Mostly Other People Do The Killing

Mostly Other People Do The Killing (group; formed 2003)
The Coimbra Concert (Clean Feed Records; 2011)

Moppa Elliott (bass)

Kevin Shea (drums)

Jon Irabagon (sax)

Peter Evans (trumpet)

In the manner of John Zorn's albums, Naked City and Spillane, the quartet, Mostly Other People Do The Killing uses a dose of humor on outside to draw you in and once the doors are shut--the music lets loose. Mostly Other People Do The Killing just by the name, will draw you to the album if you're in a record store or flying around online. Their album covers are a homage (detractors may say send up) of their influences (Ornette Coleman, Roy Haynes, among others) but at it's core, this is a group that is as fierce, improvisational and engaging as they come on today's scene.

It's only been seven years but it feels like MOPDTK have been together 20 years. While the band was conceived by bassist, Moppa Elliott, they act as a free flowing unit with no clearly designated leader. And that's what makes them even more exciting.

Their latest release, The Coimbra Concert, their debut for Clean Feed Records, is probably the best installment of their manic personalities come to life. And it's well worth your investment. Recorded live in Brazil last year, the album cover pays tribute to the legendary, Keith Jarrett Koln Concert (ECM Records). But let's dive into the music.

Covering material from all four of their previous albums (mainly coming from the last three) MOPDTK showcase their innate ability of playing point/counterpoint but still enabling the listener to find the melody as evident on the frenetic but beautiful "Round Bottom, Square Top." This is almost a New Orleans swing that quickly goes off the rails but you go with it and the results are phenomenal. "Drainlick", for me, has a John Zorn quality that is chaotic but exquisitely composed Moppa Elliott. Peter Evans and Kevin Shea rip through chord changes at a dazzling pace while Irabagon and Elliott and some rich texture around the outside making this highly compelling piece and you get that up close, live feeling.

While improvisation is the key to this quartet you still get an element of humor an homage as evident in the mid passage of "Blue Ball" (from their fourth album Forty Fort) when the band breaks in a very different tempo of "A Night In Tunisia" (from their second album Shamokin'). The funky yet avant garde "Pen Argyl" also from Forty Fort, immediately takes its outset from Coltrane's A Love Supreme but blends in elements from New Orleans, New York and beyond. A crafty mixture that is a lot fun to absorb. "Elliott Mills" taken from the group's first album, albeit the shortest track on the album is still a wonderful bit of deconstruction of jazz theory by this quartet that must be heard to be believe.

In many ways, a live show is the best way to experience an artist or group. It's only then that you get the full breath and vision of their compositional thought. And with The Coimbra Concert that is exactly what you get with Mostly Other People Do The Killing. For me this would be the album I would recommend venturing to first. You will get a huge understanding of the band and be able to experience music from all of their albums. Then of course you need to go back a get the studio albums as well. So don't let their artwork and song titles fool you. Mostly Other People Do The Killing mean business and they do it quite well.

Sangeeta Michael Berardi

Sangeeta Michael Berardi (guitar; b. 1939)

Earthship (Sunjump Records; 2008)

Hilliard Greene (bass)

John Esposito (piano; drums)

Peter O'Brien (drums)

James Finn (sax; flute)

I think we can all name at least ten musicians who have been lost in record rakes of time for one reason or another. It's a shame because a lot of these artists created some stellar and in many cases unbelievable pieces of art. One such musician is Sangeeta Michael Berardi.

Berardi's career has encompassed being a promoter, painter, poet and performing with the likes of Rashied Ali, Archie Sheep, Roswell Rudd, Sonny Simmons among others in the '60s, '70s avant garde. The strange thing is Berardi's playing isn't necessarily avant garde. Berardi also didn't record many albums (two from what I can find) as leader although he did perform allot as sideman. So what we have is one highly sought after debut from the '80s and his most recently released Earthship (Sunjump Records).

Earthship was actually recorded in 1996 but not officially released until 2008. Sangeeta Michael Berardi as you will hear was highly influenced by the latter works Coltrane but crafted his own vision of that Far Eastern spiritual sound into dreamlike soundscapes that are truly phenomenal. Berardi's style might be somewhere between Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin's work on their Coltrane inspired collaboration, Love, Devotion and Surrender and McLaughlin's work on Bitches Brew. But the difference here is his raw quality that runs throughout Earthship.

