Reviews for Back on the Corner

From All About Jazz
By John Kelman

It’s only been in the past decade that the electric music of the late Miles Davis has been re-explored, attaining more widespread credibility and acceptance. It’s turning out to be a matter of catching up with an icon that, through the many phases of his career, was often ahead of his time. Like so many others, saxophonist Dave Liebman only played with the trumpet legend for a brief period, but he acknowledges its significant effect. Back on the Corner explores that impact in the most personal of ways.

Liebman played on Davis’ On the Corner (Legacy, 1972)—a dense album that, with its repetitive grooves and flat-out sonic assaults, was one of the trumpeter’s most audacious and controversial recordings. Augmenting his current quartet with two guests—guitarist (and Davis alumnus) Mike Stern and electric contrabassist Anthony Jackson—Liebman has expanded his sonic capabilities, but the overall approach is filled with a space and, at times, calm rarely heard in Miles’ mid-‘70s music.

Unlike other tributes, there’s no trumpet here, and the emphasis is on original material. The studio versions of the two Davis tracks Liebman has selected are ones that he didn’t perform on record, though he did play them in performance. “Black Satin” rocks as hard as Miles ever did, but breathes more in the process; “IFE” is a slower, greasier take where Vic Juris once again demonstrates his remarkable versatility and incomprehensible position as one of jazz’s most undervalued guitarists.

Liebman may be known for his fiery intensity—and he delivers plenty of it on tracks like the swinging “5th Street” and Latin-esque “New Mambo,” where, following an equally powerful solo from Stern, he goes it alone with drummer Marko Marcinko before the rest of the group gradually re-enters. Both tracks also point to Liebman as a writer of greater detail. There’s ample solo space throughout the album and a strong emphasis on groove. But Liebman writes more clearly delineated heads, which provide a greater focal point for the rest of the group.

Perhaps the biggest revelation is “Bela,” a tranquil, classically informed tone poem that features a lyrical bass solo from Tony Marino and some elegant tradeoffs between Stern and Juris. The reference to Miles may appear subtle given the time period when Liebman worked with him, but Miles always respected spare economy and classicism. “Bela” is one of the most vulnerable and fragile pieces Liebman has every written, though the tenuous groove of “Mesa D’Espana” is a close second.

What makes Back on the Corner special is its avoidance of literal homage. Instead, Liebman demonstrates the very particular effect that Miles had on him in ways that may require a little searching. Liebman has always spoken with his own voice, but dig deep into Miles, and Liebman’s respect on Back on the Corner becomes crystal clear.

From JazzWeek
By Tad Hendrickson

Far from a tribute to the Miles Davis funk classic, Back On The Corner really says more about bandleader saxophonist Dave Liebman. Of the two Davis songs here,only "Black Satin"comes from that album,although "Ife" was part of the set list when Liebman played with Davis(1973-74). The rest of the album is Liebman originals, but done with the same feel that Davis had back then - Sly And The Family Stone, Sun Ra, Hendrix and James Brown were all heavy influences. Fellow Davis alumni Mike Stern and bassist Anthony Jackson augment Liebman's regular quartet and help bring this very electric music to life. Both of the covers are solid with "Black Satin" being particularly rockin'. Of the originals,the melodic "5th Street" and the muscular "New Mambo" have some real punch to them. Overall one of the better electric albums in a while, so fusion heads dig in
 

 

 

From All Music Review

By Greg Prato

While listening to saxophonist Dave Liebman's 2007 release, Back on the Corner, it's pretty darn hard not to think of Miles Davis' groundbreaking early-'70s fusion period. And there are obvious reasons for this: firstly, Liebman actually played with Davis at one point (appearing on Davis' 1973 release, On the Corner), another Davis sideman plays throughout the album (guitarist Mike Stern), and lastly, two of the compositions were penned by Davis himself. Joining Liebman and Stern is renowned sessionman Anthony Jackson on contrabass, plus Liebman's own band of the last 15 years (bassist Tony Marino, guitarist Vic Juris, and drummer Marko Marcinko). And the group admirably replicates the sound and feel of all those classic fusion releases of the early '70s (no Spyro Gyra-esque blahness here), especially on the aforementioned Davis-penned tracks, "Ife" and the downright funky "Black Satin," as well as the laid-back album opener, "5th Street," and another funk workout, the properly titled "J.B. Meets Sly." If you think that vintage-sounding fusion is dead and gone check this recording out.

