Steve Swallow Albums (11)
What The Critics Say
The late poet Robert Creeley was no stranger to jazz. His own work descended from Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams, and he provided the link in the new American poetry between the Black Mountain school and the Beats; early on, he composed his work to the music of Bud Powell. Later he collaborated with the jazz musicians preeminent among them: Steve Swallow (whom Creeley collaborated with on numerous live occasions and on the bassist's ECM Home album in 1979, where his poems were sung by Sheila Jordan), and the late Steve Lacy. As evidenced on So There, Swallow is the perfect aural illustrator and collaborationist for Creeley because he allows the poet free reign, giving him a place to truly speak for himself. Swallow composed the music to follow the flow and rhythm of Creeley's taut, sometimes elliptical line and his rhythmic breath. The work for So There began in 2001, when Swallow got his old friend to read numerous poems into a microphone at Tom Mark's Make Believe Ballroom Studio in New York. Swallow began working his way through the poems, listening to them dozens of times to find those he most wanted to compose to. He worked on the music for years; creating compositions not only involving his bass, but also for piano. More startlingly, he began composing pieces for string quartet based on what he said were "not just the rhythms of Bob's speech, but the colors and atmospheres implicit in the poems as well." In January of 2005, Creeley died, never having heard any of the finished work. In March of 2005, along with pianist Steve Kuhn and the Oslo Cikada String Quartet, Swallow and company began recording the work with ECM producer and label owner Manfred Eicher in Norway.What is most beautiful here is the manner in which Swallow allows the seeming spontaneity in Creeley's speech and lean images to inform the music. There are places when the stop and start rhythm of the poet's cadence is simply underscored with one of Kuhn's piano lines on the right hand, and others where the entire group floats and hovers about it before digging into the groove. Swallow also picks up on the notion of counterpoint in Creeley's poems and gives the strings room to flow not so much against the words, but instead to color them with alternate meanings. And truth be told, we've seldom heard Kuhn this freely disposed to swinging, to playing this freely or this expressively. Swallow's compositions allow room for improvisation, and the sheer delight of Creeley's language seems to set this impulse to the air in the hands and ears of the musicians. Check the gorgeous swinging post-bop improvisation by Kuhn and the counterpoint from Swallow before the quartet enters in "Names." When Creeley's voice enters, the music lies low for a moment, and the poet's words almost dance above the strings. Elsewhere, such as on the piece taken from "Histoire de Florida," Kuhn's playing is elemental, not ornamental, in setting the place and mood for Creeley's voice as he cheerfully allows the melody to create a space for the poet to speak through. The strings move almost sentimentally, as he reads: "You're there/still behind/the mirror, brother face/Only yesterday/you were younger/now you/look old/Come out/while there's still time/left/to play." Swallow's voice plays a shimmering blues in the high register that is nearly pastoral as an answer, playful even, and it gently becomes elegiac, though not funereal; there is joy no matter the mood, and Creeley's sense of humor is wondrous in so few words even when he's serious: "Lift me into heaven/slowly/Cause my back's/sore/My mind's/thoughtful/I'm not sure/I even want to/go. The blues come out to dance in "Sufi Sam Christian," and Kuhn's playing is simply gorgeous, as is Swallow's. The entire exercise is one of mystery, surprise, and delight. This is a gentle kind of presentation that carries its force in the measure of astonishment that the listener feels after encountering the work. So There is an album that can be listened to over and again in a single setting, but it still won't give up all its secrets, because there is mischief here, too ("I Know a Man"), and Swallow can tease it out from the poem, or perhaps, it's vice versa. Creeley's always-twinkling eye seems to pull it from the composer, who lays it before us, tempting listeners to indulge the magic a small bit at a time. Wonderful. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'L' Histoire Du Clochard: The Bum's Tale'
Release Date 8/17/2004
Tracks 7
Label Palmetto
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What The Critics Say
Bassist Steve Swallow is better known as a sideman than a leader, though his work as a composer may be his greatest hidden asset. Long acknowledged as one of the top electric bassists in jazz, a number of his pieces have been recorded with collaborators such as Gary Burton and Carla Bley. But this sextet, jointly led with tenor saxophonist Ohad Talmor, finds new possibilities within these songs, none of which have been widely recorded. The chamber jazz sextet assembled also includes trumpeter Russ Johnson, violinist Meg Okura, clarinetist Greg Tardy and trombonist Jacob Garchick; throughout the session, the musicians rise to the challenges of the demanding charts. Talmor's arrangements are playful and full of the spirit of adventure. "Making Ends Meet" serves as a graceful introduction, though it quickly grows complex, with a particularly spirited solo by Tardy. Talmor hints at Igor Stravinsky's introduction to The Rites of Spring in his opening solo to the haunting "Sweeping Up," with Swallow exploring the upper range of his instrument. Garchick comes to the forefront in the intricate scoring of "Chelsea Bells." The low-key arrangement of "Some Echoes" creates a bittersweet, somewhat mournful mood. The last three songs are some of Swallow's most recognized works, since all of them date from his years of working with Gary Burton. "Ladies in Mercedes" is no longer a straightforward jaunt down the highway but a musical trip with many detours into playful neighborhoods. The tenor saxophonist opens "Hullo Bolinas" unaccompanied, yet as the band joins him, the piece has only a passing resemblance to its original conception. "I'm Your Pal" is turned topsy-turvy, while adding fine solos by Swallow, Talmor and Johnson. Longtime fans of Steve Swallow will be delighted with this fresh look at his still underappreciated work as a composer. