Colossal Abundance Press Release
Geof Bradfield Colossal Abundance (Calligram Records 0013)
Release Date: September 6, 2024 (Double vinyl, CD and digital)
Release Concert: September 28, Hyde Park Jazz Festival
“Texas tenorist Geof Bradfield’s playing possesses a steely grandeur and deep sophistication.” –Michael Jackson, Downbeat
“…Bradfield is the sort of composer who creates room for departure.” -Nate Chinen
Composer and saxophonist Geof Bradfield’s music straddles diverse streams of the African Diaspora, drawing on modern jazz, Southern blues and roots, and African rhythms. With Colossal Abundance, his 10th album as a leader, Bradfield unveils his most ambitious work to date. Colossal Abundance is a meditation on the fabulous wealth—material, intellectual and spiritual—and abject poverty that coexist in modern society. Expanding upon his critically acclaimed Yes, and… music for nine improvisers (2017), Bradfield leads a stellar 12-piece ensemble through a program of his own compositions and new interpretations of John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Henry Threadgill and Jaki Byard.
“Twelve is a magic number,” muses Bradfield. “Mathematically it’s the smallest colossally abundant number, meaning it has unusually large number of divisors. Musically, that translates here into combinations of the 12 pulses of African rhythmic cycles, the 12 pitches of the Western chromatic scale, and the 12 musicians.” The core of the ensemble is the quintet heard on Bradfield’s Quaver (CR 0001), Russ Johnson (trumpet), Dana Hall (drums), Clark Sommers (bass) Scott Hesse (guitar). Johnson released his own highly acclaimed album Reveal (CR0004) on Calligram last year, as did the trio with Hesse’s burning live set Intention (CR0008). Returning from Yes, and… are Greg Ward (alto) and Anna Webber (flutes and tenor), both 2024 Downbeat Critics Poll winners on their respective instruments. Powerhouse trumpeter Derrick Gardner leads the brass with Norman Palm on trombone and Momo Hasselbring Seko on French horn. Ben Goldberg (clarinet, contra alto clarinet), a regular collaborator with Hall and Bradfield (General Semantics, Delmark 2020), completes the woodwinds, and percussionist Greg Beyer adds a robust palette of color and texture to the rhythm section.
Colossal Abundance heads in new directions out of the gate as Bradfield’s mbira and Beyer’s berimbau intertwine elegantly on “Mahororo,” a traditional Shona mbira song. Bradfield’s fascination with the mbira began during a 2008 tour in Zimbabwe. “We went to see an mbira group…it was such an uplifting experience, and I wanted to bring elements of that into my own music.” says Bradfield. To this end Bradfield has studied with mbira masters at home and more recently in rural Mhondoro, Zimbabwe. “I want to know the tradition well enough to write something new that would still feel organic to a Shona musician.”
The ensemble coalesces into a cubist portrait of John Coltrane’s classic “Lonnie’s Lament,” the melody fragmented into small cells spread around the band. “I imagined the ensemble as one huge mbira,” remarks Bradfield. After a lyrical and limber solo from Hesse, Bradfield switches to tenor, evoking late-period Trane. Ward closes the proceedings out, his alto soaring over pulsating horns and percussion. “Kaleidoscope” reflects a similar compositional process through its cyclical, layered melodies and shifting time signatures. After the composer’s fluid turn on bass clarinet, flutist Webber steps into the spotlight with stunning technique and imagination.
Bradfield returns to mbira for “Gandanga Blues,” a haunting vehicle for bass flute and muted trumpet, and on “Tuku,” written for Zimbabwean legend Oliver Mtukudzi, whom Bradfield met and performed with on his first trip to Zimbabwe. The rhythms of “Tuku” also recall African jazz legend Abdullah Ibrahim and Bradfield’s mentor Randy Weston. Gardner and Ward bring plenty of firepower to the table, culminating in a gripping exchange between the ensemble and drummer Dana Hall. Switching to tenor, Bradfield relaxes into a soulful half-time groove on a coda replete with shimmering mbiras and horns.
