Back Hand

Last updated

Back Hand
Backhand (album).jpg
Studio album by
Released1975 [1]
RecordedOctober 9–10, 1974
StudioGeneration Sound Studios, New York City
Genre Jazz
Length39:29
Label Impulse!
Producer Ed Michel
Keith Jarrett chronology
Death and the Flower
(1975)
Back Hand
(1975)
Arbour Zena
(1976)
Keith Jarrett American Quartet chronology
Death and the Flower
(1975)
Back Hand
(1975)
Mysteries
(1976)

Back Hand is an album by American jazz pianist Keith Jarrett recorded in two sessions in October 1974 that also gave way to the album Death and the Flower . Originally released in 1975 [1] by Impulse!, it features performances by Jarrett's American Quartet, which included Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Paul Motian along with Guilherme Franco added on percussion. For a long time, the album remained a relatively obscure work until it was resuscitated by Impulse! years later.

Contents

Aside from its appearance in The Impulse Years: 1973-1974 boxset in 1997, the music contained in Back Hand had been reissued only on compact disc in Japan, packaged in a miniature replica of the original vinyl LP sleeve. It also appeared in Italy, in 2001, as a supplement to the La Repubblica national newspaper, copyrighted as "Musicom S.R.L."

Pianist Bruce Hornsby recorded the tune "Back Hand" for the 2000 album As Long as You're Living Yours: The Music of Keith Jarrett, where it is listed as "Backhand". [2] The track later appeared on the 2006 Hornsby compilation Intersections (1985–2005) . [3]

A short version of "Vapallia" appeared on Jarrett's solo album Facing You , recorded in 1971.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

An AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4.5 stars stating "The group (with Jarrett occasionally switching to flute and Redman to the bizarre-sounding musette) is in typically exploratory, yet often melodic form on lengthy renditions of four of Jarrett's inside/outside originals.". [4] In a separate AllMusic review, Michael G. Nastos awarded Back Hand 5 stars, referring to the group as a "landmark quintet", and writing: "any recording by this band is worthwhile". [7]

Pianist / composer Ethan Iverson singled out the track "Vapallia" for praise, calling it a "beautiful space ballad", and writing: "The emotion of the composition borders on the saccharine, but Redman's sonority and simple horn fills work as a salty agent, balancing out the elements, creating something mysterious." Iverson called "Back Hand" "an amusingly square stomp, quite strange in affect... for grunting quartet" and noted "this might be the first time the band is actually playing Jazz with a capital J... there is amazing potential here, the band is just starting this era of swing." [8]

Phil Freeman, writing for Burning Ambulance, commented that "Inflight" reminded him of the Ornette Coleman albums Science Fiction and Broken Shadows , largely because of the presence of Redman and Haden, who played on both recordings, and whose performances Freeman called "bluesy and hard-swinging, but also seeming to hover in place rather than charge forward." Freeman also praised Jarrett's solo on "Back Hand", stating that it is "like a waterfall landing on highly polished glass, sending bright outbursts of light shimmering in all directions." [9]

Track listing

All compositions by Keith Jarrett
  1. "Inflight" - 9:04
  2. "Kuum" - 11:34
  3. "Vapallia" - 7:46
  4. "Back Hand" - 11:05

The Italian edition also featured a fifth track: "Victoria" - 5:04 (composed by Jarrett and Paul Motian)

Personnel

Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Haden</span> American musician and educator (1937–2014)

Charles Edward Haden was an American jazz double bass player, bandleader, composer and educator whose career spanned more than 50 years. Building on the work of his predecessor bassists Jimmy Blanton and Charles Mingus, Haden revolutionized the harmonic concept of bass playing in jazz, evolving a way of playing that sometimes complemented the soloist, and sometimes moved independently, to help liberate bass players from a strictly accompanying role, to becoming more direct participants in group improvisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewey Redman</span> American saxophonist and composer

Walter Dewey Redman was an American saxophonist who performed free jazz as a bandleader and with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old and New Dreams</span>

Old and New Dreams was an American jazz group that was active from 1976 to 1987. The group was composed of tenor saxophone player Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden, trumpeter Don Cherry and drummer Ed Blackwell. All of the members were former sidemen of free jazz progenitor and alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, and the group played a mix of Coleman's compositions and originals by the band members.

