Concert Review: Andrew Green’s Narrow Margin CD Release Show at the Cornelia St. Cafe, NYC 9/20/09- lucidculture.com Sometimes knowing a jazz group’s latest album before seeing them play from it is a complete waste of time. This time, it was like being handed a key to the secret back room where the party is always happening. A few years ago, guitarist Andrew Green spent some time on the disabled list with a busted wrist and he put the downtime to good use: he watched a lot of vintage film noir and wrote a lot of killer horn charts. The result was the album Narrow Margin (very favorably reviewed here recently), which is more of a homage to noir jazz from the 50s than it is an attempt to completely replicate the style. It’s full of mysterious twists and turns and catchy phrases, the kind of jazz album you find yourself humming as you walk down the street. And if you’re in the shadows, and it’s 4 AM and misty way over on the west side, all the better. Sunday night Green assembled most of the supporting cast who played on the album for a magical run through most of it.
Joining Green were his albummates Russ Johnson on trumpet and JC Sanford on trombone plus Noah Preminger subbing on tenor for Bill McHenry, with an inspired rhythm section of Kermit Driscoll on bass and Mike Sarin on drums. A lot of the songs slunk along with a latin pulse, and they nailed it. Watching the songs – and they are songs in the purest sense of the word - take shape was an apt reminder how cleverly and ingeniously Green composed them. Trumpet and trombone would weave and bob around each other while Green worked variations on the theme, often with a bracing tinge of natural distortion. Preminger got the chance to establish plenty of contrast against the suspense and occasional outright menace of the rest of the band and did it with a stunningly nuanced attack and an unassailable calm: as good as McHenry sounded on the cd, Preminger took it to the next level.
One of the oldest compositions, Miro, featured Driscoll working a finely honed, minimalist solo fleshed out with similar judiciousness by Green, sounding like an unconstrained, ballsier Joe Pass. Short Cut, with its wickedly catchy, four-note central riff was a clinic in the use of echo between horn players, Johnson’s trumpet perfectly evoking a blithe obliviousness as Green sputtered and threw off big dirty sparks underneath. Best song of the show was Midnight Novelette, a cinematic number if there ever was one, Green letting loose with a stinging volley of sixteenth notes after Johnson and then Sanford had built an indelibly nocturnal tableau. It was as if Bogart had been overheard at the bar, murmuring, “Play it again, guys.”
Narrow Margin CD review by Dick Metcalf, http://zzaj.freehostia.com/
The sonic brush Green paints the tunes with will make you soon realize that your ears are in the presence of a master! ...this is high talent playing that will be enjoyed by jazz listeners of all stripes on through the next couple of decades! I give this one a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Narrow Margin CD review by Jordan Richardson, Blogcritics.org Drawing its inspiration from a 1952 film noir, Andrew Green’s Narrow Margin is a deep, creative work infused with delicious dread and danger...The result of the noir infusion is a set of eight pieces arranged with a sense of consistency and harmony in mind. Like fresh rain on dark pavement, Green’s compositions linger with thought and fragrance...Narrow Margin is a cool, slick record. Green’s compositions are elegantly balanced to give equal time and cadence to improv and sweetly arranged passages.
Narrow Margin CD review by Lucid Culture.com
Taking its title from the 1952 Richard Fleischer noir film, this often astonishingly memorable cd was written by guitarist Andrew Green while recuperating from a broken wrist. It’s simply one of the best jazz albums of the year. Talk about putting downtime to good use! It’s both a loving homage to noir soundtrack music as well as an intriguing update on the style. This is all about tension and mystery, and in keeping with the genre, JC Sanford’s trombone, John Hebert’s bass and Mark Ferber’s drums establish an ominous backdrop for Bill McHenry’s tenor sax and Russ Johnson’s trumpet while composer Green’s guitar plays the P.I. role, working every angle. The songs here – and they are songs in the purest sense of the word – can evoke a sense of dread, but often deviously: they’re stylized but not formulaic. As with a good noir movie, very little is as it seems.
