Free Jazz review by Filip ‘Booka’ Bukrshliev

Matt Bauder – Nightshades (CF 289)
****
There are a lot of interesting connections and similarities between Matt Bauder and Nate Wooley, besides the fact that they know each other very well and that they play together on multiple records, including the one I review here. Both of them had huge success with the debut recordings for Clean Feed in 2011. Both of them presented albums where they lead a couple of musicians to fearlessly dive into the rich tradition of the jazz idiom. Nate’s quintet records recalled the sound of Eric Dolphy’s monumental Out to Lunch, Matt Bauder Day In Pictures managed to capture the essence of the famous “3 o’clock in the morning, downtown NY” Rudy Van Gelder sound. And then, both of them had somewhat of a strange sophomore release that followed.

Nate Wooley’s Sit in The Throne Of Friendship offered us an augmented lineup, a more expanded take on the debut record, somewhat more calm, almost pastoral “dust & dirt” sound, with a lot of wind in the tree tops. At first it was a strange record for me, not at all what I expected, but on repeated listens I started to perceive the layers, the depth, the meaning of the themes, the magic of the solos, the timbre, the pulse, the silence. Now for me it’s a regular, almost daily affair to listen to that album.

It’s almost the same experience with the new Matt Bauder record – Nightshades. The line-up change is here, the sound and structure that caught me off-guard are here, the whole new aura that surrounds the music – here. Instead of Angelica Sanchez on piano – here we have the tireless genius of Kris Davis. Angelica brought the rich piano sound and an interesting ear for counterpoint and the wit to find harmonies in the strangest places that expand the palette of sound. Kris Davis is more about movement – almost percussive, majestically restrained and controlled chromatic chaos, that sparkles totally unexpected and unusual lines trough the record. For me she is the main reason why this is an entirely differed record from the first one – Kris Davis just can make that much of a change in the structure and the dynamic. Nate Wooley is also one of the reasons why this record is different than the previous one. He is like… unrecognizable. The bright golden tone, the restraint, the discipline. Not that someone should want and expect discipline from Mr. Wooley’s trumpet, but its interesting to see all of his incarnations, all his of his coats and colors, to see how he can change, how he can answer a certain call.

And now, for the leader of this quintet.

There are too many musicians that are capable of capturing a certain era, structure or sound – and consider it like it’s their own, so that they can chew on in till they turn themselves and the familiar quality into a shameless self-parody. Matt Bauder is not one of them. Matt Bauder is romantic about a certain era, but he never acts like he invented it. Matt Bauder is just happy to have the honor to play with the familiar sound and its endless possibilities, to challenge himself, to hold hands with it, to look it in the eyes, to make love with it, to let it go. It’s always a blast to discover how the story rolls on with his deep narrative solos, to let the inventive themes to take complete control of your feet. I can not recall a reference of such velvety tenor sound like the one of Matt Bauder… and man, that signature shivering sound… what can someone possibly say about that?!

It was nice to experience all the stages with this record, the disbelief, the boredom… and then the revelation. Why we tend to put things in boxes with labels and expect certain things? No one knows. Doubt that anyone in this quintet knows for sure. But “Matt Bauder and co.” know how to let go and not to chew on things over and over. Simply just let your self go on this magnificent record.

Highly recommended!
http://www.freejazzblog.org/

Touching Extremes review by Massimo Ricci

Matt Bauder – Day in Pictures (CF 210)
The generally stormless climate – tinted with past remembrances – typifying Day In Pictures contrasts quite a bit with the remarkable bundle of influences credited to Matt Bauder, whose musicianship is apparently rooted in his love for punk and soul yet was refined by studies with the likes of Anthony Braxton, Alvin Lucier and Ron Kuivila. But as soon as the tranquilizing themes of pieces such as the inaugural “Cleopatra’s Mood” – or the alluring “Bill And Maza”, scented by the essence of countless jazz classics of the 60s – take possession of your afternoon, one is promptly transported back to eras where the mere act of listening to a long playing while sitting on the couch was considered the purest form of delight. Tunes whose lyrical constitution can be even retained by the memory, to a degree: this is valid, for example, in “Parks After Dark”. But wait until the matter gets transformed, as the quintet starts bruising the noblesse via a broad-minded decomposition of the counterpoint, five autonomous voices heard in semi-fighting stance with the same clearness that was defining the collective texture to that moment, masterfully restored at the end. The proportion between logical order and investigation of self-direction is the record’s most convincing feature; within these spheres, Angelica Sanchez’s riveting chordal choices underscore the compelling interconnections of the leader’s tenor with Wooley’s now brooding, now impertinent trumpet, whereas Ajemian and Fujiwara never look set to incarcerate the pulse into mathematical exactitude in spite of the intelligible symmetry of the rhythmic bulk. Class being class, extreme recklessness is not indispensable to enjoy this ever-polite outing: you just need a full hour to be spent alone, minus extraneous disturbances.
http://touchingextremes.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/matt-bauder-day-in-pictures/

