Ben Goldberg Quintet "the door, the hat, the chair, the fact"

Ben Goldberg Quintet-''the door, the hat, the chair, the fact"
Cryptogramophone CG126
Ben Goldberg-clarinets
Carla Kihlstedt-violin, voice
Rob Sudduth-tenor saxophone
Devin Hoff-bass
Ches Smith-drums

If Ben Goldberg didn't exist, someone would have had to invent him. The same could be said of Steve Lacy, whose untimely demise of cancer in June of 2004, coincided with the recording of this remarkable set of compositions. The album opens with a warm melody on Goldberg's lone clarinet introducing an orchestral introduction of the rest of the musicians in "Petals."

The following tune, "Song and Dance," reminds me of Henry Threadgill's composing style circa "Rag, Bush and All." Not only the ebullient carnivalesque atmosphere of the rhythm, but also the raspy sound of Rob Sudduth's tenor saxophone. In fact, Sudduth's bluesy free sounding solo recalls Threadgill's earlier work in his band Air from the late 1970's. Goldberg follows Sudduth with a typically unpredictable solo leading into a swift statement from Carla Kihlstedt's classical/rockish violin.

Devin Hoff introduces "Long Last Moment" with mostly descending bass lines that bring to mind Duke Ellington's "Caravan." The tune continues with gorgeously introspective group interplay underpinned by Ches Smith's drumming. Smith chooses an individualistic rhythmic path here and throughout the record, with march-like figures and rockish kicks, an approach more akin to the playing of Jim Black then any typical swing player. "F13" continues with interplay between the the two horns and Kihlstedt's violin. Enough rhythmic and melodic variation sustains listening interest.

It took me a while to enjoy "Facts," which is based mainly on Kihlstedt's singing a dissonant melody: "I am hardly here these days." As part of a musical dedication to Lacy, however, this fits into the whole as he was enamored of poetry, the twentieth century approaches to harmelody and enjoyed the use of the voice in some of his tunes.

Strangely enough, Lacy's tune "Blinks" also reminds me of Threadgill, possibly because of the cohesiveness of the group's interaction in both the composed and improvised portions of the tune. In some ways, this tune is like the sauerkraut in the center of a Reuben, providing an undercurrent of flavor that inspires the rest of the album and gives it a unique twist in Goldberg's oeuvre. From his earlier New Klezmer Trio albums to his work with Junk Genius, he's maintained an unpredictable approach over the years. The restatement of the opening theme in "I Before E Before I" remind us that we're back into the light of the opening.

In his liner notes, Goldberg says that "[Steve Lacy] talked matter of factly about the invisible, and I caught a glimpse of what an artist does. He said, "If you stay in the dark long enough, eventually you'll see the light." With "the door, the hat, the chair, the fact," Goldberg has made a bright statement as a leader, and, if anything this record shows us that he's stepped from "the darkest hour" into the dawn.

To purchase this CD check out www.cryptogramophone.com
For the Ben Goldberg Quintet's tour schedule check out (I will add something later as I couldn't find any info on the web.)