Out Here (Little (i) Music)
Mary LaRose
Released October 8, 2021
Arts Fuse 2021 Jazz Critics Poll Top 10 Vocal Album
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ngWObRuYEmBEnIDB_2VIl87VZfe9CxdE8
Spotify:
About:
Mary LaRose is a visual artist who graduated with a fine arts degree with honors from Brooklyn College where she studied painting with Philip Pearlstein, Alan D’Arcangelo and William Williams. She is a figurative and portraiture artist who is known for her ability to capture the essence of a person. Her use of color and composition provide a unique lens through which to view her work. Her work takes her on that journey and she is just along for the ride. Just as music is of the moment, she tried to capture a special moment in her work
Mary LaRose is a also forward-thinking jazz vocalist who is known for extending the Jazz “Vocalese” tradition to Post-Bop music, singing her new lyrics to the music of Ornette Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Charles Mingus and Eric Dolphy among others. Her unique approach to the music is documented in her many recordings which have included artistic collaborations with artists such as Mark Ribot, Steve Swell, Mark Feldman, the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, Steven Bernstein, Dominic Duval, Matt Wilson and her partner and artistic collaborator Jeff Lederer.
Track Listing:
1. Gazzelloni (Eric Dolphy / Mary LaRose) 06:58
2. 245 (Eric Dolphy / Mary LaRose) 05:07
3. Out There (Eric Dolphy / Mary LaRose) 05:00
4. Music Matador (Mary LaRose / Prince Lasha / Sonny Simmons) 06:49
5. GW (Eric Dolphy / Mary LaRose) 07:00
6. Serene (Eric Dolphy / Mary LaRose) 05:39
Poem “Syncopation” written by Hallie Lederer
7. Out to Lunch (Eric Dolphy / Mary LaRose) 06:08
8. Love Me (Mary LaRose / Victor Young) 04:39
9. Warm Canto (Mary LaRose / Mal Waldron) 05:00Poem “Lover’s Wish” written by Patricia Donegan
Personnel:
Mary LaRose: vocals
Jeff Lederer: clarinet, bass clarinet
Tomeka Reid: cello
Patricia Brennan: vibraphone, electronics
Nick Dunston: bass
Matt Wilson: drums
Special Guests
Jimmy Bosch: trombone, vocals (4)
Bobby Sanabria: percussion (4)
Isaiah Johnson: clarinet (9)
Cameron Jones: clarinet (9)
Maya Rose Lederer: vocals (4)
Recorded January 15 – 16, 2020, at Samurai Hotel NYC
Recorded and Mixed by Mike Marciano
Mastered by Scott Hull
Cover Art by Mary LaRose
Design by James Miceli
Review:
Vocalist Mary LaRose has long been putting vocals, with and without words, to the works of modern jazz composers such as Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, Charlie Haden and Eric Dolphy. This CD is her first full-length exploration of Dolphy, probing the free-wheeling elusiveness of his work with a group which includes several of the instruments he used in his recordings, cello, vibraphone, and bass clarinet.
LaRose approaches Dolphy’s music by putting lyrics to some tunes, singing wordlessly on others and even reciting appropriate poetry on two tracks. Everything has a playful lightness which feels right in tune with his sound-world. On “Gazzelloni” the leader chirps out the title over Patricia Brennan’s electronically warped vibes, Tomeka Reid’s chugging cello, Jeff Lederer’s up and down clarinet and a drop-step beat supplied by bassist Nick Dunston and drummer Matt Wilson. “245” sees LaRose purring and scatting over the melody as the band cruises into a frisky walking jazz groove. On “Out There” and “GW,” she navigates the tunes’ erratic tempo shifts, pauses and surges with ease as the other musicians push and pull brightly through the music, running a brisk pace on “GW” and creating a hazy, dreamlike mood on “Out There..”
On “Serene” LaRose recites a poem, “Syncopation,” written by Hallie Lederer, over an ambient layer of resonating vibraphone sounds which changes into a bluesy chamber jazz group sound as LaRose switches to wistful blues ballad singing in the manner of Annie Ross. This version of “Music Matador” doubles down on the Caribbean flavor of the Dolphy treatment by beefing up the band with two Latin Jazz specialists, trombonist Jimmy Bosch and percussionist Bobby Sanabria. Saxophonist Jeff Lederer only plays clarinet and bass clarinet on this session and his woody sound blends well with LaRose’s warm, elastic voice. That is especially true on “Love Me” which was originally a powerful duet by Dolphy on bass clarinet with bassist Richard Davis. Here it is done by just LaRose and Lederer; the vocalist stretches her voice through the highs and lows of Dolphy’s solo as Lederer honks and cries in support. The CD ends with a rare Mal Waldron composition, “Warm Canto” which originally featured Dolphy on clarinet, Here LaRose softly hums over a clarinet trio’s melodic lilt before evocatively reading a poem by Patricia Donegan, “Lover’s Wish” with sympathetic murmurs from the cello and vibes.
The unorthodox beauty and meditative serenity of Eric Dolphy’s music comes out radiantly in this tribute. Mary LaRose and her partners treat his work with respect while adding elements of confidence and adventure which highlight how joyous and fun it can be. This is an excellent effort from a very talented and criminally overlooked musician.
Jerome Wilson (All About Jazz)