Squid’s Ear review by Kurt Gottschalk

Matt Bauder – Day in Pictures  (CF 210)
Matt Bauder is one smart saxophonist. He has reliably brought himself to projects led by Anthony Braxton, Bill Dixon and Rob Mazurek, among others, and works regularly with Taylor Ho Bynum, Harris Eisenstadt and Aaron Siegel. And bringing oneself means more than just showing up. Bauder has a warm, round tone on the tenor and even softens the clarinet’s edges. He’s maybe even a little romantic for some of the conceptualists he hangs out with (he’s closer to Bynum in that regard), but he consistently finds a place for himself, neither fitting too much in or too much out.

Bauder has flirted with doo-wop and minimalism in the past, but Day in Pictures is squarely jazz. Not even that mad-free-scream-at-the-sun-and-then-howl-at-the-moon improv stuff. This is jazz jazz. Some Sonny Rollins here, some Oliver Nelson there. Yeah, Bauder’s a smart cookie.

On board for the effort are trumpeter Nate Wooley, pianist Angelica Sanchez and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, representing Bauder’s current NYC stead, and bassist Jason Ajemian from Bauder’s former Chicago grounds. They pull it off with aplomb, intuitively playing the more involved arrangements, ably slinking into the hushed ballads.

In the circles of some of the conceptualists he’s hung out with (or at least among their audiences), there are concerns and questions about pushing the music forward versus repeating the past. There’s nothing particularly forward-looking about Day in Pictures. And that can be a problem — when the music isn’t this good, anyway.
http://www.squidsear.com/cgi-bin/news/newsView.cgi?newsID=1288

Gapplegate Music review by Grego Edwards

Matt Bauder Quintet – Day in Pictures (CF 210)
Reed-tenor jazzologist Matt Bauder has integrity. He writes well. He plays with the assurance of someone who has internalized the music, grasped its essentials and communed with his instruments to emerge with a kind of brilliance and right-sounding quality. And as a bandleader he can pick the right people too.

A Day In Pictures (Clean Feed 210) gives you plenty of evidence to consider, and plenty of inspired moments to appreciate. He’s gathered together a quintet that gells nicely. Matt’s tenor sets the in-and-out clock to midnight, and the time flies by. He’s lucid, he’s given it all some thought and brims with good ideas, well executed. He does not ape somebody else. He apes himself. His clarinet playing goes someplace too.

Nate Wooley brings the seasoned polish and flexibly masterful playing style that gets him more and more attention on the scene in recent years. He forms a perfect foil in the front line. Bauder and Wooley meld as one in their approach, but remain themselves in the process.

The new voice of Angelica Sanchez on piano gets good exposure on Pictures. She, the complete pianist: beautifully concise in her phrasing on the inside moments; logically lucid in the free-er spots. She has real talent and does much to make this session hum.

The rhythm team of Jason Ajemian on bass and Tomas Fujiwara at the drums brings the ideal balance of swinging drive and daring looseness that beautifully suits them for Bauder’s in-and-out.

Finally, the pieces. They are brilliant as well. There’s a nod to the history of the music, some classic Blue-Note-like referencing that shimmers when placed in a more modern context. And there’s much else about these pieces. They show the hand of a talented jazz composer.

So there you have it. Five excellent players playing first-rate modern jazz. One excellent jazz scrivener showing seven of his best numbers. The combination has real heft, power, excitement.

