Tony Marino, Dave Liebman, Marko Marcinko, Vic Juris
Photo by David Sokol
David Liebman Group
Tony Marino, Dave Liebman, Marko Marcinko, Vic Juris
Photo by David Sokol
David Liebman's artistic growth has always been intrinsically linked to maintaining a working group in order to frame each particular stage of his musical evolution. Liebman grew up musically in the 1960s, when groups led by Miles Davis and John Coltrane were his inspiration for playing jazz. Since those memorable days, Lieb understood that he had to have his own group, at all times. When he apprenticed with Miles and Elvin in the 70s, personnel remained relatively constant. Nowadays, this is not the case, except for a few well known artists who have the political and financial capability necessary to keep a group working. But no matter what the obstacles, David Liebman has continued to pursue his goal of keeping together a working group, as it is a necessary component of his musical life.
The succession of groups Liebman has led or co-led have all been documented. His first was the Open Sky Trio with the protean drummer Bob Moses. Next came Lookout Farm. Then the Dave Liebman Quintet, which introduced the young guitarist John Scofield. After the Quintet came Quest with pianist Richie Beirach. In '91 he formed the Dave Liebman Group. Each band had its own music but in general reflected various aspects of Lieb's eclectic interests. A child of the 60s, an era rich in musical diversity, Liebman's tastes range from classical to rock, from jazz to ethnic. (Refer to feature article entitled "Tuning Into My Music"). His present group serves as a vehicle for even more of his varied interests. Each group member brings a wide range of talent, enabling the music to move in many different directions. Their many recordings demonstrate the quartet's eclectic approach. As of 2002 the present group features Vic Juris, Tony Marino, and Marko Marcinko with Liebman. For more on the various Liebman groups throughout the years see the chronology page.
Besides several educational play-along projects, the group (along with keyboards on several CDs) has recorded a wide variety of styles on several different labels. They range from the electric oriented "Turn It Around"(EMI); a look at the Miles Davis repertoire on "Miles Away"(EMI); the very eclectic "Voyage"(Evidence); the acoustical and programmatic "Songs For My Daughter"(Soul Note); a live rendition of John Coltrane’s "Meditations Suite" and the Brazilian-tinged "New Vista"(both on Arkadia) and a set of standards "Return of the Tenor"(Double Time); a look at lesser known Jobim compositions on “The Unknown Jobim”(Global Music Network) while “A Walk in the Clouds” (Arkadia) features Lieb’s unusual arrangements of Puccini arias and includes several guests, among them Phil Woods. "In A Mellow Tone" (Zoho) features Jamey Haddad's last recording with Liebman showcasing standards and originals in a variety of idioms. The most recent recording, "Conversation" (Sunnyside - 2003) reflects the groups continued evolution featuring newest addition, Marko Marcinko, playing a repertoire including odd-meter vamps, lyrical compositions, and free jazz elements. Caris Visentin is featured on several tunes playing Oboe and English Horn.
[ Press Quotes ]
“Liebman, continuing the intensity focused efforts that characterized his playing throughout the program, offered a set of improvised variations spinning off a Coltrane foundation into a freely paced architectural gem.” Don Heckman (LA Times)
"After years of playing together, the Liebman Group is a closely-attuned band that plays challenging, colorful music, that seems capable of drawing the most blase of audiences into it's orbit." Larry Nai (All About Jazz)
"The band displayed a great sense of proportion; when solos or ensemble passages threatened to go off balance, the music always proved to be poised and logical in the larger scheme of things." Jay Harvey (Indianapolis Star)
"…the intimacy of expression they achieved and the nimbleness of line they articulated attested to the versatility of this band, one of the most accomplished in jazz today." Howard Reich (Chicago Tribune)
"There was little letup over two sets; and the results
posed a challenge presented by to few contemporary groups."
Bob Blumenthal (Boston Globe)
"…always predictably empathetic (the Liebman Group)…" Gary Giddins (Village Voice New York)
“David Liebman is a preeminent jazz saxophonist who has sustained a top-of-the-line reputation for four decades. He embodies a rare combination of discipline, knowledge, technique, and passion. Simply put, he is a true and dedicated master. With Liebman, guitarist Vic Juris, bassist Tony Marino, and Marcinko, the David Liebman Group gave a stunning, vibrant, and swinging performance at the Deer Head Inn on a fall evening in late October.” Vic Schermer (All About Jazz)
Vic Juris: Acoustic and Electric Guitar
A longstanding first call sideman, he has played with a who’s who of jazz
masters including Phil Woods, Sonny Stitt, Eddie Jefferson, Jimmy Smith and
Dizzy Gillespie as well as in duet with guitarists Emily Remler, Birelli Lagrene
and Larry Coryell.As a teacher he is on the staff of Rutgers University, and the
New School. His most recent recording
"Second Look" is accompanied by a book of transcriptions featuring Vic playing
on standard chord progressions (Mel Bay Publications.)
