Until two years ago István Grencsó was totally unknown to me. I first heard his music on the BMC recording Homespun in Black and White with his Open Collective. The power and dynamics of this coherent playing ensemble immediately overwhelmed me. Their live set at the Jazzforum Budapest 2010 and a couple of weeks later at the Jazz!Brugge festival was a confirmation of their quality. The band has a very particular lineup with two double bass players: Róbert Benkő and Ernő Hock. The latter doubles on electric bass guitar adding some special effects that provide some extra bite to the total sound. Together with drummer Szilveszter Miklós they form a solid base for adventurous improvisation. Dave Wayne (in ‘Jazz Review’) considered István Grencsó as “one of the iconoclasts who write and perform vital, socially-conscious new music which is as cutting-edge as anything going on in New York City.” The music on this album is hard core jazz (to paraphrase the late Art Blakey) indeed, with a pinch of blues and experimental rock, but always with respect for the tradition.

The CD opens with the melancholy Over the River, Under the Bridge with the tortured electric bass guitar solo intro creating a desolate atmosphere. There’s unison blowing, with István on bass clarinet and a small trio improvisation (double bass, bass guitar and drums) leads to Lewis Jordan’s “Poem for the Homeless”.

The title track is a joyful, steaming and muscular composition that features both Ernő Hock (bowing his double bass) and trombonist Hans van Vliet in some intense blowing. I really like the way Jordan recites his poems. It reminds me of the classic album Weary Blues (1958) from Langston Hughes with Charles Mingus. Here he declaims “People I Don’t Like”. His poetry is accessible and revealing. It’s evident Lewis adores playing with words but never forgets what they are standing for: communication, interaction, understanding.

Take Your Time, that opens with a short bass clarinet solo, is a delicate lament with an appealing dialogue of the two double basses.

At Large is Lewis Jordan’s composition (named after his performance series ‘Music At Large’ in which he has collaborated with dancers, poets, visual and theater artists such as Jimmy Biala, India Cooke, Lisle Ellis, Mark Izu, Jon Jang, Genny Lim, Donald Robinson, and István Grencsó). It opens with a nervous dialogue of the saxes and trombone. They continue improvising over the monotone bass line. The creative drumming gives this composition extra color thanks to the odd time signatures.

Led is without any doubt dedicated to Led Zeppelin. In the introduction there’s a fragment from Dazed and Confused with the typical John Bonham touch added by Miklós. They continue with imaginative improvisations. István’s tenor playing is raucous and squealing.

Let Bygones Be Bygones again has Lewis Jordan reciting poetry over the double basses in a dialogue with van Vliet’s trumpet giving extra depth. A piece that again proves the coherency of this band.

Hans van Vliet’s Better Alone Than Apart is a swinging composition with a couple of enjoyable tempo changes. There is also a warm solo on duduk (a double reed instrument of Armenian origins) by the leader himself and van Vliet excelling on the trombone.

In the blues Sugar Free Róbert Benkő is setting the pace and Ernő Hock’s painting dreamy soundscapes on his bass guitar.

Pedal Up is a strikingly fresh arrangement from the Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1936-1977) classic with rapping by Hans van Vliet. All sax solos have extremely strong dynamics. Once again the rhythm section is the spine that makes it easy to solo around.

Lord I’m Coming Home starts with an intense saxophone solo. This marvelous arrangement from the hymn by William J. Kirkpatrick (1838-1921) includes Lewis’ poem “Old School”, which is completely in the spiritual atmosphere of the late Albert Ayler. An extraordinary apotheosis for this stunning CD.

Jos Demol
Jazz’halo & Jazz!Brugge

grencso.hu
lewisjordan.com 

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Poems of Lewis Jordan (Title of the track)


Poem for the Homeless (Over the River, Under the Bridge)

Those who have corners and nooks but no warmth,
Those who have blankets and pillows but no intimacy,
Those who are isolated when they’re not alone,
Those who are hungry after they eat,
Those who expect nothing from strangers,
Those who expect respect, from those they don’t respect,
Those who need more,
Those who want more and more,
Those who can’t find their way,
Those who don’t know the way,
Those who won’t see the way,
Those who stand in the way,

Come out of your shells, accessorized hells,
where you decorate your living quarters
with exotic hand-me-downs
you picked up somewhere in your travels,
out of where you trudge to any beat
that doesn’t rock the boat,
to where you return
without
daring to exchange
some of what’s outside for what’s inside,
some of what’s inside for the outside,
without
showing your heart

From each,
in the way, for life, one gives thanks,
To each,
—fill in the blanks



People I Don’t Like (Local Time)

people who don’t like me
people who like me for the wrong reasons

people who think they know all the answers
people who think they know all the questions

people who don’t need people
people who need people to use

people who refuse to find themselves
in someone else’s unhappiness
people who refuse to lose themselves
in someone else’s joy

people who gladly accept
whatever status quo has
people who gladly reject
what they have in common with me

are people
I like
to dislike

people I don’t like

people who don’t like me
people who like me for the wrong reasons

are people
I like
to dislike



April in Jelen (Let Bygones Be Bygones)

A song is a path:
As we go forward, we remember
and it lets us forget

It is not new
It is never old

There is heart in how we listen
There is meaning in what we hear

Van szív abban, ahogy hallgatunk
Van jelentése annak, amit hallunk

There are roots we stumble on
There are branches we stretch to reach

Here it opens up
There it grows dense

Here a bird sings
There wildlife runs

The sun is shining
But a cloud gets in the way

The cloud moves
We climb higher

In a rhythm we can live
In a melody we learn to breathe
Through sound we feel

At a moment’s notice
we are conscious of a stream
on which we float down
below the surface
above the trees
in between the rocks and hard places

We see life forming in
ways we can’t really describe



Old School (Lord I’m Coming Home)

I’m old school
I like it to have a rhyme and a reason
I like to know where one is
I like to slow dance

I’m old school
I believe in roots and powers
I believe in the value of place
I believe in carrying the one

I’m from the old school
you know, the one with all the broken windows,
textbooks from before the war
and real blackboards

I’m from the old school
I believe in starting with a clean slate
I believe in quiet time
I believe in snacks

I’m from the old school
I believe in not talkin out of turn
I believe in workin on it till I get it
I believe in raisin my hand

I’m from the old school
I believe in assembly
I believe in recess
I believe in physical education

I’m old school
I believe in reading between the lines
I believe in spelling things out
I believe in carrying the one

I’m old school
I like it to have a rhyme and a reason
I like to slow dance
I like to take it to the next level


Pedal Up
Lyrics by Hans van Vliet

laugh till you cry
live till you die
sleep till you wake
dance till you brake
speak till you rap
slash till you slap
jump till you drop
hip till you hop
spit till you splatter
it really doesn’t matter

dream till it’s real
show what you feel
slide till you slip
travel till you trip
move till you swing
drink till you sing
hitch till you hike
dodo what you like
breathe till you blow
it’s really just a blowshow

run till you fly
blow till you’re high
beat till you hit
stay till you split
drive till you stop
be till you bop
talk till you speak
flip till you freak
shout till you scream
it’s nothing but a daydream