The opening title track is a real full throttle journey in sound as Berardi weaves a nice thread between mood setting groove and electric firestorm. Finn and Esposito both rise to challenge with some nice improvised moments throughout the piece. "Coltrane Lights Our Way" really highlights Sangeeta's mastery on the guitar. The tune sways onward and upward with some fierce assistance from O'Brien on drums. This might be the closest Sangeeta comes to sounding like Santana without the overbearing theatrics. But there are also some rock elements running inside this piece that really set Berardi's style apart.

"Trane's Church" is another display of Berardi's blistering sound world while the gentle tandem of Berardi and Finn (this time on flute) on "Evening, Woodstock" add a gentle and soothing element to the high spirited tracks that proceed it.

Probably the head-turner of the session is the closing number, the legendary "My Favourite Things". While John Coltrane's version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic has become a benchmark in jazz circles, Berardi's version certainly needs to be recognized as completely different take that is rich, inventive and stellar in its execution. It's pulsating, passionate and modern while all wrapped in a divine layer spirituality. It would make Coltrane proud and probably have Rodgers & Hammerstein cringe. I love it.

Earthship is a work similar to Berardi's debut that is seeking a much higher devotion than just the one in the studio or the one coming out of your speakers. It is truly hard to believe that this record was recorded in 1996. Considering the time period there were very few albums like it at the time (the closet I could think of was David S. Ware's Wisdom Of Certainty). And listening to Earthship now you would have thought it was recorded two months ago.

Sangeeta Michael Berardi has been ill for quite some time now and it would be great for people to discover his music now. Earthship contains the kind of thinking music people actually crave but can't find. A real treasure.

Fred Hersch: At The Vanguard

Fred Hersch (piano;b. 1955)
Alone At The Vanguard (Palmetto Records)


Fred Hersch has always been one of my favourite pianist. His style is elegant, emotional and intelligent. Hersch has been prolific in various settings including duo, trio, quartet, quintet and orchestral. But the one setting that many (including myself) love the most, is his solo outings. Hersch is someone who takes a tune and transforms it into more than just melodies. He creates stories.


Fred Hersch's latest story is taken from a series of sold out nights at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City. For once I was smart enough to get my arse downtown to see him solo. I have since him in duo and quartet settings but never solo; until this particular week of shows. I only went to the second night and as usual it was mesmerizing.


Alone At The Vanguard documents the final evening of that series of performances. The intimacy and beauty of this evening is what will really grab you when you listening to a track like "Echoes", an original piece Hersch piece. It's a rich, lush piece that finds Hersch moving up and down the scales in a calm but exalted manner. A nice signature moment of Hersch's quality. After listening "Echoes" you will realize how important Fred Hersch is to jazz music.


"Memories Of You", one of my favourite standards is more intimate than ever in the masterful hands of Hersch. It's heartfelt and he basically opens the door for you to see and hear the detail of each note. A clear perception and tone that is unlike many other pianist of his generation. Monk has definitely been an influence on Hersch (he has already recorded an album of just Monk covers). But there are probably only two musicians who can really re-imagine a Monk tune--Jason Moran and of course Fred Hersch. On "Work", a song Hersch has already covered on the three disc set, Songs Without Words (Nonesuch; 2001), he again takes the Sonny Rollins/Thelonious Monk piece and energizes it with playful confidence.


The Sonny Rollins standard "Doxy" closes out what must have been a perfect evening for the audience. The forceful yet emotional and sometimes blues-inflected tone Hersch adds is another example of his creative interpretation. Alone At The Vanguard is another solo masterpiece from a truly great master of the instrument. Live is always the best way to see Fred Hersch, but if you can't make this is the best document to be a part of the experience. Highly Recommend.

Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece Quintet

Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece (sax; vibes)


Getting excited about new jazz music is very easy for me. While there are very few artists who are trying to reinvent the wheel; there are quite a few that just trying to keep tradition alive and sounding fresh. One of those groups is the Ken Fowser/Behn Gillece Quintet.


One of the instruments outside of the piano and saxophone that I love the most is the vibraphone. It may seem like an easy instrument to incorporate into the mix of any group but you would be gravely mistaken. It does add an ethereal element to mix but it is difficult to get it to the point where the instrument is one of the leading parts of the group. The greatest players, Bobby Hutcherson, Lionel Hampton, Gary Burton, Dave Pike, Milt Jackson to today's new guard, Joe Locke, Jason Adasiewicz, Stefon Harris, Mike Mainieri and Steve Nelson have made it look easy. While all of these artists (past and present) have shined as leaders; they have had the dueling counterparts to accompany them and challenge them.


