Marty Ehrlich - Line on Love +Album Reviews

Good for the soul

N. Dorward | Toronto, ON Canada | 12/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Palmetto has shown a knack for releasing discs that snag a lot of year's-best plaudits--notably Andrew Hill's _Dusk_ & _A Beautiful Day_--& it seems likely they'll manage the feat again with Marty Ehrlich's new disc, the lovely _Line on Love_. It opens with "Hymn", a piece with a curious combination of concentrated beauty & underlying tension; it's powerful enough to silence a roomful of people if you drop it on the stereo. Craig Taborn's tapping morse-code piano line is gradually filled out by bass (Michael Formanek) & then Ehrlich's alto & Billy Drummond's drums. Here as elsewhere Ehrlich's solo plunges straight to the heart of the piece & the mood--he's a remarkably direct & communicative player, who somehow manages to combine a melancholic tone with a singing, joyous feel to his playing. The rest of the album miraculously lives up to the opener--I particularly like the fast-paced "Julian's Theme" & the brief, funky "St Louis Summer". Perhaps the only drop in pace is with the two bass clarinet pieces packed away at the end, which sound a little more ordinary (though perfectly fine). In any case, this is easily one of my favourite straightahead jazz discs of 2003. Ehrlich also recently released the more obviously ambitious _The Long View_ (a large-scale, third-streamish big-band disc), which has got rather more attention than this one so far. A mistake, I think: _The Long View_ is an interesting but only partially successful project, in my view, while _Line on Love_ is one of the best things Ehrlich's put on disc to date."

Equals or betters bring out the best music

Ian Muldoon | Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia | 01/20/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say this may be the best work Mr Taborn has done. I haven't heard him play so well on CD before. It is a particularly delightful conjunction of very talented musicians - all are leaders in their own right and all, I would have to say, in my view, are musicians of the highest calibre. It may be stretching it a bit to call it a "super group" but it's definitely in the upper reaches of that fabled mountain. The distinguishing feature of this CD then is twofold: the musicians help to lift each other to that higher level through a mutual respect of each other, and secondly, the compositions are sufficiently challenging, interesting and beautiful to bring out the best in each. On reflection, it is with rare exception that the great musicians confine themselves to performance - almost all bring to the music their own writing - how can we think of Mr Shorter without immediately thinking Footprints? The compositions on Mr Ehrlich's CD range from the bouncy and cheeky St Louis Summer, to the fiery and exciting Turn Circle and Spin. But it is in the ballads or slower numbers where the fullest expression of this man's wonderful musicianship lies. The title track, for example, begins with a long, slow exploratory alto solo by Mr Ehrlich then an equally compelling solo by Mr Taborn with bassist Mr Formanek in seeming conversation with him.
Soon the bass drops out. Regularity of beat is not a goal. The alto sax returns with Mr Drummond's cymbals a gentle curtain of sound. The long second solo by Mr Ehrlich, is a searching, heartfelt one ending as it were, on a sigh. A great performance. A wonderful octet of compositions, which begin with the haunting Hymn - an ode to PEACE
perhaps. Interesting that so many great programs of music today begin with a slow number where once it was all stops out to grab the attention of the listener from the "git go" - Mr Ehrlich's "Git Go" closes the porogram. This CD is one where the musicians put the MUSIC first. No egos here. Another one of Mr Ehrlich's finest efforts. Don't deny yourself this musical pleasure."

A ballad session with balls

Troy Collins | Lancaster, PA United States | 05/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Marty Ehrlich is often considered one of the most lyrical of the Downtown saxophone players, which include such luminaries as John Zorn and Tim Berne. For Ehrlich to concentrate on ballads and more melodic fare then is not as unusual as it might seem. There have been other albums focused primarily on the ballad form, such as his debut album with this current line up, 2001's Song. While the traditional piano quartet is somewhat of a novelty for Ehrlich, he has claimed that it seems better suited to his more lyrical explorations. But do not be deceived, lyricism need not be equated with fluff, as Line On Love has all the force and diversity of any other album in Ehrlich's vast discography.While Song trafficked in similar thematic territory, what was meant to be emotive and contemplative merely came off as saccharine and monotonous. This album however works due to both its compositional variety and heightened energy level. Although the focus is still on melody and lyricism, the band doesn't get bogged down in slavish song structure. There is a sense of empathetic interplay here that was missing on the previous album.Ballad sessions can be the kiss of death for jazz artists whose reputations are founded on the sort of experimental diversity that Marty Ehrlich is known for. But with great technical skill often comes great compositional aplomb, and here creative arrangements and strong solos elevate what could be a routine session into something both beautiful and passionate."