Very much recommended.
http://gapplegatemusicreview.blogspot.com/

Jazz.pt review by Pedro Lopes

Matt Bauder – Day in Pictures (CF 210)****1/2
Imagine-se a seguinte moldura: cinco jovens nos seus 30, eles segurando cuidadosamente instrumentos e baquetas, ela cautelosamente encostada às teclas. Atrás, uma paisagem imaculada dos subúrbios americanos, casas fotocopiadas, relva milimetricamente aparada e modelos “American brand” estacionados em paralelo ao passeio.
Um primeiro olhar desatento para esta fotografia deixa antever um jazz sóbrio, harmonicamente correcto, com estrutura regular, secção rítmica swingada e solos intercalados. Contudo, a minúcia das segundas impressões revela uma juventude de cabelo desalinhado e a irreverência das “t-shirts” e das “jeans” desgastadas.
Metáforas à parte, “Day In Pictures” é mesmo um disco de jazz certinho, mas subtilmente adulterado pelo líder, Matt Bauder, aluno dos ilustres Anthony Braxton, Ron Kuivila e Alvin Lucier, e um dos três eixos do excelente projecto minimal Memorize The Sky. No registo ouvem-se composições e arranjos cuidados com a beleza intemporal do jazz da década de 1950, corrompidos pela impregnação de subtis movimentações atonais, emparelhamentos e dobras de saxofone / trompete na exposição ligeiramente desafinada dos temas (“Cleopatra’s Mood”) e quebras estruturais tangentes ao free bop (“Parks After Dark”).
Sete temas decorrem, oscilando entre duas ou três velocidades (algures entre a balada e o bop mais liberto), sem necessidade de recorrer constantemente a momentos expansivos, apesar da presença de reconhecidos improvisadores, como é o caso de Nate Wooley, dono de alguns dos melhores momentos a solo do registo (“Bill and Maza”). A presença de Angelica Sanchez é a menos tangível, optando a pianista por um trabalho harmónico de fundo, não se evidenciando das dinâmicas de grupo. A excepção à regra está patente no tema mais longo do registo (o já referido “Bill and Maza”), que se constrói progressivamente em torno do solo do piano.
Na tipificação dos temas de Bauder, a secção rítmica marca passo regular e swingado (“Two Lucks”), com Jason Ajemian, reconhecido pela associação com os projectos de Rob Mazurek (Chicago Underground Trio, Exploding Star Orchestra, Mandarin Movie) e Tomas Fujiwara (colaborador frequente de Taylor Ho Bynum e Matt Mitchel), a contribuir para o cruzamento das fronteiras da modernidade e da tradição, que parece guiar todo o disco.
No ouvido fica uma música extremamente agradável e bela, com um toque de desafio que nos garante estarmos no século XXI.

Time Out Lisboa review by Jose Carlos Fernandes

Matt Bauder – Day In Pictures (CF 210)
*****
Os que se lamuriam pela deriva do jazz para territórios cada vez mais inóspitos e arredados da “tradição” têm aqui assunto para ruminar. Eis um músico profundamente envolvido na “vanguarda” (escute-se o trio Memorize The Sky, a Exploding Star Orchestra, ou o sexteto de Taylor Ho Bynum) que, neste projecto particular, recorre à “tradição” não como modelo para emulação e revivalismo serôdio mas como ponto de partida para a reinvenção.
Adoptando via oposta ao thrash-bop dos Mostly Other People Do The Killing, que dão nova cara ao jazz clássico através de cirurgia plástica sem anestesia e com luvas de boxe, o quinteto do saxofonista Matt Bauder reformula os cânones mediante subtil e sofisticado trabalho de composição e arranjos. Os temas são todos originais e incluem hard bop enérgico que soa como uns Jazz Messengers etilizados (“Two Lucks”), baladas de melancolia cubista (“Willoughby”) ou melodias elegíacas que são submersas por imparável efervescência (“January Melody”), numa prodigiosa coexistência de tradição e inovação só é possível porque Bauder tem consigo uma equipa imperial: Nate Wooley (trompete), Angelica Sanchez (piano, infelizmente demasiado “submerso” na mistura), Jason Ajemian (contrabaixo) e Tomas Fujiwara (bateria).
Sete lições que poderiam servir para abrir horizontes às legiões de jovens aplicados que insistem em decalcar Kind Of Blue. Imagine-se se no domínio do pop-rock ainda hoje se acreditasse piamente que Please, Please Me era o término e ápice da evolução.

