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Rating: The Surprises of the Internet!
I had skimmed through something about Makoto Ozone in the past: almond-eyed pianist; talented. Worth remembering, but nothing more: you know those little notes that linger in the very private drawer of musical and literary tastes in memory? On the other hand, I'm more familiar with James Genus and Clarence Penn: if only for the countless times you run across them on records. James Genus is now an omnipresent musician; versatile and personal, he is never intrusive and always remains measured in his accompaniment. All valid reasons to call him back to work. Clarence Penn: the first collaboration that comes to mind is with Bollani (Les fleurs bleues); we even brought him to play in my little town with the Greg Skaff trio, and we had the opportunity to observe a very original drummer: feline drummer, in the sense that he essentially "caresses" the drums. His style is halfway between Jack De Johnette and Tony Williams; he produces a great variety of tones without ever stealing the spotlight from the current soloist, while maintaining solid underlying timing.
Now, casually browsing through one of my favorite eBay shops, I see that offers for the record in question are stuck at cents; time is running out and, after reading a couple of descriptive lines, I decide to risk a couple of dollars (come on: spoil yourself!). Long story short, I pay $1.80 for the disc plus $3.90 for postal expenses without the jewel case: less than 5 euros in total and I snagged this record! Let's get acquainted with this work by Mr. Ozone: according to the cover notes, it was recorded in 2005 after ten years of close collaboration and trio concerts. Makoto decided to bring the group into the studio and record directly, almost live, urging his collaborators to bring new pieces. Penn penned tracks 3 and 9, while Genus is behind 1 and 4.
It alternates between the classic piano trio and the electric version, with bass and Fender Rhodes piano. Contrary to what one might think, despite being timbrically varied, it is not "scattered", in the sense that you can still discern the strong foundational blend, the well-defined identity of the group, and considerable cohesion: the tempo changes, breaks, and transitions between Latin and swing are carefully executed while keeping the ultimate goal of objectively creating great music. High quality. We are halfway between the early seventies (George Duke-Stanley Clarke, the Jazz Rock of Soft Machine/Nucleus/Perigeo) and a more traditional jazz dimension but characterized by non-trivial stylistic elements. One really needs to dive deep into the music of this Ozone: a nice hole in the Ozone. Sorry, it just slipped out! At this point, a track-by-track analysis is necessary. Those uninterested in the genre, please abstain:
•1) "Central Booking": Electric trio for a piece that starts by setting the right tension with an ostinato of one-note bass repetitions. It gradually progresses into very enjoyable "song" standards. Delicate yet well-present drumming, at times schizoid. There's a missing Frank Zappa solo or a horn; preferably an alto sax. But the piece is a gem for refined palates. Intimate enough.
•2) "New child is on the way": Acoustic piano and double bass. Starts with a classical cadence before moving into Latin and developing. Very Rubalcaba or similar. Beautiful double bass solo at the beginning, on this solid "two" time. Foot taps and ear delights. Followed by a Latin-piano orgasm, with short swing outbursts and back to two-time: "back and forth". Interweaving of times. Stops and rhythmic elaborations without drums. Resumption and final break
•3) "The blue zone": The electricity returns for a piece that highlights the technical skills and perfect synchronization between drums, Makoto's left hand, and bass lines. The dimension is that of Perigeo, when D'Andrea would go off on a tangent and insert riff after riff. It somewhat recalls the progressive seventies, including Arti & Mestieri. Nice drum solo.
•4) "October song": It's a romantically moving and enjoyable track. So far, it's still difficult to trace models and references in Makoto Ozone's style. Classical studies are quite evident in the overall setup and approach to the instrument. Concentrated Genus solo on the double bass. The general tone of the trio in the acoustic outfit is Nordic European jazz, ECM at the forefront.
•5) "Second thoughts": These "second thoughts" finally betray an Ozone love: Chick Corea! We're there, finally! This track seems lifted directly from early trio Corea. Ostinato pedal and countertime from double bass and drums create a spasmodic anticipation that releases into a breathtaking swing about three minutes in. Hats off (apologies to the assistant of... Magus Casanova!). Exceptional, stellar. Drum solo towards the end. Studio-worthy.
•6) "You're not alone": We continue with an acoustic piece, introduced by the double bass. Some piano phrases are taken from the European classical tradition. At 3:20, the piece takes off and unfolds. It attempts to blend classical with jazz. Perhaps this represents the most atypical moment of the disc while still fitting well within the collection.
•7) "Dance on the beach": We're at "Light as a Feather" or thereabout: perhaps Brazilian Azimuth? Essentially, it's a beautiful and relaxing samba: seemingly simple to listen to, decidedly less easy to play! Played on offbeats and riffs, facilitated by the electric instrumentation that would have delighted Furio Chirico in his golden years and his tightened and tilted snare drum. Flora Purim seems to pop up from behind the corner but no: suddenly emerging directly from Mars is an electric bass solo by Genus that makes you jump out of your chair!
•8) "Blues of Oz": Oblique approach for a track that, contrary to the blues title statement, doesn't have much traditional blues except for some deconstructed citations interspersed kaleidoscopically by the trio in an acoustic flow that starts, rises, stops, and resumes. Wildly crazy. Just as only true jazz artists can be. Nice double bass solo. Fusion between Chick Corea and Steve Kuhn (not to be confused with the USA guitarist Steve Khan!), or perhaps other musicians specializing in the "cold European" genre ("cold fusion" is around the corner?!)
•9) "Dalí": From notes written by Ozone himself, it is, of course, inspired by and dedicated to the art of the painter. In my humble opinion, if you can cope with a Dalí painting at a mere glance, whether short or long, here you instead listen for several minutes to an undecipherable attempt at doing a bit of free butchery: "undecipherable thing" that every self-respecting jazzist insists on forcefully inserting into a work of otherwise more familiar flavors. Fortunately, there are occasional bursts of music that, like coordinates in the night, help you resolve the matter without excessive headache. It's nevertheless another aspect of the trio. Interesting, though not very in line with the rest of the disc. Well, in the end, it actually works quite well.
•10) "Memories of Mom": Obviously dedicated by the composer to his mom and to all moms in the world. A 3/4 (odd time) electric piece, with a dreamy "Affinità" (Evans-Thielemans) atmosphere. A delicate final touch for a beautiful and absolutely noteworthy album.
So, what genre are we talking about? Who knows: a hybrid between jazz and electric rock? And the classical references? Who knows! For all those who nevertheless are fascinated by new things, who are not certain of much in life (and who can claim to be?), this disc is a new stimulus, and to accompany its "tasting," Jeffrey Eugenides' beautiful book "Middlesex" would be recommended.
In essence, music and beauty lie where you least expect them, and the Holy Web helps us discover precious gems and new artists. Perhaps at a good price, which these days doesn't hurt.
Tracklist
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