(Avant-Garde / Modern Free / Modern Creative) Mike Reed's People, Places & Things - About Us - 2009, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Mike Reed's People, Places & Things was conceived as a band dedicated to reviving and expanding on aspects of the Chicago jazz scene of the late 1950s, bringing a fresh approach and contemporary ideas to the music of that era. About Us continues in that vein, but as the title states, its focus is more on the band itself. Although led by a drummer, this piano-less quartet puts the dynamics in the hands of saxophonists Tim Haldeman (tenor) and Greg Ward (alto).
The tunes generally start with a stated melody and when the saxophones come in they push themselves (and each other) to the limits, straining to reach the next note, struggling and striving to go on the next run. On "It's Enough," it's Haldeman's rough-hewn tenor that does the heavy lifting. On "V.S. #1," the tune ebbs and flows with the momentum of Ward's alto. On "Flat Companion" and the title track, alto and tenor interlace and throw shadows that define the dynamism and excitement pervasive in these compositions.
Reed's concept goes one step further here through the inclusion of three of Chicago's leading improvisers: trombonist Jeb Bishop (former member of theVandermark Five), guitarist Jeff Parker (Tortoise) and tenor man David Boykin (Nicole Mitchell's Black Unstoppable). Each of these players contributes his own composition and brings his individual sound to the record. On Bishop's "Big Stubby," trombone and bass (Jason Roebke) duet before the band joins in, while Parker's "Days Fly By (with Ruby)" carries forward with sharp-edged syncopation. As for Boykin, his swaggering lead on "Big and Fine" links him directly to Chicago's brawny tenor legacy, the track building languorously then growing kinetic in the triple-threat interplay among the saxophones.
Boykin is criminally unknown and under-documented. His presence alone makes About Us a must-have. A third disc is planned in this series of Chicago-related music and Reed's People Places & Things is shaping up to be one of the top working bands around. ~ Jeff Stockton, AAJ
The saying might go something like, "Those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it." For composer/bandleader Mike Reed, his knowledge of jazz history allows him the freedom to cherish and exalt the past.
Reed's prior disc, Proliferation (482 Music, 2008), revitalized Chicago jazz music from 1954-1960, covering tracks by under-appreciated artist Wilbur Campbell, Frank Strozier, Sun Ra, and John Jenkins. This first of three recordings heralded the past; a future recording will find principal players from the past playing today's music. With About Us Reed invited three contemporary Chicago musicians to supplement his quartet, People, Places & Things.
While About Us is looking more forward, the sound is firmly planted in Chicago's post-bop largess. Guests Jeb Bishop, David Boykin, and Jeff Parker each contribute a composition and their sound to individual tracks. Their music supplements a very strong quartet which includes tenor saxophonist Tim Haldeman, bassist Jason Roebke, and alto saxophonist Greg Ward.
Reed's music is marked by his immense capacity for swing and propulsion. People, Places & Things features Haldeman and Ward, two ardent saxophonists that play in unison on "V.S. #1," then answer each other with compelling lines in coordinated patterns. Adding the guests to this sound makes Reed's band magnificent. Saxophonist David Boykin begins his bluesy "Big And Fine," like Reed, somewhere in the 1950s. As the song progresses the horns interlock, playing some three-hankie messiness—Chicago jazz arriving by riverboat from New Orleans. Likewise, trombonist Jeb Bishop's "Big Stubby" charts a groove from Chicago's hard bop past, playing on broad horn orchestrations before players spin off solos then come together in an a cappella mix. Finally, there's the quintessential modernist Jeff Parker, whose distinct guitar lines can sound simultaneously pacific and expansive. He creates a calm, even-handed and graceful ending to the session.
Mike Reed's mastery of the Chicago sound is both old school and thoroughly modern. About Us leaves the impression that his vision of a future's past is quite alive and flourishing. ~ Mark Corroto, AAJ
Chicago-based drummer Mike Reed's debut of his People, Places & Things Ensemble, Proliferation (482 Music, 2008), was dedicated to the under-recognized people, places, and things from late 1950s Chicago that he found inspiring. About Us continues this concept, eschewing the previous session's focus on under-sung cover tunes in favor of original compositions written by Reed and his band mates, with one tune apiece contributed by three of Chicago's most influential artists.
The line-up once again features the effusive front-line of saxophonists Greg Ward (alto) and Tim Haldeman (tenor), supported by Jason Roebke's pliant bass excursions and the leader's dexterous trap set work. The quartet is joined at points by tenor saxophonist David Boykin, trombonist Jeb Bishop, and guitarist Jeff Parker, who each sit in on their respective tunes.
Bustling with staccato riffs, serpentine themes, and bracing tempos, the majority of the album revels in revisionist swing, updating classic be-bop and hard bop traditions with angular intervals, modern harmonies, and collective arrangements. Ward and Haldeman uncoil fervent interlocking cadences that careen astride Roebke and Reed's quicksilver tempos, pushing at the boundaries of convention without disavowing lessons learned from their forbearers.
Though crackling ride rhythms and tortuous volleys of notes dominate, there are brief periods of respite. "The Next Time You Are Near" is a beautifully understated ballad—striking in its melodic maturity. The spectral pointillism of "First Reading: Paul's Letter To the Ephesians" is equally evocative, an introspective tone poem that unveils harmonious fragments through an aleatoric haze.
The session blossoms on the guest tracks. The gruff, swaggering blues of Boykin's "Big and Fine" slowly expands into thorny territory, climaxing with all three saxophones intertwined in a spellbinding vortex of kaleidoscopic sound. Bishop's rousing "Big Stubby" employs a similar strategy, culminating in a contrapuntal horn chorale, plying spirited variations on the main theme sans rhythm section accompaniment. The relaxed pace of Parker's "Days Fly By (with Ruby)" ends the session with melodious elegance.
The second installment of a projected three part trilogy, About Us showcases some of Chicago's brightest new stars advancing the art form without ignoring the innovations of the past. ~ Troy Collins, AAJ

Exact Audio Copy V0.99 prebeta 4 from 23. January 2008
EAC extraction logfile from 8. June 2010, 21:10
Mike Reed's People, Places & Things / About Us
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