Vic Juris: "'My attitude and musical performance skills have changed for the better since joining Lieb's band. David Liebman is a master musician, band leader, and teacher. I am proud to say that I have experienced these qualities first hand. Lieb, like Miles, will get the musical best out of his sidemen Sometimes, I look over to Lieb at gigs and wonder, is this a dream? I hope I never wake up!''
Tony Marino: Acoustic Bass
Probably the most diverse musician of the group, Tony has worked every kind of gig possible in the northeast United States. In jazz, his credits include Mose Allison, Phil Woods and George Young as well as many "underground" musicians from the vibrant "underground" New York scene.
Tony Marino: "Playing with the Dave Liebman Group is always a thrilling and educational event. While I am sometimes challenged by dealing with today and looking toward tomorrow, Dave is looking years down the road. His playing and writing reflect this, and it is an experience I am lucky to absorb. He is truly a HEAVYWEIGHT!"
Marko Marcinko - Drums
The youngest member of the group is also an accomplished big band arranger and pianist. His most notable credit was as drummer for Maynard Ferguson's Big Bop Nouveau World Tour in the mid 1990s. Other artists he has performed with are Clark Terry, Mulgrew Miller, Bob Mintzer and Arturo Sandoval among others.
"Playing drums with Dave is quite challenging as well as rewarding. It is a musical situation which forces you to produce your best all the time. Dave, having a great knowledge of the drum set from his history with masters such as Elvin Jones, Jack DeJohnette, Billy Hart and so many others, places a lot of pressure on any drummer who may have the honor of working with this group. Definitely, the music makes you grow as a musician and Dave seems to always bring the best elements out of his sidemen."
Recordings by the Dave Liebman Group
Back on the Corner - Tone Center (2007): For this unique recording in relation to the Dave Liebman Group, guitarist Mike Stern and bassist Anthony Jackson were added to the line-up. The music suggests Lieb's tenure with Miles Davis, most notably the seminal "On the Corner" recording. Featuring two Miles Davis compositions from that period and Lieb originals, the addition of the guitar and bass to the quartet sound adds a whole new dimension.
Blues All Ways - Omnitone-(2005): Taking the "Coltrane Plays the Blues" recording(1959) as the inspiration, the group re-examines the blues in all ways including a "rubber blues ("Elvis the Pelvis"); a ten bar blues with a Giant Steps bridge ("Down Time"); a poly- tonal "country " blues ("64 Strings And A Reed") alongside the classic Trane head "Bessie's Blues" and more variations on the classic form
Conversation - Sunnyside (2003): Featuring the newest addition, drummer Marko Marcinko along with Vic Juris and Tony Marino this CD shows the group in transition with a wide mix of material from an odd meter arrangement of "On A Clear Day" to free group playing as well as several lyrical tunes. Also featured is Caris Visentin on oboe and english horn. This was recorded immediately after a midwest tour and reflects the strong "conversational" aspects of the group's sound
In A Mellow Tone - Zoho (2001): Recorded with original drummer/percussionist Jamey Haddad, this features an assortment of material from the re-arranged “My Heart Goes On” to the free form “Change Up” and the funky “Romulan Ale”. This is very representative of the quartet minus keyboard instrumentation that began in 1997.
A Walk in The Clouds-Liebman Plays Puccini - Arkadia(2001): Another unusual arrangement of classic material with the group plus guest artists including Phil Woods and others.
The Unknown Jobim - GMN (2001): A collection of unique arrangements of some lesser-known Jobim compositions.
Thank You John - Arkadia (1997): Tunes by or written for Coltrane featuring Arkadia artists Benny Golson, Billy Taylor and the Liebman Group playing "My Favorite Things" and "I Want To Talk About You". Liebman's solo on "My Favorite Things" received a Grammy Nomination for "Best Instrumental Performance" in 1998.
The Meditations Suite - Arkadia (1997): A live recording of the Coltrane piece (1965) from Symphony Space in New York City, December 1995, featuring the Dave Liebman Group with guests Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Tiger Okoshi and Caris Visentin.
New Vista - Arkadia (1997): The recording features the Dave Liebman Group along with percussionist Cafe playing Brazillian inspired music and including renditions of Jobim's "Zingaro", the classic love song, "Estate", and a unique rendition of "Beauty and the Beast" from the Disney movie.
Voyage - Evidence (1996): An eclectic collection of originals and standards similar in concept to Turn It Around.
Return of the Tenor: Standards - Double Time (1996): Featuring the group playing standards in a straight jazz style and Lieb returning to the tenor saxophone after over fifteen years concentrating on the soprano.
Songs for My Daughter - Soul Note (1994): A collection of originals dedicated to the first child of David and Caris Liebman, Lydia, using the group in a mostly acoustic fashion reminiscent of the classic ECM sound.