All About Jazz-New York review by Stuart Broomer

Matt Bauder – Day in Pictures (CF 210)
Tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Matt Bauder cuts a fairly broad swath through the more advanced improvisatory forms, from the orchestral free jazz of Exploding Star Orchestra to the meditative minimalism of the trio Memorize the Sky. His quintet Day in Pictures seems to circle some of the conventions of mid ‘60s postbop, his compositions suggesting such period explorers as Andrew Hill and Grachan Moncur III, with many touches that reach further afield, from Duke Ellington to Sun Ra to Pharoah Sanders and Klezmer. Those allegiances are immediately apparent in the makeup of the band, a quintet that matches Bauder’s reeds with trumpeter Nate Wooley (the two also the frontline of Harris Eisenstadt’s Canada Day), pianist Angelica Sanchez, bassist Jason Ajemian and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. Bauder’s themes are both strongly melodic and (as the name would suggest) highly evocative, most notably the opening “Cleopatra’s Mood”, which moves to a middle-Eastern rhythm that’s both sinuous and forceful and which has its expressive edge consistently pressed by Bauder and Wooley’s multiphonics. That connection with tradition is at itsmost playful on “Reborn Not Gone” and “Two Lucks”, hard-swinging themes that suggest late bop and inspire Bauder to leap from register to register, from plosive to squeak. There’s a somber grace to “January Melody”, with Bauder’s woody clarinet in the foreground, while the extended “Bill and Maza” achieves an almost orchestral depth and density with contrasting thematic materials distributed among the group. There’s a sense here that every player in the quintet is knitting Bauder’s materials into a strong group identity, consistently enhancing his compositions as they achieve a genuinely collective language.

All About Jazz review by Troy Collins

Matt Bauder – Day In Pictures (CF 210)
Day In Pictures is Matt Bauder’s first traditional jazz recording as the leader of a stellar acoustic quintet. Far from a debut, the young Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist already has a number of eclectic releases to his name, but none delve as far into the nuances of jazz tradition as this refined platter. His previous albums expand on his work as a sideman to adventurous peers like Taylor Ho Bynum, Harris Eisenstadt and Rob Mazurek, including his electro-acoustic debut, Weary Already Of The Way (482 Music, 2003), and the improvised chamber music project, Paper Gardens (Porter, 2010), in addition to a trilogy of albums made with the collective trio Memorize The Sky.

Bauder’s studies with composers Anthony Braxton, Ron Kuivila and Alvin Lucier are readily apparent in his more experimental work; Day In Pictures showcases his fondness for convention. Flush with elegant melodies, lush harmonies and supple swing rhythms, the session demonstrates Bauder’s commitment to the art form’s more modest antecedents, with brief avant-garde interjections providing thematic continuity within the context of his existing discography.

Nate Wooley(widely revered as one of the leading lights of new trumpet technique) joins Bauder on the frontline. Wooley’s coruscating excursions add layers of rich textural depth to Bauder’s sinuous themes—when not plying sonorous refrains, as on the simmering lamentation “January Melody.” Angelica Sanchez’s tough yet tender pianism provides a perfect balance between freedom and form, gracefully interweaving with Jason Ajemian’s pliant bass lines and Tomas Fujiwara’s vibrant trap set ruminations, yielding a nuanced mosaic of tones, tempos and textures that offer subtly adventurous variations on the tradition.

Bauder shares ample solo space with his band mates, proving to be as resourceful an improviser as he is a writer. Whether on tenor or clarinet, Bauder excels at building narrative solos that seamlessly integrate euphonious lyricism and wooly abstraction. His probing tenor solo on the hypnotic opener “Cleopatra’s Mood” is emblematic, effortlessly juxtaposing diaphanous filigrees and whispered motifs with trilled flurries and gruff multiphonics.