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Damaged in Transit, recorded live in France in 2001, is a decided move away from Steve Swallow's obsession with harmony. His earlier bands, particularly over the three recordings or so following Deconstructed, were built with two-horn front lines and usually a guitar as a harmonic anchor to provide a large chromatic palette and harmonic base for soloists. Here, working with tenor man Chris Potter and drummer Adam Nussbaum, Swallow uses the gig forum to explore that preternatural jazz monster: counterpoint. A series of nine numbered items are edited together to sound more or less like one piece; these different selections offer varying sides of the contrapuntal equation. There is the bluesy swing in "Item 2," where Potter's soloing brings the rhythm section toward him against the beat in his legato phrasing. There's the slippery but beautiful swing in "Item 3," where the intertwining of all three players creates a soft, lyrical beauty that is almost songlike. In "Item 5" Potter quotes Thelonious Monk and the piece takes on a neo-bop angle that allows Nussbaum and Potter to go head to head, stretching rhythmic and melodic notions to the breaking point before Swallow enters and, in his warm, velvety tone, takes charge, turning the exercise into something else altogether by introducing a scalar notion that moves in direct opposition to Potter's phraseology. And lest anyone think this is just loose jamming in order to get a record out, check out the CD booklet -- each piece is scored in order to provide the maximum opportunity within the melodic structure of a tune for ideas to flow freely as the trio members engage one another. A fine effort. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Always Pack Your Uniform on Top'
Release Date 6/27/2000
Tracks 6
Label ECM
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What The Critics Say
This is Swallow's third standards-derived quintet album, following in the footsteps of 1994's Real Book and 1996's Deconstructed. Here the Deconstructed quintet is captured live at Ronnie Scott's in London. (Trumpeter Barry Ries replaces Ryan Kisor.) Although there's a brand new batch of tunes, Swallow applies the same approach, using familiar progressions as the basis for clever original music. Tenor saxophonist Chris Potter looms large, as does guitarist Mick Goodrick, Swallow's longtime compatriot, whose profound influence on John Abercrombie couldn't be clearer. Adam Nussbaum holds down the rhythm section along with the leader who restricts himself to a supportive role, never taking a single solo. (He plays short, unaccompanied intros on "Bend Over Backward" and "Reinventing the Wheel," however.) While the breakneck "Dog With a Bone" and the herky-jerky "Reinventing the Wheel" resemble the ethos of the two previous studio records, the remaining four tracks are more subdued yet somehow more offbeat and contemporary. "Misery Loves Company," a tune with a Latin 12/8 pulse, is especially rich and dark in color. ~ David R. Adler, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This CD by electric bassist Steve Swallow is a major surprise, for his ten originals are essentially bebop, often using chord changes that sound familiar; for example, the opening "Running in the Family" uses the chords of "Basin Street Blues." The song titles tend to be humorous if inscrutable (including "Another Fine Mess," "I Think My Wife Is a Hat," and "Name That Tune"), but the spirited playing is quite serious. Tenor saxophonist Chris Potter (on his way to becoming one of the greats) and trumpeter Ryan Kisor have plenty of solo space, guitarist Mick Goodrick makes his presence felt, and drummer Adam Nussbaum offers stimulating support. This rare straight-ahead outing by Steve Swallow sounds fresh, lively, and creative, and it is one of his most rewarding recordings as a leader. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
If Steve Swallow is known primarily as an ace session bassist, it's not because his compositions are less than top-notch. This program finds him showing off his considerable writing chops with the help of an all-star group: trumpeter Tom Harrell, saxophonist Joe Lovano, pianist Mulgrew Miller and drummer Jack DeJohnette. His focus on the upper registers and the polyester tone of his five-string bass guitar will continue to annoy those who prefer to hear the bass played dark, low and woody, but there's no denying the consistent inventiveness of his playing or the charm of these compositions. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
All nine cuts were written by this premier electric bass guitarist and performed by a sextet with guests Gary Burton (vib) and John Scofield (g). ~ Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Electric bassist Steve Swallow performs eight originals on this set, with such witty titles as "Crab Alley," "Fred and Ethel," "Read My Lips" and "Hold It Against Me." Most prominent of the soloists in the sextet is guitarist Hiram Bullock; pianist Larry Willis also gets in some good spots, and Carla Bley on organ mostly adds atmosphere. The group is filled out by drummer Victor Lewis, percussionist Don Alias, and on some cuts three strings. The post-bop music is reasonably unpredictable and, although not essential, holds one's interest. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