From Modern Guitars Magazine

by Tom Watson.

 

Back On The Corner (2007, Tone Center) is the latest release from multi-instrumentalist Dave Liebman (tenor sax, soprano sax, piano, synthesizer, wooden flute) and Liebman's "regular working unit of the last 15 years" of Tony Marino (acoustic, electric, and stick bass), Vic Juris (guitar), and Marko Marcinko (drums, percussion, and keyboard programming on "Bela"); and, as Liebman puts it in the liner notes, "To make it a bit different and unique I decided to double up the bass and guitar chairs, adding Anthony Jackson [contrabass guitar] and former Miles sideman, Mike Stern [guitar]...".

Though the album is divided into 11 distinct tracks, it is, in a sense, a concept album or suite and functions as a unified whole, from the opening "5th Street" to the closing "J.B. Meets Sly/5th Street Reprise", though it might take a few listens before the nuances of its cohesive nature surfaces, which in turn is one of the many delights of Back On The Corner - it succeeds on many levels.

Dave Liebman describes the underlying concept in the liner notes: Back On The Corner celebrates Liebman's musical roots, with a special emphasis on Miles Davis with whom Liebman recorded and performed.

 "It happens to be that the first music I liked as a kid growing up in Brooklyn, NY was '50's rock 'n' roll with the tenor sax front and center as the main soloing instrument (stylistically bowing with more than a nod to the rhythm and blues honking style), before I heard Coltrane and jazz. So playing Miles' music was sort of a natural extension for me. This recording celebrates those musical roots as well as a look back to the "On the Corner" recording. [Back On The Corner liner notes by Dave Liebman]

The original On The Corner is an album recorded by Miles Davis in 1972 for Columbia Records, which is essentially two suites of music, "On The Corner" and "Black Satin" with various sub-sections that are separately titled. It was recorded in three sessions ("On the Corner" with variations on June 1, 1972 [session notes], and "Black Satin" with variations on June 6, 1972 [session notes]) and July 7, 1972 (session notes), at the Columbia Studio in NYC. Dave Liebman played on the June 1 session (soprano sax) and the sax chair was held by Carlos Garnett (alto and tenor sax) on the June 6 and July 7 sessions. The June 1 and June 6 sessions also included two different guitarists - John McLaughlin on June 1 and David Creamer on the 6th. Another session was held on June 12 (with Garnett appearing on soprano sax) (session notes) during which "Ife" (a Miles Davis tuned named after the daughter of percussionist James Mtume Forman) was recorded that appears on the album Big Fun.

Although Liebman did not play on the original studio recording of "Ife" (a tune which is included on Back On The Corner), he did perform it with Davis at the Montreux Convention Center on July 8, 1973, which appears on Miles at Montreux (original release date, 1973, box set re-release by Sony in 2002).

But relax, I don't include this trivia because it's essential to enjoying Back On The Corner. You can pop the CD in without context and in a heartbeat your head will bob and weave with the groove and that's the beauty of the album - it's a polished combination of simplicity and complexity that allows the listener to take what he will. On the surface, it might be viewed as a Liebman stroll down memory lane, and as such it's a sweet stroll, especially for fellow musicians who grew legs in the '60s and '70s, but below this smooth sounding surface lies a serious celebration of a style and approach to music making (and improvisation) that has influenced subsequent generations of players, whether or not they're aware of it.