A devoted student of jazz history, Bauder subtly invokes Wayne Shorter’s haunting introspection on “Parks After Dark,” drawing similar inspiration from Duke Ellington’s vivacious charts and George Russell’s elaborate arrangements on the punchy swingers “Reborn Not Gone” and “Two Lucks.” The dramatic arc of the album’s episodic centerpiece “Bill and Maza” recalls Mingus, with the opulent closer, “Willoughby,” hinting at the legendary bassist’s nostalgic streak.

Occasionally augmented by understated electronic effects, the date draws a subtle parallel to another sonic innovator, Rahsaan Roland Kirk—an iconic presence whose all-encompassing pre-Post Modernist aesthetic is widely championed in the Brooklyn scene. Although it represents only one aspect of Bauder’s talents, Day In Pictures is a beautiful record, presenting a well-crafted program of modern jazz that expertly balances past traditions with future innovations.
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=38417

Tomajazz review by Pachi Tapiz

Matt Bauder – Day In Pictures (CF 210) 
Si tuviera que elegir una frase para definir Day In Pictures esta sería que el nuevo disco de Matt Bauder es un disco de composiciones. En un disco (en éste también), caben muchos ingredientes. Sin embargo en esta ocasión lo que sobresale, desde la primera escucha, son las composiciones de Bauder.
A primera vista pudiera parecer que no son lo más importante, ya que la formación está integrada por unos músicos a quienes desde hace tiempo merece la pena seguir la pista en sus diferentes proyectos y colaboraciones. Además del propio Bauder están el trompetista Nate Wooley, el baterista Tomas Fujiwara, el contrabajista Jason Ajemian y la pianista Angelica Sanchez. Aquí los cinco muestran tener un buen conocimiento de distintas tradiciones. Así, esta delicatessen que estaría dentro de lo que se conoce como free-bop, se reparte entre unos esqueletos más orientados al bop, mientras que su contenido se expande en unos desarrollos que por momentos (aunque no durante toda la grabación), están más orientados hacia el free. Los cinco músicos están brillantes, aunque sobresalen Bauder, Wooley (ambos se engarzan en algunos pasajes muy interesantes), y también Fujiwara.
Sin embargo y tal y como se ha comentado lo que destaca (desde que suena la primera nota), son las composiciones: desde la inicial (la preciosísima “Cleopatra’s Mood”), hasta la final (la breve “Willoughby”). Otras piezas que merece la pena resaltar por su especial belleza son “Parks After Dark” (empieza lentamente pero que en su parte final incluye unos momentos de gran tensión entre Bauder, Wooley y Fujiwara), “January Melody” (melancólica con un precioso inicio a dúo entre Bauder al clarinete y Wooley), o la larga “Bill And Maza” (con más de trece minutos, con un precioso inicio por parte de Angelica Sanchez).
http://bun.tomajazz.com/2010/12/matt-bauder-day-in-pictures-clean-feed.html

Le Son du Grisli review by Guillaume Belhomme

Matt Bauder – Day in Pictures (CF 210)
Le titre qui ouvre Day in Pictures, Cleopatra’s Mood, évoque autant les belles heures du Swinging Addis que Krysztof Komeda découvrant l’Amérique. Premières images sorties d’un disque qui impose Matt Bauder en compositeur d’un jazz de taille.

A ses côtés : Nate Wooley (trompette), Angelica Sanchez (piano), Jason Ajemian (contrebasse) et Tomas Fujiwara (batterie). A la langueur de l’introduction et à son efficience mélodique, le quintette oppose ensuite un lot de ballades flottantes et soumises à vent d’ouest – pour empêcher toute dérive excessive, le ténor de Bauder s’emportera sur Parks After Dark  et sa clarinette décidera d’un gimmick amusé que les instruments se repasseront comme un virus sur Bill and Maza.

Dans un autre genre, l’assurance des instruments à vent et l’inventivité porteuse de Fujiwara permettent à Bauder d’investir le champ d’un jazz de connivence : projections de bop ou swing dégagé de tout corset (Reborn Not Gone, Two Lucks) faits éléments de relecture d’un genre dans son entier. Ainsi, Matt Bauder réussit là où beaucoup d’autres échouent d’habitude : faire d’exercices de style un bouquet impérial d’originalités. Il suffisait de jouer juste, certes, mais aussi investi. 
http://grisli.canalblog.com/