Miles Away - Owl/EMI (1994)): A journey through the Miles Davis landscape from bebop (Boplicity, Solar), through the modal and Gil Evans period (All Blues, Pan Piper), into the 60s (Fall, 81), to the fusion era (Code M.D.). Each arrangement is unique and personal similar to Liebman's renditions of Coltrane compositions on his acclaimed Homage to Coltrane (Owl-EMI 1987).
Turn it Around - Owl/EMI (1992): A mostly electric collection of originals showcasing composition and contemporary colors through the group's various instrumental combinations.
REVIEWS:
Liebman offers grooving musical adventure
Peter Hum, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, April 25, 2008
We can only hope that jazzman Dave Liebman returns to Ottawa some time before
2045.
The veteran New York saxophonist was in town yesterday night, blowing the roof
off of Cafe Paradiso on Bank Street, after 37 years of taking detours around
Canada's capital. It had been that long since Liebman had performed at the
long-gone Le Hibou coffeehouse on Sussex Drive, soaring over Elvin Jones's
furious drums during the deep winter of 1971. "You gotta remember that I was
only two years old," kidded Liebman, 61, before he and his quartet launched into
their opener, A Brite Piece, a vintage composition, which he had played with
Jones half a lifetime ago .Liebman may be older and wiser, but he remains
intense and inspiring, a commanding presence even when not playing a note.
He had brought his working group with him, three lesser-known, but exceptional,
musicians who were clearly spurred to play well, nourished by each other and
their leader. If the show made a single impression, it was that the best music
is a go-for-it, group-think effort, greater than the efforts of each musician if
they can commit completely as they improvise.A Brite Piece, a tune which
oscillated between fast swing and charging Latin rhythms, featured Liebman on
soprano saxophone, spitting fire from its horn. Guitarist Vic Juris on this tune
and throughout the strikingly diverse, 70-minute set seemed to pull from a
bottomless bag of tricks. He and Liebman traded phrases with drummer Marko
Marcinko, stressing the band's sense of connectedness.
Bassist Tony Marino's ballad Generoso followed, like a succession of complex,
but gorgeous chords. Marino soloed movingly. Liebman played tenderly. Juris
created a solo on his acoustic guitar that was so well-ordered and substantial
that it seemed more like a composition than an improvisation. After a
far-ranging drum introduction, Juris's tune Compared to Who was a raucous rocker
principally in 11/4. Liebman switched to tenor and was speaking in tongues,
bluesy one moment and then whinnying the next. Juris kicked his effects pedals
into high gear and played a duet with his own sampled melodies. Marcinko played
go-get-'em drums while Marino held everything together. The next piece, as
Liebman said, was a "drastic" mood shift -- Ornette Coleman's Lonely Woman
refashioned as a tribal invocation, with Liebman rendering the haunting melody
on a small wooden flute, flitting above washes of processed guitar, bowed bass
and tinkling bells. As a soundscape, it was stunning.The last tune -- or rather
a two-fer -- was Liebman's fast, free-bopping Gazelle. It was a stop-and-go
treat, during which Liebman, on tenor, and Juris alternated furious solo phrases
with Marcinko and Marino. After a remarkable Marino solo, Liebman cued the group
into All Blues, written by his former employer Miles Davis. He was magisterial
and a little Miles-like on soprano sax, drawing the group to him with a single
note before unleashing urgent, cascading lines. The group never let the tune sit
still, switching meters and tempos with abandon. Juris played a scene-stealing
solo, alternating crazy chords with country chords, tumults of notes with
silence. Then came a final surprise - the band cut back into Gazelle's frantic
unison melody before ending the set.
In Ottawa, compelling, grooving, musical adventures such as Liebman's group
provided are far too rare. It had better not be another 37 years before we hear
those kinds of sounds again.
David Liebman: Four Nights in Culver City (2007) - By Chuck Koton
Saxophone master David Liebman brought his eclectic style to the Jazz Bakery in Culver City and amply demonstrated the futility of applying labels to music. At times, Liebman is the progressive rocker who played with Ten Wheel Drive. At other times, he is the modal fusion player of the early 70s who performed so memorably in the bands of Elvin Jones and Miles Davis. Then again, Liebman may be in the mood to play in a juke joint blues style. Those Angelenos fortunate to be in the audience, and regrettably there weren’t many until Saturday night, were treated to a real tour de force by Liebman on tenor and soprano saxes and wood flute, with Vic Juris on electric guitar and Tony Marino on bass (both of whom have played with Liebman for over 15 years), and drummer and percussionist Marko Marcinko, who has been in the band since 2000.