 

I include this trivia because the excellence of the music on Back On The Corner might prompt you to peek beneath the surface.
 

What corner Dave Liebman is returning with Back On The Corner? The title references On The Corner, as does Liebman's own words in the liner notes, and the CD contains a tune ("Black Satin") from the original album plus "Ife", which Liebman performed with Davis (note: Liebman, as said earlier, did not play on the original studio recording of "Black Satin", but did perform it with Davis). As said earlier, Back On The Corner is intended as Liebman's celebration of his musical roots, including "...a look back to the 'On the Corner' recording."

Back On The Corner is not a Miles Davis tribute album. It is Liebman's celebration of his musical roots. Liebman's time with Davis obviously had an important impact on Liebman, and Back On The Corner is very Miles Davis-ish with respect to structure and approach, but there's more going on here than a Davis tribute. Liebman has taken the early '70s Davis jam band, percussion based approach, solidified it, expanded it (in a vein similar to earlier Davis periods) and used it as a theme for his personal foray into musical nostalgia that's a very contemporary look back.

As mentioned earlier, Back On The Corner, though presented as 11 different tracks, functions as a whole, a suite, in which the listener journeys down an imaginary street delighting in the various musical styles that influenced Liebman. It's as if we're walking through The Village and stopping into different clubs to sample a variety of music styles, which, though different, are united by one or more of these elements: a focus on rhythm; structure (bass or percussion intro - theme - improvisation - theme); or, the bridging use of interludes that set the stage for our next stop.

Our journey starts and ends on "5th Street", a Liebman tune that gives a nod to On The Corner primarily through its structure and groove. I asked Dave Liebman what was on 5th Street (I assumed it was NYC) that inspired the title and he told me, "I grew up on East 5th Street in Brooklyn, NY."

From the opening track to the closing, we make seven stops ("5th Street", "Ife", "Black Satin", "Bela", "New Mambo", "Mesa D'Espana", and "J.B. Meets Sly/5th Street Reprise") with four transitions ("Bass interlude", "Drum interlude", "Acoustic guitar interlude" [Vic Juris], and "Electric guitar interlude" [Mike Stern]) portraying a variety of grooves (such as shuffle, latin, funk, and Spanish), and, as Liebman puts it, textures and colors, including 20th century classical by way of "Bela", which was inspired by Bela Bartok (who also inspired Davis via Bill Evans).


Along the way, we're treated to contemporary jazz or fusion (label it as you like), at its finest: a tasteful mix of simplicity with complexity and a display of the aesthetic war horse, unity within diversity, by way of superb arrangements and some fine improvisations. Overall, the tune structure is simple, but it's a simplicity that allows these players the freedom to develop a complex range of self-expression.

One of the most successful aspects of Liebman's album is its ability to fuse the rhythms of the street with seasoned musicianship. Played too tight, these tunes could come off skeletal and dry, but played too loose they could meander into nothing more than a light and disposable ad hoc jam. Liebman and crew deliver an artistic combination of blood and brain.

Doubling the guitar and bass chairs was a good move that helps layer the sound and rhythms. The players and arrangements show an excellent sense of restraint and all work together in developing theme and variation, while each adds elements of his own root influences. Mike Stern (interview) fans will hear him smoothly introduce a number of styles within the same improvisation that would sound disjointed in the hands of a lesser player. Especially enjoyable is Stern's solo on the opening track, "5th Street", that builds from soft and distant to highly charged and heartfelt.

When Vic Juris solos you sense the kinship between Juris and Liebman in their somewhat similar approach to developing a simple motif, though Juris tends to be more linear while Liebman likes to surprise with unexpected twists and turns. What the two have in common is a natural thoughtfulness, their lines work like well-connected meaningful sentences that modulate between poetry and prose. Juris, by the way, has recently joined the faculty of Mike's Master Classes, a guitar instruction website featuring live and interactive master class lessons from some contemporary jazz greats.