Right from the first few notes of the opening track, .45 Auto, the scene is set: a breathless horn hook, guitar spins off it and then a vivid Johnson solo over a murky rhythm section, who, sensing they’ve been discovered, then go scurrying off. Then McHenry goes honking cheerily to a big swell with echoes of Mingus. The second track, Midnight Novelette works a sinister theme with trombone and then the full band over a latin-tinged beat with playful muted trumpet and a tasteful, insisive Joe Pass style solo by Green. Both the third and sixth tracks, Miro and Short Cut have a vintage 50s Miles Davis feel – they could be classics from that era and may someday be acknowledged as such. The first is basically a swinging four-chord song that runs its gorgeously bracing chorus three times at the end to drive its point home; the other builds from a ridiculously catchy head to a Green solo that sputters and finally goes over the edge screaming over the distorted, reverberating roar of a rhythm guitar track. McHenry assumes his frequent role as the voice of reason while Green battles with the demons on the fretboard as the band rises out of the melee.
The title track cleverly interpolates Bernard Herrmann’s theme from Taxi Driver within the framework of a contrasting, more contemplative but equally suspenseful original, reinforcing the tension of the film piece. Other tracks here – pretty much all of them are standouts – include Black Roses, a calmly inscrutable exercise in how to build intensity, the golden-age 50s style Totally Joe, with a killer solo by Green peeking around the central chords rather than totally skirting them, and the least noir of all the tracks here, the concluding cut Honeymoon in Ipswich. Yet it also evokes a shadowy atmosphere, impatient, angry guitar pitted against a bustling, circular rhythm section that eventually goes way, way down for Sanford’s blissfully oblivious trombone to add an even further unbalanced feel: something is just waiting to go dreadfully wrong here. And then it’s over. As with a great suspense film, it screams out for a sequel.
Narrow Margin CD review by Bob Morello, Post-Gazette The crowning factor in Green's outstanding album is the group cohesion and compositional totality, that seems to bring it all together for one moving jazz experience!
Narrow Margin CD review by Mark Saleski, jazz.com Now this is just a terrific juxtaposition. Andrew Green weaves his tense and suspense-laden workout around the brooding jazz-noir of Bernard Herrmann's theme from the film Taxi Driver. Thinking back to the nervous energy that was a major underpinning to the film, the association that developed between jazz after midnight and chilling violence was difficult to ignore and quite long-lasting. Green brings back those feelings, managing to amplify them along the way. The edgy, start & stop unison lines set up the vibe. A minute or so in, Bill McHenry's sax enters in the call and response role. Tension builds until the main theme is introduced, which quickly gives way to a series of ascending rhythmic and melodic swells that pave the way for the appearance of “Taxi Driver” and the dark world of Travis Bickle. Subsequent transitions between Green's work and the original theme become so natural that it's easy to forget that Mr. Herrmann had no direct hand in this structure. Really great & evocative stuff.
Narrow Margin CD review byJ Hunter, all about jazz.com Narrow Margin is hard-edged music about hard-edged cinema and, like the best noir characters, the music packs a wallop. ...Green's compositions mostly stay sextet-size, but they've got all the stopping power of a blazing Tommy Gun. And the music was dark... dark like the shadows where most of the action happened. Andrew Green understands this, which is why Narrow Margin works like a Swiss pocket watch.
Sound Assembly - Edge of the Mind CD review by
Jordan Richardson, Blogcritics.org The horned swell of Breaking Point, composed by Schumacher, pushes and pulls with urgency. "The title is descriptive of taking a small amount of material and pushing it to its limit or breaking point," Schumacher explains. The cut is accented by a downright deadly bit of guitar from Green.
Sound Assembly - Edge of the Mind CD review by
Edward Blanco, EJazzNews.com ...cutting-edge seventeen-piece big band comprised of some of New York's finest jazz musicians among them drummer John Hollenbeck, trombonist Alan Ferber, pianist Deanna Witkowski and guitarist Andrew Green.
