Warne Marsh, Gary Foster - Warne Marsh Meets Gary Foster (Eastworld, 1982)

This post is by Dan

Warne Marsh (ts); Gary Foster (as); Alan Broadbent (p); Putter Smith (b); Peter Donald (d)

Recorded October 12 and 14, 1982

Warne Marsh has a world of experience in two-saxophone lineups, beginning with classic recordings with Lee Konitz. His partners have included saxophonists Ted Brown, Art Pepper, Lew Tabackin, and Pete Christlieb, as well as a one-off date with Chet Baker on trumpet. Marsh and Foster are clearly of like mind, having studied the music of Lennie Tristano, played together in Clare Fischer's groups on the west coast, notably Whose Woods Are These?, and teamed up on earlier albums led by Marsh, notably Ne Plus Ultra (Revelation, 1970). 

Marsh has a clearly recognizable approach to playing his tenor sax. He has the rare ability to disregard the limits of bar lines while maintaining a logical flow of ideas. His solos demonstrate how much one can say within a fairly limited range and narrow dynamics. His linear phrasing is extraordinary. Foster tends to explore the higher regions of the alto's range after beginning a solo by mimicking Marsh's style, as on ""All About You." 

Like Tristano (and Charlie Parker before him), Marsh's originals are based on chord progressions of better-known compositions. They typically betray their inspiration in their titles, as in "Dee-Pending," which is based on the standard, "How Deep Is the Ocean." Tristano-ites also delight in masking the identity of well-known compositions by others, such as "Joy Spring" on which the original melody is not stated until the final chorus. Puns and trickery aside, this album showcases the strengths of both saxophonists in duets and solos. Both "Joy Spring" and "You Should See Me" begin with the two horns duetting (never in unison, of course), an approach that Marsh used frequently with Lee Konitz. 

The album benefits tremendously from the presence of Alan Broadbent on piano. His solos are universally elegant and tasteful. He brings the same approach to Charlie Haden's Quartet West group and to his albums as a leader. Here, his elegance provides a respite from all the oblique fun the horns are having. Peter Donald also manages to fit in a drum solo on "Victory Ball," thus departing from the Tristano school's tradition of restricting drummers to simply keeping time. 

Warne Marsh Meets Gary Foster is a Japanese vinyl release produced by Toshiko Akiyoshi. Perhaps it is her presence that makes the whole thing swing so much. Clearly, everyone involved is having a good time!