Blued Dharma isn’t the first time Canadian pianist Adrean Farrugia and NYC-based tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm have played together, but it is the first time their interactions as a duo have been presented. Though they’ve performed for nine years in drummer Ernesto Cervini’s Quartet and Turboprop ensembles, their association dates back to the late ‘90s when saxophonist Kenji Omae played Farrugia a bootleg of a jam session featuring Frahm with fellow saxist Chris Potter and was suitably mesmerized. The idea for the date arose naturally when during a soundcheck on a Cervini tour, the two played as a duo and heard the magic that emerged. Each manifests a passion and genuine love for music that’s palpable throughout the release, which the two recorded in one evening, last August 15th at Tedesco Studios in New Jersey.
They bring impressive CVs to the pairing, each having been schooled by renowned jazz figures, in Frahm’s case, Maynard Ferguson, Betty Carter, Dewey Redman, Lee Konitz, and Pat Martino, and in Farrugia’s, Ernie Watts, Larry Carlton, Tom Scott, Bob Brookmeyer, Randy Brecker, and Kenny Wheeler. You’ll find Frahm’s name in the credits of more than 100 recordings; for his part, Farrugia has issued three albums as a leader, the second of which, Ricochet, received a 2011 JUNO nomination for best contemporary jazz recording.
Frahm’s melodicism and incredible technique captivated Farrugia when he heard that bootleg, and such qualities are abundant on the new outing. Their special rapport comes through in all eight pieces, five of them Farrugia originals and two standards (Ray Noble’s “Cherokee” gets two run-throughs). There’s joy in these performances, but also deep feeling and groove, and hearing them dig into these tunes is a treat. Farrugia’s “Blued Dharma” (the title an anagram of Brad Mehldau, one of Farrugia’s favourite pianists) veritably sings in the duo’s hands, its bright character bolstered by soprano sax, and they invest the grooving tune, as much gospel, blues, and R&B as jazz, with an infectious swing that won’t be denied (see the pianist’s later “Gospell” and “Cool Beans” for equally potent illustrations). Even at this early stage on the recording, the ease with which they execute unison statements and otherwise diverge to weave in and around one another is striking. Now on tenor, Frahm introduces the rollicking first stab at “Cherokee” robustly and with an agility that’s ably matched by his partner. The duo’s take on the Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II chestnut “Nobody Else But Me” has charm to spare, with both players delightedly voicing the song’s melodies.
In the lyrical ballad “For Murray Gold,” Farrugia pays heartfelt tribute to the English composer who served as musical director for Doctor Who from 2005-2018, with Frahm’s vibrato-sweetened expressions exuding a bit of a Ben Webster-like quality; rich in humanity, it’s a stunning performance that might be the album’s best, even if the others are as commendable. Writing about Don’t Explain, Frahm’s collaboration with Mehldau, in 2004 for JazzTimes, Thomas Conrad noted the duo’s success in “avoiding the primary risk of saxophone and piano duo recordings, which is their tendency to become austere, non-swinging recitals between contrapuntists.” There’s nothing austere about Blued Dharma, which joyfully swings, even during its most restrained moments, and one can’t help but be captivated by the conviction of the performances and the deeply empathetic playing on display.
May 2018
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