Phillip Johnston
's unique approach to
jazz
mixes nostalgic-sounding music with forward-thinking approaches and his ever-present humor, as on his earlier CDs as a leader and compositions when he was a part of
the Microscopic Septet
. This CD features three separate works written for
Keely Garfield
's modern dance company, which is appropriately called Sinister Slapstick.
"Minor Repairs Necessary"
is made up of 11 separate dances, all featuring
Johnston
's inventive soprano sax with vibraphonist
Mark Josefberg
, bassist
Lindsey Horner
, and pianist
Jonathan Dryden
(
Nurit Tilles
subs on one track).
"Whodunnit,"
the quirky opener, features
alternating with each of his sidemen in a playful manner.
"Jitter Duel"
at first suggests the influence of
Ella Fitzgerald
's old hit
"Hernando's Hideaway"
in a duet for bass and vibes, then
's mournful yet hilarious soprano sax takes center stage.
Dryden
suggests early
ragtime
piano in
"Crash,"
while
"Cliffs"
suggests a bizarre
march
, first serious and then comical.
"Rub Me the Wrong Way,"
the centerpiece of this release, is an extended single movement work that substitutes
Will Holshouser
's accordion for the piano and drummer
Barbara Merjan
takes the place of the vibes. This many-faceted work exhibits the influence of
klezmer
music and some tight unison playing.
switches to tenor sax for the last piece,
"The Further Adventures of Slap & Tickle,"
with
Josefberg
returning on vibes and pianist
Joe Ruddick
and bassist
David Hofstra
also on hand. This work easily eclipses earlier attempts by better-known artists to write and perform
-oriented dance music. It's a shame that there isn't at least one video clip of the dancers performing to this fascinating music, but that might have excessively increased production costs for this delightful CD by
. ~ Ken Dryden