The doubling of the bass chairs is interesting for a couple of reasons. While on the one hand, it makes sense given the roots that are being celebrated (who wouldn't understand two basses on a piece like "J.B. [James Brown] Meets Sly [Stone]/5th Street Reprise" - Miles Davis, who was influenced in the late '60s and early '70s by artists such as James Brown and Sly Stone on many levels, felt that On The Corner would be the album for which the black community would remember him), on the other, there's the risk of a bottom-heavy lopsidedness. But, as it does in many respects with this album, restraint saves the day. Tony Marino, who in addition to acoustic and electric bass makes several appearances playing stick bass, works extremely well with contrabass guitar player Anthony Jackson, so well that you'll often forget the chair's been doubled. Those not familiar with the contrabass guitar (six string bass) might want to learn more about Jackson and the electric contrabass he champions.

But, the ultimate theme weaver on this album is Liebman who drifts in and out, up and around, throughout, introducing styles that range from R&B honk to Baroque-ish theme and variation. Equally varied is his emotional range that runs the gamut from sweet and tender to "let's get it on".

Back On The Corner delivers a developed, disciplined, musical sense of freedom. It demonstrates that artistry lies somewhere between rote chart reading and other-worldly self-indulgence and provides a mature balance between passion and intelligence. Back On The Corner is a rare gem: the more you listen the more you hear and listen often you will.

 

Miles tunes covered on the disc and there's another ex-Miles
sidekick on guitar, Mike Stern. Having made his intent clear, all Liebman and his band have to
do is make music that doesn't pale in comparison - no small task, but one that the band
proves more than capable of pulling off.

  

From Jammed Online

By Mark Burnell


My interest in jazz used to begin and end with the halcyon days of  late 60s/early 70s electric
fusion,  and while my tastes have broadened quite a bit since then, that's still the style which
excites me the most. It's that style that this terrific new project from talented sax player Dave
Liebman harkens back to - Liebman was a player in Miles Davis' electric band for a couple of

years in the early 70s,  the band is named after Miles'1971 album, there's a couple of 

Miles tunes covered on the disc and there's another ex-Miles sidekick on guitar, Mike Stern. Having made his intent clear, all Liebman and his band have to do is make music that doesn't pale in comparison - no small task, but one that the band proves more than capable of pulling off.

The original tunes - all written by Liebman - are a triumph. They effectively use the interesting
band lineup (two guitars, two bass players - one playing contrabass - drums and sax), and
contain subtle nods to Davis without ever becoming derivative. Opener 5th Street almost
seems like a counterpoint  to Ife, which follows it - a slow but driving beat with the various
soloists weaving in an out of each other. Bela is glacially subtle, with Liebman providing both
the swathes of synthesizer and the tinkling piano flourishes that are somehow vaguely
reminiscent of Kraftwerk at their softest (no, really) , Tony Marino playing the lead melody on
acoustic bass, and the two guitarists trading some delicate lines. Moody and simply brilliant. 
New Mambo has, not unsurprisingly, a sprightly Latin feel to it that switches between sweetly
subtle soloing and some driving borderline bebop runs. Marcinko's drumming here is quite
excellent, and carries the whole song. Mesa D' Espana has a somewhat Flamenco air to it with
some haunting interplay between Liebman on flute and Juris on acoustic guitar. Finally the
closer, a funked up reprise of opener 5th Street that owes as much to James Brown as it does
to Miles Davis, gives everyone a chance to let loose and shine.


All in all a fine album indeed. It's a very subtle album - codas appear and reappear, shared by
multiple tracks, and there are echoes of the spirit of Miles everywhere. And special mention must
go to the brief solo instrumentals between tracks that not only allow the individual musicians
their own time in the spotlight, but also provide some effective bridges between songs,

highlighting the fact that this is a album best consumed 'whole', so much better to see subtle

strands that link everything together.

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