 | Dave Rempis Quintet performs Jackie McLean's 1964 album ACTION, in its entirety on Wednesday, February 18th at 9:00pm. The evening will also feature a solo exhibit by artist Ben Salus, who will do a live painting of the band’s performance. |
This 1964 Blue Note release by alto saxophonist Jackie McLean is widely considered one of his best. A highlight during a golden period of his career, this record dropped at the mid-point of his eight-year tenure with the label, and during a time of exploration where he began to investigate some of the changes instigated in the music by so-called "avant-garde" artists like Ornette Coleman. McLean teams up here with trumpeter Charles Tolliver, another known "new-thing" sympathizer, who contributes two compositions to the outing, as well as frequent companions Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Cecil McBee on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Alongside the two tracks by Tolliver, McLean contributes the title track, and the blues-inflected "Hootnan," with the standard "I Hear A Rhapsody" rounding out the proceedings. Overall, the the surface-level clarity and simplicity of these tunes belies an ocean-deep complexity that the quintet brings to the proceedings, much the way a master calligrapher encapsulates a world of meaning in a single gesture.
Dave Rempis - Feb. ’15
Dave Rempis - Feb. ’15
