Ellery Eskelin and
Han Bennink
Dissonant Characters
(HatOLOGY)
Contrary to popular perception, the Wynton Marsalis generation of jazz musicians wasn't
the first to follow in its parents' footsteps. Actually, jazz kids have found their
way onto the scene from the very beginning of the idiom's history. You might say
that Duke Ellington's son, Mercer, kicked it all off when he began deputizing for the
Maestro way back in the '40s, but the trend continued well into the '70s, producing,
among others, Charlie Parker protege Frank Morgan (whose dad, Stanley, played guitar
for the Ink Spots), T.S. Monk (wonder who his pop was?) and Jackie McLean's son Rene.
It's hard to hear Dissonant Characters, the beautiful new duet disc from downtown
tenorist Ellery Eskelin and veteran Dutch drummer Han Bennink, without taking each
musician's background into account. Although both Eskelin and Bennink are best known
for their preeminence in jazz's more expressionistic quarters, the album's soulful fluidity
bears witness to the head start each improviser had on most jazzers. According to
the liner notes, Bennink's first duet partner was his father, "a studio percussionist
who also played tenor." Eskelin, on the other hand, was handed the jazz tradition by
his mom, "who played the [Hammond] B-3 in organ combos."
Of course, that doesn't mean music here is mainstream -- not by a long shot. Eskelin's
tone may be reminiscent of the great tenorists of yore but he slips from the bluesiest
runs into melodically angular phrases ("Olorab=(Barolo)," "Flutter," "Bud + Shake") like they're cut from the same cloth. Bennink--who often dazzles live audiences
by playing the walls and the floor along with his drum set--is inspired to forego
his usual percussion theatrics and dig deep into the bag of grooves that first got
him noticed with reedist Eric Dolphy 35 years ago. He employs everything from cymbal crashes
to clanging bells and thundering tom-toms here, but the most astonishing moments
come when he throws some old-school brush work beneath Eskelin's whimsy. Any confusion
about where either musician's funk came from is completely dispelled by the reflective
readings of two Thelonious Monk compositions, "Brilliant Corners" and "Let's Cool
One."
--K. Leander Williams
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