| The
Review |
Of the six people who have manned
the drum kit for the innovative and legendary King Crimson,
one name comes to mind for most as the definitive Crimson
drummer: Bill Bruford. Bruford has proven to be an asset to
the Crimsons of the past and to music ingeneral- be it rock,
jazz or the mixture of both. But what about Ian Wallace, one
time drummer during the forgotten 'Islands' line-up with Fripp,
sax god Mel Collins and Boz Burrell? Bruford and Pat Mastelloto
have stood out as inventive drummers, but Ian Wallace was
always a damn solid player too, as some of his recent work
is starting to prove. Though nowhere near as inventive as
Bruford, this recording would do Bill proud and is as good
as anything Bill's EARTHWORKS jazz combos has released, without
question. Wheras Wallace with the 21st Century Schizoid Band(with
early Crimson members minus Fripp) is primarily a nostalgia
trip, excellent playing nonewithstanding, the Crimson Jazz
Trio actually does different things with the material, and
with less components- just piano bass & drums.***
This is a tasteful jazz take on
some of the classic King Crimson material of the past, done
up in jazz trio format with Wallace of drums, Jody Nardone
on acoustic piano and Tim Landers on fretless bass. Wallace
is as jazzy and smooth smokin' as Bill on any current Earthworks
record. That Wallace isn't as inventive as Bruford actually
works to advantage: his drumming is more intune with the trio
format in some ways, less technical yet definately holding
together with some tasty jazz kit playing without a lot of
unnecessary embellishments. Wallace provides the skeleton
which holds it all together. Jody Nardone's expressive grand
piano is the skin over the bones which provides the textures
and feel. A lot of mood and soul comes from just that one
instrumental voice, which can go from a gallop to a slow trot
and back again. From playful to fiery, bringing new life to
age old tracks. The muscle underneath is Tim Landers' fretless
bass. Using a fretless bass rather than the usual upright
bass(as in jazz) or electric bass(as in rock) provides a more
modern twist, perhaps intune with another Crimson element-
Tony Levin. The tones from the bass are rich and savory. All
three evoke a personal and emotional response from his instrument.***
The arrangements are true to the
spirit of the originals, but often take on new form. 'RED'
has never 'swung' before, and 'THREE OF A PERFECT PAIR' becomes
an atmospheric near-ballad. on 'CAT FOOD' , Nardone avoids
replicating Keith Tippett's rippling chaos, instead opting
for a more humorous feel complete with dog sounds. Only one
track from the era in which Wallace was a member appears here,
'LADIES OF THE ROAD', and I think Mel Collins as a guest on
sax wouldn't have been bad. Maybe next time. Perhaps the least
effective track is 'STARLESS', which doesn't do enough new
with the track. Also, there isn't anything from the 90's Crimson
onward, sticking mostly with the early and 80's incarnations.
But this is 'Volume One', so perhaps next time something from
the avante-jazz LIZARD would work to great effect, and how
would an acoustic jazz trio handle the abrasive industrial
material from THE CONSTRUKCTION OF LIGHT? All of this record
comes highly recommended to any jazz fan or anyone who can't
get enough of early King Crimson. All done very tastefully
and very professionally.***
I'm sure Bill Bruford would shake Ian's hand if he heard
this record. Maybe even thought,'Why didn't I think of/do
that?'. After years of session work, Ian Wallace is a drummer
and musician to be heard these days. A good place to start
would be here(for the smokey jazz), his work with the 21st
Century Schizoid Band(for the nostalgia trip) and his solo
projects such as FISSION TRIP and HAPPINESS WITH MINIMAL SIDE
EFFECTS, in which Wallace also provides other instruments
as well as vocals. Go, Ian.
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