Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie Quintet - Live at Montreux
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CD Details
Artist: Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie QuintetPerformer: Mike Marshall
Performer: Todd Phillips
Performer: Andy Narell
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1990-10-25
Music Label: Windham Hill Records
Soundtracks:
- Egrets
- The Lights In The Sky Are Stars
- Daughter Of Cups
- Egypt
- Brann St. Sonata
- In What Hour
- Pumpkin Time
- Tideline
- Duet
- Near Northern - Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie Quintet
Music reviews of Live at Montreux
Music Review: My first fix of Anger.
Rating: 5 Stars
Once upon a time, there was a new start-up label called Windham Hill. A small west coast enterprise that had been the shared vision of Will Ackerman and Anne Robinson, its founders, it boasted a stable of fresh talent the likes of which few such new labels did. And, to keep operational matters under control, rather than dilute its own efforts, Windham Hill partnered with A&M Records to handle its distribution in those early days. A smart move at the time.
Some years later, Windham Hill became "the Windham Hill Division of BMG" and, for those who know the BMG entertainment conglomerate (Bertelsmann Music Group) story, it is, in microcosm, the story of "how not to run a music enterprise." In time, most of the talent in that stable moved on, some to find happy homes elsewhere and some not.
One of the casualties of the various Windham Hill "catalog shakeouts" that were part of BMG's "corporate pain" over the years was this early Darol Anger effort, "Live at Montreux: Darol Anger/Barbara Higbie Quintet." It was among my initial Windham Hill acquisitions virtually two decades ago. (Shortly afterward, I acquired another Darol Anger effort, "Chiaroscuro," featuring a near-identical artist complement, but a studio production rather than a live concert.)
In fact, this album *was* "my first fix of Anger," a fact for which I'm grateful to Will Ackerman, since I've subsequently become a Darol Anger completist. And, although this album may no longer be in the Windham Hill catalog, it is listed here, copies from Amazon marketplace partners are available, and that is good enough for me to write about this "first fix."
The quintet, recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival (in Montreux, Switzerland at an "Evening with Windham Hill"), includes Darol on violins, Barbara Higbie on piano, Mike Marshall on guitar and mandolin, Todd Phillips on acoustic bass and Andy Narell on steel drums. For its time, this ensemble instrumentation produced a totally fresh and unique sound, not least of which was due to Andy Narell's steel drum work, in addition to Darol's totally fresh approach to fiddling.
Some of the highlights of this collector's item:
The lead-off track, "Egrets," features great steel drum work by Andy Narell and acoustic bass by Todd Phillips.
"The Lights In The Sky Are Stars" has nice piano work by Higbie, guitar work by Marshall, and swinging violin by Anger, with more great steel drum back-up work by Narell. This track, as much as any, defined a new steel drum style that wasn't calypso. It's improvised - and totally acoustic - jazz. Period.
"Daughter of Cups" is a nicely lyrical Higbie piano work. "Egypt" opens with Marshall on mandolin, with Higbie, Narell and Phillips setting a good rhythm line; then Anger comes swerving in with his violin, with a chorus that is full of his quirky offbeat rhythms, jazzy ornamentation and soaring lines. Higbie then takes the melody from Anger; makes a nice improvisatory run with it, and hands it off to Narell for his solo, to close out the track.
"In What Hour" starts with a piano/guitar intro; then Darol swinging away on his violin. Once again, there is excellent bass support from Phillips and percussion from Narell. The piece bridges to an upbeat tempo in the final 2 minutes or so, nicely swinging, everyone getting their licks in. Nice warm audience reaction at the end.
"Tideline" has a nice hard-driving pulse set up by Higbie and reinforced by Phillips; this time Anger takes it up into the higher strings, swapping licks with Marshall on mandolin.
"Near Northern" may be my favorite "early Windham Hill track" irrespective of artist(s). Simply put, this track is a trip that rips! Great acoustic bass and guitar support from Phillips and Marshall; great piano work by Higbie; soaring double-stops by Anger. The ultimate feel-good high!
At a few minutes under an hour (typical for early CDs), this album may, to some, seem too short. But I measure my albums by the quality of their content, and the content here is all first class. Not to mention the fact that it (and its "Chiaroscuro" stablemate, listed elsewhere at Amazon as ASIN B00000AF3J) got me started on two decades' worth of subsequent Darol Anger albums of such eclecticism that he almost defies categorization. I'd call that an wise investment, not a profligate purchase!
Bob Zeidler
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