Sound Assembly - Edge of the Mind CD review by
Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes Co-led by composers David Schumacher and JC Sanford, this dynamic 17-piece jazz orchestra delivers heady, modernist fare ranging from the dissonant, surging "Breaking Point" to the majestic sweep of "Edge of the Window," the sly, Thad Jones-inspired "Chuck 'n' Jinx," the formidable "Rhythm of the Mind" and the gentle, rubato ballad "Ives, Eyes." The session is fueled by the excellent drumming of John Hollenback. Outstanding soloists include tenor saxophonist Chris Bacas, guitarist Andrew Green...
Sound Assembly - Edge of the Mind CD review
by Mark Saleski, Jazz.com
Track: Slide Therapy I put on this Sound Assembly track (Slide Therapy)…The slippery trombone bends and similar sliding guitar notes combine to surreal effect. The tension builds as more and more horns join the cascade of flowing notes (now moving in both directions). The suspense is finally broken by a groove that slowly takes shape. From there on in, the horns build to a frenzy that's sliced up by some snarling guitar and a few start-&-stop passages that lead us into a pensive fadeout. I can guarantee your reaction to this music will not be "Eh, whatever."
Here's some "bad" press I can live with. If being compared to Steve Vai is a dis, keep dissing, baby:
Sound Assembly - Edge of the Mind CD review on
Lucid Culture.com The only quibble with this cd is the couple of annoying, gratuitously garish Steve Vai/Buckethead-style electric guitar solos...Memo to axeman: just because you can play like that doesn’t mean you should.
Sound Assembly - Edge of the Mind CD review by
Richard Kamins, Hartford Courant Pianist Deanna Witkowski and guitarist Andrew Green are both integral to the sound of the band, the former for the compelling delicacy of her phrases (especially on "Ives, Eyes") and the latter for his commanding sound amidst the horns and unique riffs (especially his over-the-top slide playing on "Slide Therapy.")
Lincoln Journal Star - February 2003 By Tom Ineck
No one could ever accuse the John McNeil Quartet of playing cliches.With few comments from the leader regarding the title or the inspiration behind each tune, the band’s two-hour performance Friday night at Kimball Recital Hall flowed seamlessly, as though creating a symphonic suite or simply an extended conversation anomg four condfidants.
But none of the melodies, chord changes or improvised solos could be described as predictable.McNeil is a trumpeter, composer and band leader worthy of far more recognition than he has acquired in his 54 years.
While leading a quartet since 1979, and the current lineup since 1997, McNeil has developed a rare rapport with his sidemen: guitarist Andrew Green, bassist Tom Hubbard and drummer Ron Vincent.
The midtempo opener seemed to come out of left field, with a brief statement of the melody followed by a subtle, searching guitar solo alternating chords and single-notes runs. McNeil’s trumpet solo soared freely while staying narrowly and imaginitively within the chord changes.
An uptempo stop-time piece matamorphosed into another tune, with Green’s jagged, hard-edged guitar solo demanding attention. His tasteful use of effects (assorted slide, volume pedal, finger-tapping and hammer-on techniques among them) never got in the way and always added color to the overall sound.
Jazz Review: Tonic - August 2003 John McNeil - It was a treat to hear this elusive trumpeter, named by many young New York-based players as a major influence. McNeil's quartet featured Andrew Green on guitar, John Hebert on bass and Mark Ferber on drums. The first tune found Green playing shot-glass slide, harmonizing strangely with McNeil's loping melody lines. Five more tunes unfolded without a break, ranging from modern, swinging lyricism to free blowing and even to warped country-rock. Green brought Goodrick-like notions to the bandstand, while Hebert and Ferber underscored McNeil's assertive yet cerebral horn with their flexible rhythmic dance. McNeil's droll sense of humor seemed of a piece with the music. When the last tune ended, he announced, "OK, that was our first tune."
