SCOTT BURNS – Passages
by Judy Roberts
With his Origin Records dubut CD, Passages, saxophonist Scott Burns has delivered a masterpiece of ingeniously crafted and superbly performed originals. His appealing, intelligent compositions are the perfect showcase for his electrifying energy and sophisticated, sensuous sound. Joined by the Chicago dream team of pianist Perrillo, bassist Dennis Carroll and drummer George Fludas, Scott Burns' Passages is one of the most impressive contemporary jazz albums of the year.
SCOTT BURNS IS HOT, YET LYRICAL
Scott Burns is the kind of brainy and gifted player that other players want to emulate. A well-educated, highly respected musician with a captivating sound, unique writing skills and dazzling facility, he is one of the top sax players on the scene. What separates him from a lot of other players with similar credentials is his unabashed soulfulness. Scott's music has passion. One of the few modern saxophonists who plays with both intellect and emotion, Scott Burns has found his own lyrical voice.
In today's world of mega-chop players, it's refreshing to hear someone with tons of
technique who plays with—sorry if this isn't "hip"—feeling. Scott has chops and intellect to spare, but they're part of the bigger picture. On Passages, he not only shows us his musical IQ; he also succeeds in sharing his musical heart.
This is not to imply that Scott is anything less than “macho man” when the time is right. His playing on Passages is a provocative blend of the gentle and the fierce, the sweet and the extremely hot. His compositions flatter this "sweet/hot" combo to full advantage. He
writes and arranges so that he and the band can soar, whisper, scream, embrace—and always in the context of thoughtful, intelligent musical choices, and always with a pulsating groove. Scott covers a wide range of musical emotions with power and tenderness, which is what makes this album so intriguing.
SCOTT BURNS AND THE DREAM TEAM
Harmonically, rhythmically and emotionally, it doesn't get much better than this. What a joy it is to hear the inspired mind-meld of these great players. The musical candor and camaraderie shared by Burns, Ron Perrillo, Dennis Carroll and George Fludas is what makes Passages such a creative success.
It's obvious that these guys have spent a lot of quality time together, and their synergistic rapport is evident throughout the recording. I was especially taken with the Burns/Perrillo connection. The affectionate musical relationship between Scott and Ron can be heard in every bar of every tune on the CD. Perrillo's jaw-dropping piano solos are only part of it; on each track his interactive comping and background playing are just as awe-inspiring as his piano solos. Ron Perrillo is the best yet-to-be-discovered major jazz star on the planet. We in Chicago have known this all along, and his playing on Passages is just one more example.
Ron Perrillo has the uncanny ability to continually channel "piano stuff" from other dimensions, and is fully capable, at any time, of doing the unexpected and the impossible. On Passages he does so with intelligent soulfulness. At times I thought I was hearing hints of Horace Silver and Kenny Drew, Jr., all hotly Perrillo-flavored. Ron has an infinite amount of music to unleash, and on Passages he knows just when and how to do it.
The brilliant George Fludas rocks the band in a cradle of electrifying time-feel on every tune. He invents so many amazing and innovative grooves, with such precision and imagination, that I found myself hitting "repeat" to hear them again and again. He makes all the right moves with and behind the band, and helps propel Scott's solos to dizzying heights. His ability to twist and turn the time while keeping it constantly brewing is just one of his many talents. The surprises he throws into the mix are astounding, and his various solos and trading throughout the tunes add to the overall wonderment of the album.
Super-smart stalwart Dennis Carroll plays with the sensitivity and support for which he's become famous within his inner circle of friends. A bassist with an uncanny ear, he hears to the point of being scary. On Passages, he assumes a supportive role and makes exciting things happen during Scott's and Ron's solos. With his great intonation and long, juicy low notes, Dennis is the backbone of the quartet.
SCOTT BURNS WRITES HITS
Scott Burns' compositions have nothing in common with the tedious, dry and academic originals that are typical of today's brooding jazz recordings. His writing is lyrical, uplifting and complex, full of contrasting dark and light moods. His arrangements include lots of unison piano/bass figures, jazz-funky grooves, searing melodic lines, colorful chords, and emotionally dictated dynamics. Alive with clever, catchy harmonies and rhythmic figures, Scott's tunes have the potential of becoming tomorrow's jazz classics.
THE SONGS AND PERFORMANCES ON PASSAGES
My personal favorite song on the CD is "Seascape." A lush and sensual
contemporary jazz bossa, it starts with an ear-grabbing unison bass/piano figure, which repeats throughout the tune. Scott plays the haunting melody with dark intensity, and follows that with an introspective and heart-throbbing solo. Next is a quintessential Perrillo “lightning-strike” into some flying but funky right-hand lines. His solo on this cut is spellbinding. It's as though he has taken the gospel feel of Les McCann and the glossy, intellectual attitude of Herbie Hancock, and re-invented a hybrid super-player. Towards the end of "Seascape," Fludas plays a brilliant, burning solo over the bass/piano figure that extends right up to the end of the song. "Seascape" is a natural for jazz-radio airplay, and I can see it popping up in the next Chuck Sher book and on lots of people's CDs.
The opening cut, "Lead the Way," is a clever original written over the changes of an old standard (which Ron politely quotes towards the end of the tune), and starts with a thrilling drum solo intro. This straight-ahead arrangement features Scott's style of spirited rhythmic writing, and gives the band ample opportunity to stretch out.