On Wednesday night the band performed a composition dedicated to the people and the land Lieb encountered during his recent travels in the African nation of Mauritania. The song, “Dimi and the Blue Men,” began with shimmering cymbals, then bowed bass, and floating guitar notes introducing the mystical and exotic North African desert, followed by Liebman’s passionate tenor soaring over and exploring the timeless sands. Later, in order to indulge the jazz fans in the audience, the band played Hoagy Carmichael's practically equally timeless “Stardust,” with a very “trippy” opening by Juris and then Liebman’s lush, breathy tone blowing the melody.
The following evening’s highlight was a burning homage to Eddie Harris by guitarist Juris called “Compared to Who.” Marcinko’s propulsive drumming provided the relentless beat, Juris rocked, and Liebman wailed and growled on this funky blues.
Friday night’s performance included Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman,” which Liebman explored on wood flute. The band then slipped seamlessly into Miles Davis’ “Black Satin,” a funky, modal piece on which Liebman first thundered hurricane-like on tenor and later created expressionistic vistas of vast royal blue skies and pink sands with the exotic sounds of the soprano.
A good-sized audience finally attended the group’s last shows on Saturday night, and the band responded with an electrifying intensity. Liebman’s original “Riz’s Blues” is a three-part suite consisting of a minor, major, and dominant blues. Liebman really stretched out on this one, alternating from warm and mellow tones to intense, ecstatic shrieks that would have brought a smile to John Coltrane’s face. His tenor solo was a remarkable combination of searching complexity and searing emotional directness. Another highlight of the evening was a song called,“Shorty George” by Vic Juris. Lieb informed the audience that the term “Shorty George” was often used in the Basie band to refer to a sexual interloper who would sneak in to the bedroom when a musician was on the road. Well, bassist Marino began by bowing and slapping the bass, almost tearing the strings as if he had returned home just in time to catch ol’ Shorty sneaking out the backdoor. The band closed the engagement with Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things,” much to the delight of the audience.
Since soloists often come out here alone and pick up local rhythm sections, Los Angeles jazz audiences miss out on hearing bands that perform and record together on a regular basis. There are many excellent musicians here in L.A., but with limited rehearsal time it is very difficult to perform original music as well as original arrangements of standards as effectively as a working band. The David Liebman Group was able to take advantage of their many years of collaboration to bring their distinctive musical flavors to the West Coast for us to savor.
Dave Liebman's Aggressive Saxophone at the
Jazz Standard:New York Times (2006)
by Ben Ratliff
The saxophonist Dave Liebman absorbed jazz in the mid-1960's.
Then, in the 70's, in bands led by Elvin Jones and Miles Davis and on his own as
a bandleader, he really began to apply what he had learned. These aren't neutral
facts of circumstance: the sounds of those times — in timbre, instrumentation,
composition and soloing style — exert a powerful force on his music. If one were
to make a study of what jazz in the 70's really was — rather than focus on its
perceived failings, which is how most people approach it — Mr. Liebman might be
a good starting place.
On Tuesday at the Jazz Standard he played with his regular quartet,
including the guitarist Vic Juris, the bassist Tony Marino and the drummer Marco
Marcinko. Except for the drummer, this has been a steady group for 15 years.
It's a surprisingly loud band, and the set was full of demonstrative writing and
playing that could sometimes be a little overeager or literal-minded; the
performance was aggressive, even when the compositions suggested something
mellow and pensive.
Mr. Juris's "Shorty George" began with misty guitar chords, and
there was a gradual coming together of the band in free rhythm and then, with
Mr. Liebman on tenor saxophone, the emergence of a folkish melody. Mr. Juris
used some electronic processing on his guitar, and got into the country- and
blues-influenced tonal world that Larry Coryell, Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell,
among other guitarists, have shared. Later, Mr. Juris brought out a nylon-string
acoustic for Mr. Liebman's piece "Breath." Mr. Marcinko played a lot of
different rhythms and textures: Elvin Jones-type swing, odd-metered rhythm,
mallets and brushes; he changed up his sound not only during solos but during
ensemble sections of the set's more freely arranged tunes.
But it was Mr. Liebman who really took over after the first song.
Playing mostly soprano, he used a bright, urgent, hustling sound, sometimes
intentionally harsh and squeaky, even over pretty changes; he showed an
impressive grasp of harmony, playing sprays of notes over and around chords. On
a few pieces he got into a dialogue with Mr. Marcinko's ride cymbal,
demonstrating some of the interplay learned from close listening to John
Coltrane's quartet. In "Coincidence" he played rapid, pecking, Eric Dolphy-ish
lines. And for the modal piece "Anubis" he produced a small wooden flute. He
played it not in the mournful way you might expect from a jazz musician of his
generation in a song dedicated to an Egyptian deity — the recognizable
I-am-small-within-the-universe feeling — but with an inflated, outgoing
facility. His mission, finally, was entertainment.
Dave Liebman Group at the Jazz Bakery:LA Times (2004) by Don Heckman
Saxophonist Dave Liebman’s first class jazz skills are matched by
an equally enviable work ethic One of the busiest players on the contemporary
scene, he also is in demand as a jazz educator and written several pedagogical
music books.