Jaki Byard’s “Mrs. Parker of K.C.” and Bradfield’s “Adelaide Bailey” offer contrasting tributes to Charlie Parker’s mother. “Mrs. Parker” travels far from home in the Éthiopiques-inspired arrangement, while the angular themes of “Adelaide Bailey” set the stage for boundary-pushing improvisation from Golberg on contra-alto clarinet and Johnson on trumpet.
Deep sounds from bassist Clark Sommers and Beyer’s marimba open “Requiem,” a remembrance of the lives tragically lost in the war in Gaza. The chorale builds to a harrowing climax before the bottom suddenly drops out, leaving Golberg’s poignant clarinet alone. Wayne Shorter’s “United” plays on a more hopeful theme, with searing contributions from Gardener, Bradfield, and finally Hall, whose efforts are bookended by virtuosic horn shouts.
The album struts to a close with Henry Threadgill’s Caribbean-flavored “Bermuda Blues.” Drummer Dana Hall channels Bob Marley drummer Carlton Barett with a spot-on One Drop rhythm before shifting to a Dub groove ala Lee “Scratch” Perry and other ‘Mad Professors’ in the second section. Double bass and contra-alto clarinet percolate underneath brash horns and tough solo statements from Palm and Johnson, the whole ensemble laying down furious rhythm to the final groove of Geof Bradfield and co.’s Colossal Abundance.
Praise for Quaver and Calligram Records
“… a terrific quintet outing by reedist Geof Bradfield, a Chicago treasure. The top-notch band—with Johnson, drummer Hall, bassist Clark Sommers, and guitarist Scott Hesse—embraces a classic Chicago aesthetic, spiked with the blues, unfussy in its attack and arrangements, and wide-ranging in the leader’s compositions.” -Peter Margasak, Nowhere Street
“Texas tenorist Geof Bradfield’s playing possesses a steely grandeur and deep sophistication.” -Michael Jackson, Downbeat
“The quintet is tight and loose simultaneously… the musicians take their time, reveling in the spontaneous joy of their music.” – Jazz Views UK
“The music is explicitly adventurous and forward-looking, as Bradfield and his mates seize every chance to take flight…”- Allaboutjazz.com
for General Semantics
“On the trio album, “General Semantics,” there’s humor, sobriety and a peace that’s funky one minute and chamber music the next, all of which goes to show that quirky instrumentation like two reeds plus drums doesn’t have to be a limiting factor, at least not if you’re in the habit of constantly mulling over your options, which is just what good improvisers do.” Kevin Whitehead, NPR Fresh Air. Listen here.
“The trio emphasizes the exuberance in presenting an instrumental arsenal that deviates from standard small jazz ensembles, not least of which is the absence of a chordal anchor.” Aaron Cohen, Downbeat (4 stars)
“The transparency of the band’s lineup—two reeds and brushes on the drums—makes it especially easy to hear the unshowy virtuosity that each musician brings to his instrument.” –Bill Meyer, Chicago Reader
“What a splendid sonic journey this is…The trio of Geof Bradfield, Ben Goldberg, and Dana Hall reminds us that when like-minded musicians get together, magic can happen. Magic does happen on “General Semantics“––this delightful and musical recording is well worth your attention!” -Step Tempest
for Yes, and..Music for Nine Improvisers
“Supported by Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works program, it’s an album of chamber-esque color and oft-surprising texture, because Bradfield is the sort of composer who creates room for departure.” -Nate Chinen
“There’s so much creativity erupting for every moment of this album that it could have been titles Yes, And…And..And…And…” -Philip Freeman, Downbeat (4 stars)
“Bradfield’s brilliance in leveraging long term friendships, writing for the individual rather than the instrument (a la Ellington) and knowing where to fill the canvas and where to leave space are apparent throughout.“-Dan Bilawsky, JazzTimes
“Boasting an impeccable tonal control and range, saxophonist Geof Bradfield hires a sterling cast of musicians to give wings to his seventh album of originals, Yes, and…Music For Nine Improvisers…Bradfield stepped up his compositional efforts for this categorical work and the outcome is unpretentious, sumptuous, and gratifying to the core.”- Jazztrail.net