Sam Rivers Quartet - Braids

2021 release

NoBusiness Records continues their fine series of releases from the Sam Rivers Archive as this album features the great multi-instrumentalist playing tenor and soprano saxophone, piano and flute in the company of Joe Daley on tuba and euphonium, Dave Holland on bass and Thurman Baker on drums. Recorded in Hamburg, Germany 1979 the music has a very interesting sound with both Daley and Holland creating wonderful low end textures that play with and off of one another alongside the reeds, piano and drums to build unique and compelling conception.

"An Evening in Hamburg, Part I" has the group stretching out for eighteen minutes of strong saxophone led improvisation, fast and free, with taut tuba, nimble bass and slashing percussion pushing the music along in a very exciting manner. "An Evening in Hamburg, Part II" is twice as long, beginning with the leader's unaccompanied piano that builds into a trio section with bass and drums that is stellar, capturing and holding one's attention, even more so when the tuba enters. Daley gets a short well played solo section, followed by a bass solo that has a long unaccompanied section with Holland kneading powerfully elastic tones from his instrument. Rivers moves to flute for the final section of the concert, with a wonderful section of flute and bowed bass or cello and low tuba developing a quite beautiful sound, followed by flute and tuba with chimes and little percussion instruments, developing an ever evolving sense of texture and progression.

As the end of the performance nears, the pace is increased and there is a full band blowout with flute in the lead, all quite melodic, accessible and captivating. The performance is very strong, and the sound has been remastered well, but still shows its age with tape hiss and a bit of compression.

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