The engine driving all that is Liebman’s playing, which has figured
prominently in groups led by Elvin Jones, Chick Corea and most notably Miles
Davis, as well as his own numerous ensembles. On Wednesday at the Jazz Bakery,
Liebman made one of relatively rare Southland appearances, this time leading a
quartet that also included guitarist Vic Juris, bassist Tony Marino and drummer
Marko Marcinko The most fascinating aspect of the group’s high-voltage set was
the balance between careful craftsmanship and wide open imagination.
The fulcrum of music, drawn from several recent albums, rested on
the back and forth interaction between Liebman’s high flying saxophones
(alternately tenor and soprano) and Juris’ fluid guitar. Moving easily from funk
accents and straightahead blowing to edgy, free-jazz spontaneity, the pair roved
adventurously through a musical landscape filled with references to a range of
post-bop styles. Marino and Marcinko added a rolling, percussive flow of rhythm,
enhanced by the drummer’s capacity to trigger Jones-like intensity without
falling into sheer bombast.
The climactic number in a constantly engaging musical set was “My
Favorite Things”—an obvious tribute to John Coltrane, whom Liebman often cites
as a key inspiration. Juris brought a transformative quality to the song with a
kind of post modern melody on his opening theme statement. Liebman, continuing
the intensity focused efforts that characterized his playing throughout the
program, offered a set of improvised variations spinning off a Coltrane
foundation into a freely paced architectural gem.
The David Liebman Group at the Deerhead Inn:All About Jazz ( 2006 )byVictor L. Schermer
David Liebman is a preeminent jazz saxophonist who has sustained
a top-of-the-line reputation for four decades. He embodies a rare combination of
discipline, knowledge, technique, and passion. Simply put, he is a true and
dedicated master. Throughout his career, he has kept growing, evolving,
listening, playing, composing, teaching, seeking new understanding, and pushing
the limits of the instrument and of musical expression. His music compels the
listener to think as well as feel. Each phrase and line emerges from his horn as
a concept, a question, and answer. Then, kaleidoscopically, he goes on to the
next series, so that an integrated composition evolves from the many parts as
they emerge. When you attend one of his performances or listen to his rich
library of recordings, you never know where the creative impulse is going to
take him, so you may sometimes be stunned or even puzzled by the corner of the
labyrinth onto which he has turned.
For Liebman, as for other jazz greats, a steady working group is an
artistic necessity. To quote from his Arkadia Records biography, he “has spent
his whole career playing with some of the best in the business. He spent
extensive periods as a member of the Miles Davis and Elvin Jones groups. As a
leader, he has been associated since 1970 with a succession of extraordinary
groups from Open Sky Trio to Lookout Farm to Quest, each of which has framed a
distinct phase of his musical evolution. His present ensemble, The Dave Liebman
Group, was formed in 1991. Pursuing a very eclectic contemporary style, the band
has toured Europe, Japan and Israel, and recorded seven CDs. Each member brings
to the group a wide range of talents, which enables the music to move in many
directions.” According to his former drummer, Jamey Haddad, who recently left
Liebman to tour with Paul Simon, “Dave is the most inspired and hardest working
musician I know, comfortable enough in his own skin to tolerate me! Dave not
only gives me the space I need, but he digs, mines and helps to refine the
musical personalities in all the musicians he comes into contact with.” The
group’s new drummer, Marko Marcinko, would certainly echo these sentiments. A
hard-driving percussionist in the Art Blakey tradition, yet with a contemporary
flair and mind-boggling technique, Marcinko brings a dynamic energy to the
Liebman group and can go in any direction the group and the music take him. With
Liebman, guitarist Vic Juris, bassist Tony Marino, and Marcinko, the David
Liebman Group gave a stunning, vibrant, and swinging performance at the Deerhead
Inn on a fall evening in late October.
But the event was not without its vicissitudes! Juris was delayed
in a traffic jam while driving out to the Water Gap on the infamous Route 80, so
the evening had to begin with a trio. Dave handled the circumstance with grace,
but later told me somewhat apologetically that “it was the first time in fifteen
years that one of our guys came late.” Nonetheless, the group minus one took the
occasion to do some standards like “You and the Night and the Music” and
“Milestones.” Not that they played them in any “standard” way. Liebman seemed to
use the situation to flex his chops with various sounds reminiscent of saxophone
greats from Coltrane to Sonny Rollins to Stan Getz, switching around his
phrasings in ways that seemed to evoke a history of jazz saxophone. Only Liebman
could pull this off and make coherent music of it. He went everywhere it was
possible to go with both the soprano and tenor sax, and yet there was a
wonderful and lyrical continuity to it all. This was helped along by Marino’s
passionate bass playing and Marcinko’s steady and powerful rhythm. It will be
interesting to see where this eclectic group will go musically with Marcinko’s
very distinct hard bop style.
