JAZZ REVIEW : Richmond Ensemble: Art Above Bravura

When the Kim Richmond Ensemble goes to its collective grave at some point in the distant future, its members will no doubt have the artistic satisfaction of having never made it.

The sextet, which worked the Room Upstairs at Le Cafe Tuesday night, has nothing going for it that would attract either a major record label or a crowd: no name lyrics, no alliterative band name, no ear-shattering decibel level, no catchy promotional campaign.

What the Kim Richmond Ensemble does have is an abundance of talent, a profound sense of musicality and a commitment to improvisational music that will insure its continued obscurity.

Richmond, an alto saxophonist who could bring justice to any musical form, seems satisfied with his plight of creating what he called “liberated, post be-bop New York jazz.” Though the form has yet to earn its own Grammy category, it nonetheless provided an apt form for the group’s improvisations.

Tunes from the Miles Davis repertoire (“Solar” and “Nardis”) provided the opening and closing fodder for Richmond and company during its opening set. Both are rarely heard gems that worked beautifully in establishing the group’s front line of alto and tenor saxophones (Richmond and John Gross) and valve trombone (Mike Fahn). Distancing itself from the Concorde power of a front line like Art Blakey’s, these three men strode confidently in and out of the melody passages as they created richly contrasting textures in various combinations.

A rhythm section of pianist Tad Weed, bassist Bob Bowman and drummer Billy Mintz supplied just the right accompaniment in each setting.

Marvelous readings of Eddie Harris’ “Freedom Jazz Dance,” in which Weed’s playing was wonderfully understated and in which Bowman found great solo expression, and Richmond’s own darkly haunting “Franz For Brunch,” featured the leader on the EWI, an odd-looking synthesizer unit he put to fine musical use. But the group was at its best on a medley of three ballads.

The medley provided solo outings for the quietly understated Richmond (“Never Let Me Go”), the busier and breathier Gross (“I Love You”) and the musically reaching Fahn (“Body and Soul”). Again, the rhythm section provided great support.