Miroslav Vitous Group
Miroslav Vitous Group
ECM ***1/2 CD/LP/Download
The ‘Group’, actually a quartet, the ex-Chick Corea, Herbie Mann, and Weather Report double bassist joined by reeds player John Surman, pianist Kenny Kirkland, and the Belonging band’s drummer Jon Christensen. Recorded in the summer of 1980 at Talent studio in Oslo, and issued now for the first time on CD, Vitous responsible for four of the tunes on his own plus two co-writes with the other three Group members, while Surman contributes ‘Number Six’ and Kirkland ‘Inner Peace’. Miroslav Vitous Group came just over a year on from their earlier album First Meeting recorded at the same studio but it would be the last album the four would play together on under this arrangement, although Vitous on the 1982 album Journey’s End would work again with Christensen and Surman, John Taylor taking Kirkland’s place (that later album has been credited only under the Czech’s name).
The opener here, ‘When Face Gets Pale’, begins quite conventionally with a slightly underlying samba and modal feel, Vitous taking the lead accompanied by Kirkland, a little McCoy Tyner-like but with a much lighter touch, and Christensen quietly tapping along. It all opens out into a very bright and zestful Kirkland solo that injects an upbeat atmosphere, and it’s quite a long while until Surman comes in on baritone saxophone.
Other tunes aren’t quite so structured, and the opening of ‘Second Meeting’ has a much more open feel, an improv-laden atmosphere the method at play layering fragments one on top of the other Vitous exploring the upper end of his register briefly like a violin-player, an instrument he had played as a young man.
Surman on Kirkland’s ‘Inner Peace’, the fourth track in, is certainly in an abstract dimension Vitous rolling in underneath with exploratory dashes and Kirkland and Christensen hesitantly joining. But it’s not long before the big plangent theme taken up by Surman grabs the improvisational direction. Kirkland’s solo here is an expression-laden approach that Vitous and Christensen respond wonderfully well to, Surman later booming in on baritone saxophone.
‘Interplay’ is the longest most intense track begun with Surman on bass clarinet Vitous teasing out deep resonances Kirkland remote and eerily responding with hesitant ever faster groupings of notes that then work to change the atmosphere.
‘Gears’ is more rhythmic in a conventional mainstream jazz sense at the beginning but it’s an album that belongs more within the realm of the avant garde where tempos quickly change and there is a strong improvisational ethic, the direction in the Group’s flow a matter of flux and quick reactions are important by all four.
‘Sleeping Beauty’ begins with Kirkland in ballad mode deftly tinkling a little before his solo unfolds in a very abstract way that moves out into a space of its own Vitous’ arco response and Surman almost commenting as the tune builds on a folk-like theme. ‘Eagle’ in its stately and brief fashion draws this tantalising album full of ideas and flair, yet somehow a little unresolved, to a close. SG