s
compositional and improvisational skills, Momentum achieves
a brilliant cohesiveness. Joined in the studio for the first
time by either Formanek or Brown, Burrell plays much more
inside the jazz tradition than at any point in his career. That’s
not to say that Burrell has compromised his innovative style,
but his new working trio combines for a more eloquent and
sophisticated sound.
Although Burrell is the composer and leader of the
group, he is not one to monopolize the spotlight; Burrell
understands the power of collaboration. He allows his
bandmates to weigh in not just with solos, but allows stylistic
control. Just as he let bassist William Parker and drummer
Andrew Cyrille help shape the tone of Expansion, his new
compatriots, both bandleaders in their own right, help define
Momentum.
Fomanek, known for his longtime association with Tim
Berne and his work with Joe Henderson and Fred Hersch,
has added a stabilizing dimension to Burrell’s music. Brown
inserts a complex rhythmic dimension into Burrell’s pieces.
Equally influenced by jazz and electronic music, Brown is a
new kind of jazz drummer. As a member of the David S. Ware
quartet and some of Matthew Shipp’s various ensembles,
Brown established himself as a new voice behind the drums,
but rarely has been as innovative as on Momentum.
Burrell composed six new compositions for Momentum.
Picking up on some of the motifs from Expansion. Influenced
by the continuing conflict in the Middle East and discontent
in the U.S., Momentum is full of dark contemplation, but also
of inspiration and promise.
Three of the pieces come from a score Burrell composed
for the Oscar Micheaux silent film, Body and Soul (which
starred Paul Robeson in his first film role). “Downfall,” “4:30
to Atlanta” and “Broken Promise” were first performed to
accompany the film in Spring 2005.
When Expansion received various accolades from such
outlets as NPR, Downbeat, The Wire, Village Voice, and
JazzTimes, Burrell set out to make an even better record.
As a reference point, he sought out to re-tackle one of the
tricky compositions from Expansion for Momentum, “Coud
d’Etat.” With Brown and Formanek giving the piece a
deeper, smoother base, Burrell carves out the melody. The
new version shows not just a new arrangement, but how
Burrell continues to change, adapt, and develop – an artist
still taking risks and growing forty years into his career.