When Juris came on board, the group did a Liebman original called “A
Brite Piece,” recorded with Elvin Jones in the early ’70’s. The contrast with
the “trio” was striking. Juris shifted the whole atmospheric of the group,
lending it a funky feeling and utilizing amplification and reverberation to
create a panoply of sustained chords mixed with lines reminiscent of Wes
Montgomery. Next, the group executed an extraordinary performance of “Stardust,”
in which Liebman used his consummate harmonic skills to create some of the most
beautiful rapid-fire improvisations I’ve ever heard, including a passage which
sounded like several contrapuntal lines combined into one. The energy generated
by Liebman led the group into a kind of overdrive such as occurs when you throw
a sports car into a lower gear at high speed. Marino’s bass solos took on
unsparing emotionality, and Marcinko let loose on drums and various hand-held
percussion instruments. With a composition called “Anubis,” in which Liebman
played an intro on a small bamboo flute, the suggestion of a Middle Eastern
belly dancer combined with “all stops out” expressions in various jazz idioms
created an almost unbearable intensity. Only Liebman’s musical discipline
brought just the measure of control to bring the two sets to a barely-restrained
and utterly magnificent climax. The otherwise sedate audience applauded and
cheered ecstatically.
Liebman Delivers Living Jazz Lesson At The
Wisp:Cincinnati Enquirer (2002)by Jeff Wilson
Whoever dubbed last weekend "Autumn in New York" at the Blue
Wisp perfectly described Friday night's performance by Dave Liebman. Brooklyn
born, Mr. Liebman led a quartet that evoked the loft jazz that blossomed in New
York during the 1970s, when artists such as Sam Rivers and David Murray played
music much freer than traditional bebop. Stretching the limits of tonality,
these musicians improvised in a style that was too edgy for most New York clubs
and ended up creating a scene of their own.
True to the spirit of free jazz, each piece of Mr.
Liebman's nine-song, 3 1/2-hour set lasted at least
15 minutes. Sticking to original compositions during the first set, the quartet
mixed dirge-like passages with off-kilter funk, ethereal melodies and
smatterings of bebop, often in the same song. Wandering all over the jazz map,
the musicians avoided the predictable at every turn but ran the risk of sounding
coy. It helped that Marko Marcinko, an inventive drummer who generated an
endless supply of rhythms, was free-spirited but primal, constantly pushing the
soloists to new heights.
Seldom have local audiences had a chance to hear such adventurous
jazz, and some people must have wondered what the quartet would sound like if it
played something they actually recognized. The answer came during the second
set. After dedicating "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)" to Robert
Goulet, Mr. Liebman launched into a tongue-in-cheek
deconstruction of the title song of a famous Broadway musical in which Mr.
Goulet performed. During those rare moments that
they actually surfaced, lyrical and faintly recognizable snippets of the song
crashed head-on into ominous bass lines, demonic guitar riffs and dissonant
outbursts on the tenor saxophone. Had Mr. Goulet
wandered in during the performance, he might never have recovered.
The evening concluded with "India," composed by John Coltrane.
Soloing over a droning bass line, sitar-like guitar playing and explosive
drumming, Mr. Liebman played a passionate solo that climaxed with honks, squeals
and sheets of sound. No irony here, just a fiery tribute to an artist Mr.
Liebman happened to catch at Birdland in 1961,
changing his life as well as the history of jazz.
Dave Liebman at Birdland(NYC):Variety Magazine (2001)by Robert Daniels
Dave Liebman, the prolific composer, recording artist and
educator returned to Birdland with his horns and most familiar group. As a
soloist of uncommon versatility and imagination and an ardently inspired
Coltrane disciple Liebman takes his flights that are harmonically and
rhythmically varied and rich. He is an independent thinker of extravagant vision
who frames his progressions with keenly focused thoughts and ideas.
"Shadow Dance" written by guitarist Vic Juris boasts a dark swinging
melodic line. The piece served as an opener for Liebman’s imposing tenor, and
set the pace for a sprawling and passionate hour plus. Switching to soprano sax
for most of the set, Liebman displayed the broad gritty tone he gets out of his
instrument and also revealed a great deal of warmth, especially in "For All
Those In My Life." a lesser known tune by Antonio Carlos Jobim, featured on his
CD "The Unknown Jobim" (Global Music Network). Here Liebman displayed a sense of
subtlety and grace and was decidedly at his most lyrical. Juris embraced the
melodic line with fervor, and both his single string and chorded comments
carried decided pungency. Tony Marino’s acoustic bass solo was a particular
bonus with its bold and darting rhythmic designs.
