Youth, Creativity, Talent Keep the Juices Flowing

The ‘90s have been a decade of plenty for jazz recordings, with a plethora of new and reissued product. Despite the apparent fact that young artists seem to be putting out albums in record numbers, however, it still isn’t all that easy for artists to take the important first step up in their careers. So it’s good to have an opportunity to hear some new performers whose music does not necessarily flow from the currently politically correct neoclassical jazz style.

Smalls, an unpretentious jazz cellar in New York City’s West Village, has become--since opening in 1994--a mecca for ambitious young jazz artists. The no-alcohol, no-minimum-charge room, just off Sheridan Square, opens at 10 p.m. with shows until 2 a.m. At that point, a jam session takes over that usually runs, literally, until sunrise. The entrance price of $10, which includes lemonade and juice drinks, has to make Smalls one of the best entertainment bargains in the Big Apple.

And what emerges in this first collection of Smalls-associated performers is confirmation that the music is a bargain as well. Not as avant-garde as the sounds from the Knitting Factory nor as big-band-styled as the Monday night ensembles at places like the Village Vanguard or Iridium, it is music that has a non-dialectic quality, willing to simply find its own voice.

Particularly interesting is the work of talented bassist-composer Omer Avital’s ensemble, which sometimes resonates with the rangy, open sound of Charles Mingus’ small ensemble music. And Jason Lindner’s big band somehow manages to sound both traditional and cutting-edge, verging from thick-textured dissonances to straight-ahead riffing.

Among the promising individual players, there is some auspicious soloing from saxophonists Zaid Nasser and Charles Owens, trombonist John Mosca and trumpeter Joe Magnarelli.

Are these players who are ready to break out on their own? Not quite yet. But they are players with promise and imagination, equivalent in some respects to the fine, unknown musicians who show up at Los Angeles’ World Stage. And Impulse!, which historically has been a company receptive to new, often radical jazz ideas, should be commended for providing a view inside Smalls’ fascinating musical world. Three stars, then, for youthful enterprise and ambition.

Mark Shim, 23, received his first important visibility as a sideman with Betty Carter (whose bands have been vital training grounds for talented players). To his credit, the young tenor saxophonist has wasted no time finding his own voice. His album is carefully structured, mixing originals with pieces by drummer Ralph Peterson, bassist Curtis Lundy and Mingus’ blazing “Remember Rockefeller at Attica.”

The Jamaican-born Shim is already a powerful player, with a resonant lower register, a commanding improvisational vision and a strong rhythmic drive. A direct descendant of the Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Gene Ammons style, he plays with a power and confidence that belie his age, interacting superbly with a rhythm section that includes solid support from pianist Geri Allen.

No young lions in the bunch here, but plenty of intriguing music from Shim and the Smalls musicians. Not only are the ‘90s giving us more recordings, they’re giving us a reaffirmation of the continuing flow of jazz creativity.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).