Progressive jazz guitarist Phil Sargent’s second CD, A New Day, is his first release as leader since his debut, For Carl, in 2002. During the intervening years Sargent has been very busy as a sideman working with a variety of well-known band leaders such as Jerry Bergonzi, John Lockwood, Bruno Raberg and Bob Moses. He also performs and records with band mates Greg Loughman on bass and Mike Connors on drums, in the group Iskar, playing a blend of prog rock and free jazz. Sargent and Connors, also perform with the Industrious Noise Trio, an avant-garde jazz three-piece. On A New Day, Sargent, Loughman and Connors are joined by pianist, John Funkhouser and vocalist, Aubrey Johnson for seven tracks of Sargent’s original compositions. Sargent is as much a composer as he is performer, writing not only specifically for this quintet, but also for his other outlets. Although lengthy improvisations are a key element of his music, his compositions are intricate, comprised with complex harmonies and elaborate melodies.
Featuring prominently in the group’s sound are the vocalizations of singer Aubrey Johnson, often in unison with Sargent’s guitar. Johnson’s facile, light soprano easily follows even the most complex of Sargent’s runs. The voice-guitar combination has a transfiguring effect, creating a unique instrumental sonority. Sargent uses an array of pedals to control various electronic effects, but these are often subtle and enhance rather than interfere with the music. A favorite of Sargent’s is the volume pedal which he deftly applies to soften or eliminate the string attacks, resulting in a rounder more bowed string quality. The music occasionally takes on a rock beat with Sargent applying distortion as the band kicks into full fusion mode, but this is more the exception than the rule.
The CD begins with the title track, “A New Day,” marked by modern jazz harmonies a la Metheny or Rosenwinkle. Elements of “A New Day” are indicative of other selections on the CD, interesting harmonies, complex melodies with vocalization, progression building to an intense, free-style climax and a return to the top. “Kelita” is an appealing slow Eastern European dance style piece with a pulsing bass and modal vocalized melody. Loughman has a long bass solo exploring the low and high ranges of his instrument, improvising yet maintaining strong references to the melodic theme. He is followed by Sargent whose alternating fast runs and lyricism are colored by the occasional special acoustic effect of partially muting the strings with the heel of his right hand as he plays. After a low key intro, “8/31” settles into a steady rock beat with an unusual and memorable melody in guitar and voice. Vocalist Johnson is featured in “Light,” a Brazilian flavored slow, subdued jazz piece with brushes and lots of cymbals on drums and soft arpeggios on guitar and a guitar solo which includes long Rosenwinkle type runs but also chordal, harmonic sections and another nice bass solo. “Gridlock” is a more experimental piece with dissonance, angular melodies and shifting tempos. “Powerplay” is a driving, distortion-guitar rock-fusion piece where Johnson flawlessly follows every leap, twist and bent note Sargent turns out. Sargent blasts through solos with rock-like riffs and power chords. The CD ends softly, but beautifully with “Nobody Nothing” an instrumental ballad with long, lyric, Metheny-like, sometimes soaring guitar lines and great drum work from Connors who changes the feel from jazz to rock effortlessly.
The multi-talented Sargent works hard at his craft, composing with purpose rather than simply to create a takeoff point for solos. And, he constantly tweaks and colors his playing, sometimes using electronic effects, but more often using performance techniques such as switching from pick to fingers, partially muting certain notes, softening attacks and shifting from single lines to octaves and other harmonic voicings. The entire band puts tremendous creative effort into creating diverse and interesting sounds. They all seem as emotionally attached to the music as Sargent himself. In other words, Sargent and his band are a part of what keeps jazz interesting and alive.
Key Tracks: A New Day, 8/31, Powerplay
June 13, 2010