Liebman’s "Get Me Back To The Apple" provided a showcase for an
impassioned and flashy solo by drummer Marko Marcinko. Liebman gets the best out
of his musicians as a leader, and the band soars and swings with both vitality
and disciplined unity. Inspired by recent events and the Middle East crisis,
Liebman penned a plaintive new work, "Standoff" marked by melancholy and a
penetrating dark flourish. Juris provided a nice balance on either electric or
amplified guitar and he played with inspired fluency.
Returning to the tenor after an exotic penny whistle intro to Burton
Lane’s "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever", Liebman fused the show tune with
his own tonally expansive "Nar Dreams." A fresh point of view to the Lane
composition, Liebman opened the piece on a sweetly delicate note, before turning
into a hard swinging finale. Liebman returns to Birdland later in the month for
an encore tenor triumvirate presentation with Michael Brecker and Joe Lovano.
Familiarity Is The Key To The Jazz Group’s Harmony:Indianapolis Star by Jay Harvey(late 90s)
The David Liebman Quartet offered blazing evidence of the value of continuity in a jazz group in its performance at the Jazz Kitchen on Wednesday night. No matter how adept the individuals in a band may be, their mutual rapport can go only so far without years of experience playing together. The veteran saxophonist has kept the same personnel since 1991, with the exception of a keyboard player’s departure a few years ago. So, what Liebman offered here, together with bassist Tony Marino, guitarist Vic Juris and percussionist Jamey Haddad, was a performance that didn’t stray from the common goal.
The first set showcased the versatility and energy of the leader, still an explorer at 53 rather than someone concerned mostly with settling into his own eminence. As compatible as the quartet sounded, nothing came out cut and dried, and individual expression abounded-particularly from Haddad and Juris. In the opening tune, Liebman’s “Little Peanut”, the interplay between drums and tenor sax played counter point, with linear dialogue between the two dissimilar instruments providing considerable thrills. Later, Haddad and Marino set up a much less explosive duet, with the drummer laying out a shuffle rhythm in which sharp strokes on a stifled high hat cymbal set of the bass line nicely. A couple of Juris compositions –one dreamy, one high energy-displayed hand in glove thematic statements by guitar and saxophone, with Liebman switching from soprano to tenor. Juris focused on the dense, surprising harmonic flow of his composition when he soloed, just before the whole band fired up booster rockets in the final minutes.
To introduce “Beyond The Line”, the miracle of electronics allowed Haddad to set in motion a cumulative percussion texture on one instrument after another, as ever more complex loops of sound eventually provided a context for Liebman’s folk like sojourn on wooden flute. By the time Haddad got back behind the drum set and Liebman picked up his soprano saxophone, a conventional theme had had the benefit of a long, exotic foreground. The band displayed a great sense of proportion; when solos or ensemble passages threatened to go off balance, the music always proved to be poised and logical in the larger scheme of things. The set closed with a handsome guitar vehicle called “Chant”, with the leader turning once again to tenor. In Liebman’s solo on the tenor sax, which he gave up for many years to concentrate on the soprano, he came closest to evoking his hero, the late John Coltrane, still a formidable influence even on a player as self-possessed and imaginative as Liebman. It was a welcome bit of conjuring in a set so multifaceted and unhackneyed. Clearly, this band has the vitality to stand forth on its own, even when friendly ghosts come to call.
Dave Liebman Group Commands Attention:Chicago Tribune by Howard Reich (mid 90s)
Several of the best musicians in town converged on the Green Mill Jazz Club over the week-end-not to perform but rather to listen. They had come to hear the Dave Liebman Group, and it didn't take long into Friday night's opening set to understand the appeal of this remarkable East Coast Band. For starters, there's Liebman's beguiling work on soprano saxophone. Though plenty of jazz players can finesse their way around the instrument, Liebman stands apart from most. The urgency of his tone, the sighing nature of his phrases and the originality of his approach to harmony, melody and rhythm immediately command attention. Here's a player who holds literally no interest in technical display or virtuosity for its own sake. Instead, Liebman focuses his attention of fervent musical expression, building one searing line after another. Though he clearly has technique to burn, he prefers to seduce his listeners through the disarming warmth and beauty of his tone. That alone, however, does not fully explain the appeal of Liebman's work on soprano saxophone.
A musician of considerable intellect, Liebman thrives on exotic chord changes, unusual phrase lengths, incessant rhythmic syncopation and dramatic use of punctuating silences. That Liebman can bring so much musical invention to an essentially lyric style is a significant achievement and helps explain why the Green Mill, usually rambunctious on weekends, was at a hush throughout Liebman's first set. Liebman is not a one-man band, by any means. On the contrary, his incantatory brand of improvisation clearly extends to every man in his ensemble. The wash of sound that Phil Markowitz produces on electric keyboard and the sinuous lines that Vic Juris plays on electric guitar elegantly support Liebman's every phrase. Further, the subtle rhythmic backbeats that percussionist Jamey Haddad and electric bassist Tony Marino create at various tempos give the music a softly undulating quality.