The song "Black Orchid" is haunting and mysterious. It features beautiful and melancholy solos by both Scott and Ron, played over the scintillating, one-of-a-kind feel that only Fludas could create for a nine-eight-ish ballad. Similarly, with its evocative sense of yearning, Scott's other warm and dreamy ballad, "Waiting," could be the soundtrack for a moody film noir movie.
Both "Downhill Stroll" and "Switchback" features inspired solos by Scott and Ron, driven by the ever-buoyant and blistering Fludas/Carroll time machine. George also plays a cool nuevo-Latin feel on the "Switchback" samba section. Like all the cuts on the CD, these two tunes illustrate Scott's proclivity for playing burning time within the framework of his innate soulfulness.
The tunes I found the most evocative and daring are "Storm Rising" and "Eddies in the Stream." Both originals feature the unique style of eclectic writing and arranging that have put a highly personal stamp on Scott's project. "Storm Rising" reminds me of "Stolen Moments" meets "The Work Song." With its Horace Silver-esque melody/harmony of fourths, and its opening choruses of repeated rhythmic figures, it has the makings of a jazz hit. The song eventually moves into a straight-ahead minor blues, and features magical interaction among the players. Once again, the mood is complimented by Scott's and Ron's high-energy funky playing, including Ron's signature right-hand rolling octaves with their intriguing, dissonant licks.
"Eddies in the Stream" starts with Dennis Carroll's hypnotically repetitive bass figures, which is the foundation of the tune. As the song progresses, the band gets into what I can only call a sort of surreal "jazz march" with strangely Asian/Scottish overtones, amidst some of the most exotic, fascinating writing I've ever heard. Over this dreamlike backdrop, Scott plays a series of haunting and ethereal melodic lines. After a "free section" of energetic joy-riding, the band settles back into that eerie march, punctuated by Scott's gorgeous opening solo line which continues to lilt over the constant groove of bass, piano, and percussion. With its unusual time signatures and erotic air of mystery, "Eddies in a Stream" is mesmerizing.
NOTES ON AND BY THE PLAYERS
Passages features four great musicians at their best, and showcases the inspired compositions and lyrical playing of Scott Burns. Further, the fact that these musicians admire and respect one another is evident in the following personal notes:
Ron Perrillo on Scott Burns: "I was very honored that Scott would ask me to be a part of his first record date as a leader. We (Dennis Carroll, George Fludas and I) had performed Scott's compositions live on several occasions prior to the recording and each time he had made slight alterations here and there to the changes or maybe the form. I know he put a tremendous amount of thought and care into crafting these tunes, and he played his ass off during the recording session. I hope this CD will garner him some much deserved and overdue recognition."
Scott Burns on Ron Perrillo, Dennis Carroll, George Fludas, and Passages: "Ron Perrillo, Dennis Carroll, and George Fludas have played together for ten-plus years as the Ron Perrillo Trio. They are widely considered to be one of the premier groups in Chicago; this is the band that many of the area's jazz musicians, students and jazz lovers go to hear for
inspiration. Ron has got to be one of the most raw, underappreciated talents around. He is capable of expressing great emotional range; he does so on a very diverse repertoire, ranging from standards to jazz standards, to fusion and everything in between. He is always trying to do new things with the tunes that he plays: he rarely plays anything that sounds like the record! His amazing sense of harmony is akin to that of Herbie Hancock, who is an obvious influence. Overall, he is a risk-taker. He seems to possess the ability to make powerful music that connects with listeners on a visceral level.
“Dennis Carroll is considered to be one of the best musicians in Chicago for his tasteful accompanying, his big 'ears', and his highly developed sense of harmony (which he largely attributes to his experience playing with Ron). He is one of those bass players who can make things happen in the rhythm section, but without getting in the way. He can lead the music down some interesting paths through his note choices and pedal points. He plays with a healthy sense of tradition, but is not limited to playing traditionally.
"A native Chicagoan, drummer George Fludas is at the top of his game. He too has absorbed much of the straight-ahead jazz tradition, but can also play with great freedom. He swings hard and is full of energy. His performing credits say it all: Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, Monty Alexander, Diana Krall, Eric Reed, Eric Alexander, and he was a member of the Ray Brown Trio. I have to mention that George is quite funny, and just a great guy to have on a gig because of his good vibe!”
About Passages: “I felt that it was important to do a record of original material because it is a vital step in my development as a musician (though I also love to revel in the rich jazz tradition's repertoire and love playing other people's original music). Writing melodies that are memorable is a goal that I've tried to achieve in composing. For me, this recording is as much about the documentation of tunes as it is about the performances. I feel that the tunes and the performances show some different sides of my playing and composing. That's how I arrived at the title; like different avenues or passages to explore within the larger jazz framework. I hope that it will appeal to the jazz-listening public and musicians as well."
About the author: Jazz pianist/vocalist and five-time Grammy nominee Judy Roberts has recorded with, among others, Ray Brown and Jeff Hamilton, and has had numerous number one albums on both Billboard and in jazz radio airplay. A unique amalgamation of Dave Frishberg, Blossom Dearie, and Horace Silver, Ms. Roberts tours internationally and performs locally in her hometown of Chicago. She is a freelance writer for the Chicago Jazz Magazine.