Now I think we are all about to stumble upon another group that hopefully will stand the test of time and be mentioned in the breath with the new guard of vibraphonists and their co-leaders. Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece already with two albums under their belt are those co-leaders who really posed for much larger attention.


Seeing Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece live fully convinced me that this pairing, with a bit of longevity could live up to some of the great groups like Chick Corea/Gary Burton, Milt Jackson/John Coltrane, Bobby Hutcherson/Herbie Hancock, etc. Big lofty claims--maybe. But this quintet is the real deal.

Both Both Fowser and Behn Gillece honed their skills together in Philadelphia before continuing their studies in New York. They performed together and separately with various local groups in the late 2000s but it wasn't until 2009 that they paired up and released their first record together as the Fowser/Gillece Quintet with the debut Full View (PosiTone Records).


Full View featured veteran pianist and One For All member, the great, Dave Hazeltine, Adam Cote on bass and Paul Francis on drums. While the majority of the music is written by Gillece you wouldn't really notice it because its so fluidly perfected for both sax and vibes that you don't realize who really is the leader on any particular piece.

Full View is a wonderful and exciting debut, rich with a modern hard bop, romantic styles that shows these guys know exactly what their doing and where they want to take the listener.

"The Hutch" gets the proceedings jumpin' and immediate interaction between Fowser and Gillece shows that they have worked together for years. Fowser then takes the lead and shows some impressive chops with Hazeltine handling rhythm masterfully in the background. Fowser then turns the duo over to Gillece and Hazeltine. Cote and Francis rise later to the occasion, both with considerable voice and emotion. As expected Fowser and Gillece close this out on a gentle but still uptempo note.

On "Act Of Disguise" the group adds a little funkier groove but it's still in the hard bop tradition. Hazeltine's solo work here fabulous. "Act Of Disguise" could settle nicely on a Hazeltine or Eric Alexander record. The group perform a lovely rendition of Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes" that with the element of vibes makes this already sombre piece seem a bit more ethereal and kind of uplifting. A precious moment indeed.

Ken Fowser's "Two Pair" features some great work from Adam Cote on bass in addition to Fowser and Gillece's seamless communication making them almost the same note inside your head. It's a young group outside of the veteran Hazeltine but they perform with a maturity that is far beyond their years.

That maturity would soon explode wide open with their latest release, Little Echo (PosiTone Records). This time out with a whole new lineup featuring young but also veterans in the New York jazz scene, Quincy Davis (drums), Ugonna Okegwo (bass) and Rick Germanson (piano). Okegwo recently performed with saxophonist, Alexander McCabe and pianist, Uri Caine (on McCabe's Quiz album), Germanson has been lighting up the scene for awhile now with his own group and the always dynamic, Quincy Davis (worked with Tom Harrell, Walt Weiskopf and Ted Rosenthal) has added a unique timbre to this session.

While "Resolution" sets a swingin' tone on the outset, its the Fowser penned "Ninety Five" that really shows the collaboration of Fowser and Gillece have taken the step up from Full View. The playing is more bold and well developed. Fowser and Gillece sound fully comfortable and the rest of the group are higher up in the mix and involved from every note. The material on Little Echo is for each member and each member stands out more as a result.While Full View had the classic mixture of originals and interesting covers, Little Echo screams with colourful and expressive self-penned material.

"Sap" is a fiery piece which Gillece and Gemanson have some great back and forth conversations. Gemanson is the real revelation for me form this session. His playing is solid with a really high energetic voice. The whole group gets in on this one with some fantastic solo performances both from Germanson, Davis and Fowser. And while Okegwo's bass may sound down in the background you can hear he's tearing it up as well.

"Vigilance" is another moment in which the quintet delivers a sizzling performance and you really get a feel for how Fowser and Gillece interact with the rhythm section on their respective parts. Gillece is killer with Davis and Germanson while Fowser is a bit more refined letting the rest of group construct the colour and shape around him. But together the quintet is smokin' and you really want "Vigilance" to go another five minutes.

"You" is a lovely midtempo piece where you don't really notice the leaders as much as you notice the cohesion of the quintet. At this point you realize this is probably the quintet that should record together all the time. It's a group that challenges and follows each other with a dynamic and unique vision and a sound that is beautiful in execution and hopeful together again despite the commitments of the various groups they all oversee.

Both Ken Fowser and Behn Gillece perform separately and together throughout New York City (mainly Smoke and Smalls in particular). You need to check them out because it's the live experience that will really make the final connection for you. This duo is and will be formidable for year to come. Little Echo is a great document of quick maturity from the first album and a real statement on the quality of the new generation of jazz. Excellent stuff.