Together, these players instantly establish a rhythmic groove and stay locked in from start to finish. No player dominates the spotlight, but each contributes to the delicately wrought texture of the whole. Here is the rare electric band that knows how to use its instrumentation to create unique and alluring colors. The poetic passages each player contributed to music of Wayne Shorter, the intimacy of expression they achieved in an original by Markowitz and the nimbleness of line they articulated in music by Liebman attested to the versatility of this band, one of the most accomplished in jazz today."
Dave Liebman Group at the Regatta Bar:Boston Globe by Bob Blumenthal (mid 90s)
Dave Liebman does not follow trends. At a time when most jazz musicians are turning to bebop and hard bop, the soprano saxophonist has assembled an acoustic/electric quintet specializing in more open forms, which the band then pushes to the breaking point in live performance. The repetitive modal basis of much of Liebman's material; the electric input of guitarist Vic Juris, keyboardist Phil Markowitz and bassist Tony Marino; and percussionist Jamey Haddad's use of various frame and ceramic drums create an ambiance reminiscent of Liebman's 70s band, Lookout Farm. Back then, Liebman's own tenor and soprano sax playing was heavily indebted to John Coltrane. Now, working exclusively on soprano, he has developed a style that gives the music a more distinct personality.
Attacking the bumpy vamps featured on most of the pieces, Liebman wrestled his now more personalized runs and cries from the horn Thursday night at the Regattabar. While constantly stretching the tension with grainy split tones and dissonant harmonic tangents, he also found moments where silence added dramatic effect. India, the one Coltrane composition played during Liebman's two sets, best revealed how his concept has grown beyond that of his idol. Intensity and odd time signatures are the defining traits of the Liebman Group, which provided a sampling of its substantial repertoire with music from four of its CDs. Even when Markowitz and Marino were playing acoustic piano and bass, the tunes had a big sound and aggressive, probing edge. Each soloist responded with keen attentiveness to the textural shifts of the rhythm section, which provided welcome variety. This was especially true on the Liebman original Little Peanut, where Marino's insistent lines and Haddad's tempo adjustments created distinct environments among the soloists and within each solo.
While Juris' dramatically shaped solos were sharply etched and to the point, and each of the other band members was impressive, Haddad added the critical fluency. He sets and then juggles the various rhythm patterns, creating great flexibility in 7/4 during Markowitz's Open Eyes and a constantly shifting 11/4 underpinning for a celebratory take on Miles Davis' All Blues. More atmospheric pieces like Gil Evans' Pan Piper and Liebman's Beyond the Line found Haddad out from behind the drum set, building the rhythmic foundation after extended opening solos on frame or ceramic drums that he accompanied with bells worn around his ankles. The Liebman Group can also work the common terrain of 4/4 swing, as Markowitz demonstrated in particular with his extended piano solo on Milestones. Most of the time, though, it just blows hard on more hypnotic structures. There were little letup over two sets; and the results, if relentless, posed a challenge presented by too few contemporary groups.
Dave Liebman Group at the Green Mill:Chicago Sun Times by Lloyd Sachs (mid 90s)
Convinced he was being derivative of his idol John Coltrane, David Liebman gave up the tenor saxophone at the dawn of the '80s to concentrate on the soprano. Having become one of its ranking masters, along with Steve Lacy, he began playing tenor again about two years ago-older, wiser, more confident in his individuality and less worried about comparisons.' "I was drawn to the power of it," he said. "I'm sure it has something to do with turning 50." Whatever the factors, Liebman's performance Saturday at the Green Mill was alive with new possibilities, even in treating long-term interests. What a bolt of pleasure it was to hear his bold, bottomless, lyrically driven tenor. And what a treat it remained to hear his soprano. A fashionable second instrument for many saxists, it is for him a primary source of strength and truth.
Liebman who led members of his long-standing working band (guitarist Vic Juris, bassist Tony Marino and drummer Jamey Haddad), has never shed his debt to Coltrane's open approach. Bypassing standard chord changes for modes and scales, the band engaged in linear explorations while conducting spiritual investigations. It embraced pre-jazz ethnic values via wood flute and pan drums and injected rock-style effects via Juris' resounding volleys. Liebman has marked Coltrane's 1967 death with several tribute albums. The latest is a live update of "Meditations," a late-period suite of such caterwauling energy and density that many listeners miss its melodic beauty and shapeliness. Not Liebman. Performing excerpts from the work on tenor, from which he drew a pulsating urgency with his blend of broken phrases and drawn-out lines, he defined freedom not as a state of aggression but healing. Boosted by Juris' deliberate, textured tones and Haddad's sprinting vitality, he awakened "Meditations" on his own affecting terms. Liebman, who broke his leg in a recent accident wore an elaborate brace. This music never was in danger of constraint.
