Paul Motian - On Broadway, Vol. 1 (JMT/Winter & Winter, 1989)

This post is by Dan

Paul Motian (d); Joe Lovano (ts); Bill Frisell (g); Charlie Haden (b)

Recorded November, 1988

There are few, if any, more imaginative reconstructions of the great American songbook than Paul Motian's On Broadway series. Volume 1 launched the series in 1988, followed by four more volumes released between 1990 and 2009. It's a remarkable journey through venerable show tunes that have become jazz standards. . . 

On Volume 1, Charlie Haden joins the trio of Motian, Joe Lovano, and Bill Frisell. I like the guest appearances in the trio because they add variety. In Haden's case, he contributes a couple of bass solos and accompanies the band with more structured rhythm than the trio alone usually displays. 

With such familiar material to work with, Motian and his bandmates are free to work in suspended tempos and take melodic and chordal liberties. The result is to make the familiar more interesting. There are more drum solos than usual. Motian is more musical than most drummers, and his solos are more about substantive improvisation and less about showing off.  

The basic formula on Volume 1 is for Lovano, and usually Haden, to play the melody and rhythm straight, while Frisell and Motian do what they can to embellish, vary and disrupt. This loose division of labor works superbly due to Frisell's versatility. He plays single-note countermelodies, chords like a big band backing a soloist, and varies his own guitar's effects effortlessly. He's a joy to hear in this context. 

My favorite track is the longest: "Someone to Watch Over Me." Lovano plays the introductory verse, which is often omitted in other jazz renditions. Frisell plays a great guitar solo over Haden's steady beat, and Haden plays his best solo of the date. Clocking in at 9:18, this Gershwin classic is one of many gems that appear regularly in the On Broadway series of albums. 

I personally never cared for the album cover designs for the Winter & Winter reissues. The 2003 W&W remasters probably sound better than the original CDs, but the best sound comes from the LPs for Vols. 1 and 2. However, this music communicates directly regardless of format or resolution.