Saxophonist McPherson Extends Bop’s Creativity

Given the fervor of the bebop revival of the ‘90s, it’s a mystery why alto saxophonist McPherson hasn’t landed a lucrative contract with a major label. Granted, at 58, he can no longer be identified as a “young” lion. But the quality of his playing, the sheer, effervescent enthusiasm of his improvising, places him in a category of his own. In McPherson’s hands, bop emerges not as a revivalist reexamination of the past but as a still-alive, creative extension of music that has never really moved away from the present tense.

McPherson plays beautifully here, accompanied by a simpatico rhythm section of pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Ray Drummond, drummer Victor Lewis and percussionist Bobby Sanabria. The program provides solid, straight-ahead blowing possibilities: a couple of bop-oriented tunes, a couple of ballads, a pair of originals and two Latin-styled numbers. And McPherson makes the most of it. On Thelonious Monk’s “Evidence” he swarms across the chord changes, notes pouring in and around the cracks, rhythm surging in every line. His ballad renderings of “How Deep Is the Ocean?” and “You’re My Thrill” are more lyrical, their impact intensified by the warmth and tenderness of his sound. Backing him superbly, Miller contributes several crisp, driving solos to a performance that once again defines McPherson as one of the 1990s’ most underappreciated major jazz artists.

*** SONNY ROLLINS, “Global Warming,” Milestone

Rollins describes “Global Warming” as his “ ‘Freedom Suite’ of 1998.” Well, maybe. But 1998 is not 1958, and the pieces here, attractive as some are, don’t come close to matching either the intensity or the extended form of the earlier recording.

Still, there’s some fine Rollins work in this buoyant collection, his first CD in two years. A new ballad, “Echo-Side Blue,” is lovely, the kind of melody that cries for lyrics and will surely be covered by other jazz artists. The calypso rhythms so essential to his music simmer through several tracks--among them the jaunty title piece and the familiar “Island Lady.” And on the only standard, “Change Partners,” Rollins demonstrates his masterful capacity to take a familiar tune and make it his own. Are the Rollins sound and technique what they once were? Not quite, but even in the thinner passages, his playing still produces some of the most compelling moments in jazz.

** 1/2 GEORGE COLEMAN, “I Could Write a Book: The Music of Richard Rodgers,” Telarc

Coleman came close to a high-visibility career in the early ‘60s, when he made several recordings with the Miles Davis Quintet (which then included Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams) before departing, replaced by Wayne Shorter. Visibility aside, he has nonetheless been a solid performer, notable for his rapid-fire technique and hard-edged, straight-ahead rhythms.

This outing, however, has a surfacey quality to it, with many of the up-tempos--due, in part, to the boisterous accompaniment of pianist Harold Mabern--lacking any sense of creative depth. But in his better moments (most notably, a lovely soprano sax rendering of “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” a courageous romp through “My Favorite Things” and his warmly articulate tenor solos) Coleman reveals that he is a player who clearly deserves more attention. He’ll have the opportunity to receive some local consideration starting Tuesday, when he opens an engagement at the Jazz Bakery.

*

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