Search - Tom Varner :: Second Communion

The latest chapter in an ongoing work of astonishing beauty.

greg taylor | Portland, Oregon United States | 11/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In a review I wrote for Tom Varner's last Omnitone release,Swimming, I wrote about his emergence as one of the great composers in the jazz tradition. This CD only solidifies that status. The only contemporary of Varner's that I find to be his consistent equal is Henry Threadgill.
On the album, Varner pays homage to Don Cherry and, in particular, Cherry's great CD Complete Communion. The group plays a full version of that suite as well as Elephantasy and Cherryco. That last song Cherry played with John Coltrane on another great CD, The Avant-Garde. This music had great impact on Varner as a young man. Heck, it had great effect on all of us who had the good fortune to be exposed to it.
Varner has surronded these great compositions with his own that reflect Varner's feelings about various stages of Cherry's career and life. As always with Tom Varner's work, the compositions are wonderful. They show a tremendous variety of voicings and mood.
The band is exceptional. Along with Varner on the french horn, the personnel are Tony Malaby on tenor saxophone, Cameron Brown on the upright bass, Matt Wilson on the drums with Pete McCann and Dave Ballou sitting in on guitar and cornet respectively. Pete McCann gets more solo space here than on the Swimming CD and makes the most of it. He makes me want to hear the CDs released under his own name. Malaby increasingly impresses. Here he is playing the role that the young Gato Barbieri played on the original Complete Communion. Malaby plays with every bit as much passion and with more technical skill. Dave Ballou's sound merges beautifully with that of Varner and Malaby. He has the daunting task of playing the Don Cherry role. He does so by displaying his own gorgeous tone and imagination. I have said it before and it is reaffirmed every time I hear him but Cameron Brown is one of the great bass players of the last twenty plus years. As a young man, Brown played some of these same pieces with Don Cherry. He brings that history with him and plays with his usual full tone and calm brillance. The man does not show off- he simply lifts everybody up and carries them along on the shoulders of his beat. Wilson is a great partner in rhythm.
This is the fifth CD I own by Varner. I now plan to go back to his earliest works as well. What we are witnessing with Varner is an ongoing work of astonishing beauty. A man of intelligence, humor and warmth writing music that captures all of those qualities which thereby enriches us all. How can we not feel appreciation for what he has given us?"

Excellent CD

s_morley13 | Melbourne, Australia | 11/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think this is an great CD, featuring fine performances by all the musicians and well-crafted compositions by Varner, which complement beautifully the three Cherry pieces presented. Varner's pieces move through many moods, but never lack warmth, and convey a cohesive vision throughout the album. The rapport between the musicians is obvious, as is their intent to realise Cherry's artistic ideals both individually and collectively.It's an album I can keep returning to and always find something new to appreciate. The intimacy of the writing, the fresh voicings, the great playing - the end result is a beautiful tribute to Don Cherry."