<i>Eyes of the Heart</i> (album) 1979 live album by Keith Jarrett Quartet

Eyes of The Heart is an album by American pianist Keith Jarrett featuring his "American Quartet", made up of Jarrett himself, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Paul Motian. It was recorded at the Theater am Kornmarkt, Bregenz in Austria in May 1976 and was released in 1979 by ECM Records. The studio album The Survivors' Suite had been recorded one month earlier.

<i>Expectations</i> (Keith Jarrett album) 1972 studio album by Keith Jarrett

Expectations is an album recorded by Keith Jarrett in 1972 and released on Columbia Records the same year. In addition to Jarrett, musicians on the recording include his "American quartet": Dewey Redman on tenor saxophone, Charlie Haden on bass, and Paul Motian on drums. Also featured are Sam Brown on electric guitar, Airto on percussion, as well as brass and string sections whose members are not credited in the album information. Expectations was produced by George Avakian, Jarrett's manager since 1966.

<i>Fort Yawuh</i> 1973 live album by Keith Jarrett

Fort Yawuh is a jazz album by American pianist and composer Keith Jarrett. Originally released in 1973 by Impulse! Records, it marks the beginning of the label’s relationship with Jarrett. Recorded live at the Village Vanguard on February 24, 1973 by Jarrett's "American Quartet": Dewey Redman on tenor saxophone, Charlie Haden on acoustic bass, Paul Motian on drums, plus percussionist Danny Johnson. The title of the album is an anagram of "Fourth Way," a reference to George Gurdjieff's fourth path of self-awareness.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (Keith Jarrett album) 1974 studio album by Keith Jarrett

Treasure Island is an album recorded in February 1974 by Keith Jarrett and originally released by Impulse! in 1974. It features Jarrett's later-to-be-called "American Quartet" plus guitarist Sam Brown, and percussionists Guilherme Franco and Danny Johnson. Two months after recording Treasure Island, in April 1974, Jarrett would enter a studio in Norway to record Belonging with a group of Scandinavian players, later called Jarrett's "European group".

<i>Bop-Be</i> 1978 studio album by Keith Jarrett

Bop-Be is the final album on the Impulse label by jazz pianist Keith Jarrett's 'American Quartet'. Originally released in 1978, it features performances by Jarrett, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian. Its tracks were recorded in October 1976, along with those that produced Byablue. These two albums document the swan song of Jarrett's American Quartet and, aside from "classical music", the last albums Jarrett released on a label other than ECM.

<i>Byablue</i> 1977 studio album by Keith Jarrett

Byablue is one of the last albums recorded by the so-called 'American Quartet' of jazz pianist Keith Jarrett. It was recorded in October 1976 in two sessions that also helped produce the album Bop-Be. Released on the Impulse label in 1977, it features performances by Jarrett, Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian. Musically speaking, even though the album Eyes of the Heart made it last to the market, Byablue and Bop-Be document the swan song of Jarrett's American Quartet in several ways, but most of all the inclusion of compositions by members other than Jarrett himself deliver another taste. While that did not happen before, for what would be the quartet's final recording sessions, Jarrett requested that band members contribute with their own compositions. Byablue consisted primarily of Paul Motian's pieces, while Bop-Be included Redman and Haden's contributions.

<i>Death and the Flower</i> 1975 studio album by Keith Jarrett

Death and the Flower is an album recorded by Keith Jarrett in October 1974 during two sessions that also produced Back Hand. Released in 1975, the disc features the pianist's "American Quartet" with percussionist Guilherme Franco.

<i>Mysteries</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Keith Jarrett

Mysteries is an album by jazz pianist Keith Jarrett recorded in two sessions in December 1975. Originally released by Impulse! in 1976, it features performances by Jarrett's 'American Quartet' of saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian, along with percussionist Guilherme Franco. These December, 1975 sessions also produced the album Shades.

<i>Shades</i> (Keith Jarrett album) 1976 studio album by Keith Jarrett

Shades is the fifth album on the Impulse label by jazz pianist Keith Jarrett. Originally released in 1976, it features performances by Jarrett's 'American Quartet', which included Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Paul Motian with Guilherme Franco added on percussion.

