Landscape Scripture (Sunnyside Records)
Scott DuBois
Released March 13, 2012
2012 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll Best New Albums
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mp1GxyrJj62NqbC_L6SK8xHUtng2i7NI0
Spotify:
About:
The Impressionist movements in the arts were revolutions of the senses. In visual arts, the semblance of form through the use of light and color shocked the art world. Impressionist composers, whose aim was to create an atmospheric music, created freely moving, harmonically ambiguous sound paintings. Both movements looked to break from the traditional approach of using overt structure to create form, instead using aura as a frame for form.
The music of guitarist/composer Scott DuBois exhibits a balance between the visceral and conceptual. His playing can be delicate or violent, his writing direct or abstract. DuBois finds part of his diverse inspiration in the Impressionists, both visual and aural, providing compositions that suggest form through sound with intense emotion. He references the work of one great artist directly, the master painter Claude Monet. The results can be heard on his stunning, new Sunnyside release, Landscape Scripture.
An Illinois-native turned New Yorker, DuBois has been active in the international jazz world for over a decade. He has released five albums, three on Sunnyside, featuring his quartet of woodwind multi-instrumentalist Gebhard Ullmann, bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Kresten Osgood. With his core ensemble, DuBois has focused on developing a sound that allows for his classically inspired compositional identity alongside his emotive improvisational one. He has found as much inspiration in the works of Igor Stravinsky, György Ligeti and Witold Lutoslawski as he has in the fiery displays of John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy. DuBois has also been actively nurturing his formal classical writing to round out his musical identity.
Like many artists before him, DuBois has been greatly inspired by nature; especially landscapes. It shouldn’t be surprising that he chose to write four compositions inspired by the great impressionist Claude Monet’s famous series of landscapes entitled Haystacks. The series of 25 separate canvases depicts the same subject – haystacks – in various seasons and times of day. The pieces are interspersed throughout the selections on Landscape Scripture.
“Spring Haystacks” begins quietly with a droning bass and subtle guitar building with swirling bass clarinet and splashing drums, like an aural depiction of a sunrise. Galloping drums and bass lend a celebratory mood to “Summer Haystacks,” which also features a sing-song melody, reminiscent of a warm, folk theme. The falling notes and swirling tenor sax of “Autumn Haystacks” imitate the rustling of leaves in the fall winds, foreboding tension hints at the winter to come. The concluding “Winter Haystacks” is a hushed meditation with ringing guitar over the echoing drums and cold, sustained bass clarinet tones.
Along with this series, there are two longer suites, both inspired by scenes from DuBois’s native Midwest. A prancing bass and drums lead into “Prairie Suite,” before DuBois’s ethereal guitar floats and Ullmann’s bass clarinet romps across the ever-shifting landscape. “Lake Shore Suite” builds off the subtle tension established by the rhythm trio before Ullmann’s powerful tenor takes on a commanding role. Both suites are dynamic examples of the composer’s ability to create differing moods and environments within a single piece and the fantastic rapport among the ensemble members in communicating so effectively.
“Goodbye” begins with a faint guitar reverie with the other instruments respectfully joining in on a somber and especially resonant tone poem. The rumbling “Passing Spirit” provides a powerful example of the ensemble’s dynamic, and features amazing improvisatory performances by all.
The compositions on Landscape Scripture are expertly crafted while allowing the instrumentalists to manipulate the form with their unique tones and textures. The coalescence of their dramatic performances creates a feeling of a mirage-like structure in flux. DuBois’s intent is clear: to create emotional pieces of music that contain intensity and restraint without rigidity, music that cuts straight to the heart.
Track Listing:
1. Spring Haystacks (Scott DuBois) 08:00
2. Prairie Suite (Scott DuBois) 10:33
3. Goodbye (Scott DuBois) 04:59
4. Summer Haystacks (Scott DuBois) 03:29
5. Lake Shore Suite (Scott DuBois) 13:06
6. Autumn Haystacks (Scott DuBois) 05:30
7. Passing Spirit (Scott DuBois) 09:27
8. Winter Haystacks (Scott DuBois) 06:15
Personnel:
Scott DuBois: guitar
Gebhard Ullmann: tenor sax & bass clarinet
Thomas Morgan: bass
Kresten Osgood: drums
Recorded at The Village in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 13, 2011, by Thomas Vang
Producer: Scott Dubois
Mixed and Mastered by Walter Quintus
Graphic Design: Christopher Drukker
Painting: Claude Monet
Photography by Peter Ackermann
Review:
Art inspired by work in another medium can be difficult to successfully resolve—the old adage, “dancing about architecture,” comes to mind. In the hands of a truly talented and empathetic artist however, such creative cross-pollination can bear surprisingly fruitful results, occasionally developing new potential for expression beyond the preconceived limitations of each respective form.
Landscape Scripture is a highly accomplished and fully realized example of this concept. The fifth album by guitarist Scott DuBois (his third for Sunnyside Records), this record draws inspiration from the Impressionist paintings of Claude Monet—specifically his seasonally thematic Haystacks series. Capturing subtleties in lighting, temperature and texture, DuBois’ aural interpretations of Monet’s varied canvases convey the rising potential of spring, the celebratory warmth of summer, the wistful melancholy of autumn and the meditative calm of winter, in all their multihued glory.
Eschewing the intricate contrapuntal structures that dominated his quartet’s previous releases, DuBois penned a series of melodically straightforward pieces for this evocative session, including two long-form works directly inspired by more familiar landscapes—the panoramic vistas of his home state of Illinois. The sanguine “Prairie Suite” builds to an ecstatic climax reminiscent of the New Thing’s transcendent spirituality, while the episodic “Lake Shore Suite” boasts an array of kaleidoscopic detours, ranging from German multi-instrumentalist Gebhard Ullmann’s probing tenor soliloquies to DuBois’ anthemic valedictory choruses.
The leader’s prismatic fretwork is featured prominently throughout the date; darting between harmonic intervals with virtuosic aplomb, his quicksilver arpeggios lend an air of bristling intensity to the set’s folksy, psychedelic patina. At their most reserved, his resonant single note lines evoke a rustic Midwestern sensibility, which inspires introspective reflection from Ullmann, whose muted musings on “Goodbye” mirror the leader’s serene lyricism, while providing significant contrast to his own caterwauling bass clarinet tirade during the bracing coda of “Prairie Suite.”
Evoking John Fahey more than Bill Frisell, DuBois’ singularly bittersweet take on Americana is bolstered by the laudable contributions of fellow New York-based bassist Thomas Morgan and Danish drummer Kresten Osgood. Their nimble in-the-pocket grooves infuse DuBois and Ullmann’s interweaving cadences with a dynamic balance between rhapsodic élan and understated sensitivity. Osgood’s performance is particularly notable; on the bucolic opener, “Spring Haystacks,” he gradually modulates from impressionistic flourishes to impasto layers, rendering captivating polyrhythms without missing a beat.
A creative breakthrough for DuBois’ longstanding quartet, Landscape Scripture is more tuneful, earnest and accessible than any of their previous releases, and more importantly, is a brilliant transposition of another artist’s visualizations into pure sound.
Troy Collins (All About Jazz)
