Composer and saxophonist Rob Reddy’s Bechet: Our Contemporary is one of the more interesting tribute
albums released recently. True to its title, the album honors the pioneering
soprano saxophonist not by mere regurgitation like some, but by using his music
for creative inspiration. It is as though he is presenting a musical vision of
what Bechet’s music might be, was he playing today.
Reddy makes clear what he feels the album is after in the
liner notes: “The idea of entering into a conversation with an iconic body of
work as a means of engaging my own questions and those of the time and culture
in which I live was at the heart of what I wanted to do with the compositions
of Sidney Bechet.” If success is defined as fulfilled intention, Bechet: Our Contemporary is an
unqualified success. Perhaps even more importantly, if success is defined as
great listening, that success is equally unqualified.
Reddy sets up his dialogue by alternating the album’s eight
song program between his own original compositions and those of Bechet. He
opens with his own “Up – South.” A clear indication from the very start of
where he is going as he takes the New Orleans traditions associated with Bechet
and translates them into an inventive modern idiom. It is much like a
contemporary deconstruction of the tradition. New Orleans and its vibe are
always there, sometimes up front, often in the shadows.
This even more evident in the treatment of the Bechet
songbook. The atmospheric classic “Petite Fleur” and the lengthy exploration of
Mid-Eastern exoticism in his work on “Song of Medina” give Reddy and his
ensemble the opportunity to stretch, and they take it with gusto. The other
Bechet pieces on the set are “Chant in the Night” which has Lisa Parrott
guesting on the baritone sax and a lively “Broken Windmill,” which has Oscar
Noriega guesting on clarinet.
Reddy’s soprano sax is complimented throughout by John
Carlson on trumpet and Curtis Fowlkes on trombone. They are joined by Charles
Burnham on violin, Marika Hughes on cello, Marvin Sewell on guitars, Dom
Richards on double bass and Pheeroan Aklaff on drums. Reddy’s arrangements give
each and every one of them plenty of time to shine, and they make sure to take
advantage of their opportunities.