<i>Somewhere Before</i> 1969 live album by Keith Jarrett

Somewhere Before is a live album by pianist Keith Jarrett recorded on August 30 and 31, 1968, at Shelly's Manne-Hole in Hollywood, California with his first trio, composed of Charlie Haden (bass) and Paul Motian (drums).

<i>The Mourning of a Star</i> 1971 studio album by Keith Jarrett

The Mourning of a Star is an album by Keith Jarrett recorded in 1971 with his regular working trio and released that same year by Atlantic Records. On five dates in July and August 1971 Jarrett went into the studio with Haden and Motian and, along with Dewey Redman on tenor saxophone, produced enough material for three albums, The Mourning of a Star, El Juicio and Birth. Although Dewey Redman does not appear on this album, the July and August 1971 sessions marked the metamorphosis of Jarrett's first trio into what would be his future quartet.

<i>Birth</i> (Keith Jarrett album) 1972 studio album by Keith Jarrett

Birth is an album by Keith Jarrett recorded in 1971 and released the next year. On five dates in July and August 1971 Jarrett went into the studio with his trio augmented with Dewey Redman on tenor saxophone and produced enough material for three albums, The Mourning of a Star, El Juicio and Birth. These albums marked the emergence of what would later be called Jarrett's "American quartet."

<i>El Juicio (The Judgement)</i> 1975 studio album by Keith Jarrett

El Juicio (The Judgement) is an album by pianist Keith Jarrett recorded in 1971 and released in 1975. On four days in July and one in August 1971 Jarrett went into the Atlantic Recording Studios with his trio (Charlie Haden and Paul Motian) plus Dewey Redman on tenor saxophone and produced enough music for three albums The Mourning of a Star (released in 1971), El Juicio (The Judgement) and Birth (released in 1972). Accordingly, the 1971 sessions mark the emergence of what would be later called Jarrett's "American quartet."

<i>Old and New Dreams</i> (1977 album) 1977 studio album by Old and New Dreams

Old and New Dreams is the debut album by the jazz quartet Old and New Dreams. The record features trumpeter Don Cherry, saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Ed Blackwell and was recorded in 1976 for the Italian Black Saint label. It is not to be confused with their 1979 album of the same name for ECM.

<i>Mysteries: The Impulse Years 1975-1976</i> 1996 compilation album by Keith Jarrett

Mysteries: The Impulse Years 1975-1976 is a four CD collection of the Keith Jarrett albums Mysteries, Shades, Byablue and Bop-Be. The set was released in 1996 by Impulse! Records and in 1997 by Aris / MCA. Previously unreleased alternate takes are present on each disc.

<i>The Impulse Years: 1973-1974</i> 1997 compilation album by Keith Jarrett

The Impulse Years: 1973-1974 is a 5-CD box set of Keith Jarrett albums, comprising Fort Yawuh, Treasure Island, Death and The Flower and Back Hand, plus previously unissued material. The set was released in 1997 by Impulse! Records and in 1998 by Universal / MCA.

<i>The Belgrade Concert</i> 1995 live album by Ornette Coleman

The Belgrade Concert is a live album by Ornette Coleman. It was recorded in November 1971 in Belgrade, and was released by Jazz Door in 1995. On the album, which was recorded one day after the concert documented on Live in Paris 1971, Coleman is joined by saxophonist Dewey Redman, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Ed Blackwell.

References

  1. 1 2 Discogs Keith Jarrett: Back Hand accessed June 2020
  2. Ginell, Richard S. "As Long as You're Living Yours: The Music of Keith Jarrett". AllMusic. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  3. Tamarkin, Jeff. "Bruce Hornsby: Intersections 1985-2005". AllMusic. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  4. 1 2 Yanow, S. Allmusic Review accessed September 16, 2011
  5. Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 112. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
  6. Waring, Charles. "Backhand (*** Impulse!)". Record Collector . recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  7. Erlewine, Michael; Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Yanow, Scott, eds. (1996). All Music Guide to Jazz (2nd ed.). Miller Freeman. p. 399.
  8. Iverson, Ethan (October 21, 2020). "Shades of Jazz (Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian, Dewey Redman)". EthanIverson.com. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  9. Freeman, Phil (August 4, 2017). "Keith Jarrett in the 70s". Burning Ambulance. Retrieved February 23, 2021.