So glad I bought this album - 4.5 stars

David J. Ohanlon | Lilyfield, NSW Australia | 10/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Prior to purchase, I'd only ever heard Marty Ehrlich in tandem with Mike Nock, only ever heard Formanek & Drummond's names in passing and I'd never heard of Craig Taborn at all! Well, having now listened to this disc I have to agree with everything the other 4 reviewers have said & I'm definitely going to check out other discs featuring any of these musos.

Highlights include the opener "Hymn" which is simply drop-dead gorgeous, featuring a delightful slowly rollicking piano riff over which Ehrlich plays some seriously soulful alto sax. It's a great opener & the rest of the album is of a similar high standard, mixing up tempos, moods & dynamics skillfully. I especially also like Turn, Circle & Spin (as it gave me the chance to fully appreciate the talents of Formanek on bass & drummer Drummond) & Solace, which features Ehrlich on Bass Clarinet.

Highly recommended!"

A breakthrough recording

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 01/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"From the opening notes of "Hymn," we're in some kind of ur-jazz territory, not unlike Keith Jarrett's breakthrough recording, My Song, only even more poignant, joyously melancholly, and haunting. "Hymn" has that same deceptive simplicity and lilting sensibility that occasionally enables jazz to pass into absolute musical transcendence.Marty Ehrlich seems to be one of those rare jazzmen, perhaps like Joe Henderson or Joe Lovano--whom he scarcely resembles from a tonal or conceptual standpoint--who come into their full glory only after plying their trade in the jazz world for many years. Unlike a Sonny Rollins or Joshua Redmond, who take the scene by storm and then, seemingly, mail in their chops, Ehrlich has labored mostly in the jazz backwaters, slowly building a unique voice and conception, only to mightly unleash it in his middle years.His new disc, Line on Love, besides being one of the absolute best recordings of a remarkable year for jazz, 2003, represents Ehrlich coming completely into his own as composer, leader, and altoist.Let's start with his alto sax playing. There's a richness and depth here sometimes lacking in previous recordings. For a while, he seemed to favor the slightly pinched, sour approach to alto, so prevalent among contemporary players. That's gone. What we get instead is a keening, glorious fullness, with an entirely welcome sly vibrato, analgous to though not in any way derivitive of Jan Garbarek's tenor sound. Has he been engaged in some serious woodshedding? Sure sounds like it to me.As leader, he has assembled perhaps his optimal, though certainly not obvious, band. Craig Taborn in the piano chair was an inspired choice. A player possessed of a thorough-going though not slavish understanding of The Tradition filtered through a brilliantly modern sensibility, Taborn has proved himself in a number of challenging settings such as his own trio recording and Tim Berne's wildy wacky Sciencefriction band. Here he simply astounds with his impossibly brilliant solo on "Julian's Theme," and his dancing virtuosity on "Solace." Taborn underscores his position as a jazz pianist who will have to be seriously reckoned with in the upcoming years.Mitchel Formanek meshes ideally in this setting. A player who seems to have struggled to find the optimal place to ply his monster bass chops, these hip, edgy environs perfectly suit his nouveau voice. Check out his glorious solo on "Turn Circle and Spin" for an indication of what he brings to the table, as well as his foundational playing throughout.Billy Drummond, likewise, seems to have fallen between two stools. Neither a monster newcomer such as Brian Blade or Montez Coleman nor a seasoned veteran such as Jack DeJohnette, he could easily be overlooked. But he acquits himself again and again on this outing. Especially attractive to me is work on "St. Louis Summer," where he defines the piece by means of a muscular, blue-collarlike approach to his kit, wonderfully evoking all the sweat and majesty of a Midwestern heat wave. And his percussive thrust on "The Git Go" contains a very attractive restless energy that turns this piece into a real stunner.Compositionally, this disc displays a bredth and depth seldom found among jazz writers. Again, Ehrlich's brilliance and richness, revealing themselves only after extended "cellaring," like a fine wine, come fully to the fore, wrapping the listener in glorious soundscapes magically evoked. To these ears, the two baritone clarinet numbers display an especially attractive and engaging vibe.What we have here, folks, is jazz of the highest possible order, absolutely accessible, impossibly deft, and marvelously sophisticated. Certainly among the greatest jazz discs released in the past decade."

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