Billy Bang Quintet - Rainbow Gladiator (Soul Note, 1981)

This post is by Scott

Billy Bang (vn); Charles Tyler (as, bs); Michele Rosewoman (p); Wilber Morris (b); Dennis Charles (d)

Recorded on June 10-11, 1981

There is a long tradition of violinists in jazz, from Stuff Smith and Ray Nance to Joe Venuti and Stéphane Grappelli, among many others.  But the instrument remains relatively rare.  And that's surprising, because the violin offers so many wonderful and distinctive sonic possibilities.  I love the sound of violins in jazz, and this album grabbed me from the first moment I heard it.

As you might expect from the smiling faces on the album's cover, this is joyous, uplifting music.  Although Billy Bang emerged from the avant-garde 1970s NYC loft scene, this music is very approachable.  If you've never heard it, I would compare the music on Rainbow Gladiator to Charles Mingus' music.  It's "inside out, outside in" music, deeply rooted in the tradition--but also not constrained by it. 

Bang first learned to play violin as a child, but he soon dropped the instrument.  He saw his friends playing saxophones and drums, and he couldn't make a connection with the seemingly "foreign" violin.  Years later, after returning home from a difficult year-long stint of combat duty with the U.S. Army in Vietnam, Bang heard Leroy Jenkins and Ornette performing jazz on violin.  Inspired by their example, he picked up the instrument again as an adult.

A few years before making this album, Bang's band began as a trio with the violinist, bassist Wilber Morris, and drummer Dennis Charles.  From the album's first notes, the rhythm section's long-standing connection is evident.  They are TIGHT, and they swing very, very hard.  (They're also well recorded.)  Per discogs, this is Michele Rosewoman's debut recording.  You'd never know it by listening.  She sounds incredibly assured.  Returning to my Mingus comparison, at times Rosewoman reminds me a bit of Jaki Byard.  Charles Tyler's alto and baritone saxophones round out the quintet.

In difficult times like ours, joyous, vibrant music like this can be a balm to the spirit.

... And did I say this music swings hard !?!  

More Music from Billy Bang

Although the albums fall outside the confines of this survey, I can't help but jump ahead in time and recommend two albums that reflect Bang's experiences as a soldier.  Vietnam: The Aftermath ‎(Justin Time, 2001) and Vietnam: Reflections ‎(Justin Time, 2005) are two unforgettable and profound evocations of Billy Bang's time in the Southeast Asian country.