Nomads   

Ever Moving, Ever Changing

Nomadic communities are often thought of as those peoples who travel from place to place, residing in each locale for only a brief period of time before moving on. Their lives appear to be fluid and ever changing, as dictated by the nature and demands of their momentary surroundings.

Whitney Balliett, the esteemed and much-imitated jazz writer for the New Yorker magazine, once called jazz “the sound of surprise.” Maybe another way to put that would be to say that when listening to (or playing) improvised music, you should always be ready to expect the unexpected. These descriptive statements are certainly true of this date. Dave Liebman and I had no preconceptions here, other than the compositions we would play and the instruments we would play them on. The rest, to our way of thinking, would take care of itself.

When we decided to undertake this project and record a series of short- and longer-form duets, one of our goals was to extend the boundaries of our usual roles (saxophonist / drummer) in order to traverse a musical landscape that celebrates the traditional, the contemporary, and the surreal aspects of many genres of music. Utilizing the intimacy of the duo format, we each play seven instruments on original compositions, songs from the American songbook, classic jazz repertoire, and totally improvised pieces – using genres such as jazz, classical, world music, and hip hop as vehicles to fuel our creative energies. Each track on this CD is different from the other, as Lieb and I – in true nomadic fashion – stop here and there long enough to explore some of the many facets of the musical art.

Each composition, with the exception of the totally improvised “Shape Shifters” and “Orange Moon,” was chosen by us for its expressive potential. Our decisions about what instruments would be utilized on each track, were made much the same way a painter like Vasarely or Klee   would choose to present his colors and shapes on a canvas.  Lieb, who is known world-wide as a master saxophonist, expanded his pallet on these duets by exhibiting his considerable skills on the c-flute, the wooden flute, piano, drums, and voice. In addition to the drums, I played pocket cornet, the rarely heard e-flat alto valve trombone, piano, Tibetan singing bowls, assorted percussions, and I also utilized my voice, as both a tone color and as a storyteller.

Both Lieb and I very much enjoyed breathing life into these duets. As you listen to our music, you’ll hear the entire range of what two open and empathetic human beings can do, purely for the love of doing it. And what could be better than that?

 Michael Stephans

 November 2008

Mike mentions the word storyteller in his notes. I think that what we have done here is exactly that – telling stories, much like the ancient elders gathered around the fireplace, reciting for the community. By the time you get to our stage of life as a human being and musician, it is after all, truly storytelling. It is the tale of one’s life in conjunction with a partner(s), recited in the moment, using one or another musical vehicle and in this case, instrument, as a means of expression. Nomads tell stories for the ages – accumulated wisdom for all to dig. Of course, it goes without saying that such a level of communication can only be accomplished with one’s musical peers and in Mike, I have found another brother of the highest order

Dave Liebman

November 2008

A Few Notes About The Music

A Few Notes About The Music

Track 1: Nomads   (wood flute + percussion)

Based upon a repetitive 26-beat pattern (played as 7-7-7-5) 

Track 2: The Windup   (soprano saxophone + drums)

A composition by Keith Jarrett from his ECM quartet recording, Belonging.

Track 3: Dusk   (piano + drums)

A pensive and little-known piece by Duke Ellington arranged by Lieb, who plays piano here.

Track 4: Get Happy   (tenor saxophone + drums)

The 1929 classic by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler.

Track 5: Sparrows   (soprano saxophone + pocket cornet)

Homage to Steve Lacy and Don Cherry.

Track 6: Mingus Ah Um   (tenor saxophone + rap + drums)

The hip-hop version of a poem written for Mingus by Mike.

Track 7: Orange Moon   (mouthpiece-less soprano saxophone + voice)

Homage to composer George Crumb.

Track 8: Tie Those Laces   (tenor saxophone + drums)

A piece by Lieb written for his daughter, Lydia.

Track 9: Down and Gone   (recitation + piano + electronics)

Lieb recites a Stephans poem with Mike on piano.

Track 10: Connect the Dots   (Eb valve trombone + drums)

A piece by Stephans, here on the alto horn, with Lieb on drums.

Tracks 11-12: Two Solo Pieces:

Honeysuckle Rose (Waller, Razaf) – Stephans on drums

            Imagination (Burke, Van Heusen) – Liebman, reharmonizing on piano

Track 13: Shape Shifters

An extended suite, with Lieb on soprano sax, piano, and tenor sax in that order, with Stephans on drums throughout.

Track 14: Ephemeral   (c-flute + Tibetan singing bowls / percussion):

A spare four-note motif played on the Tibetan bowls anchors Lieb’s flute. 

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