Available Tomorrow: Ralph Peterson Celebrates
50th Birthday with Release of, The Duality Perspective,
Featuring New Fo'Tet and Sextet
Ralph Peterson
The Duality Perspective
Sextet
Lineup: Trumpeter Sean Jones, Saxophonists Tia Fuller and Walter Smith
III, Bassist Luques Curtis and Pianist Zaccai Curtis
Peterson Features Mentees From Berklee with New Fo'Tet:
Clarinetist Felix Peikli, Vibraphonist Joseph Doubleday
and Bassist Alexander L.J. Toth, Along with
Original Member, Marimbist Bryan Carrott
Recent Coverage In:
The painting by Edward LaRose that graces the cover of The Duality Perspective, drummer/composer Ralph Peterson's
new release and 16th as a leader, is a dynamic illustration of the
album's driving principles. The yin yang symbol in the background
represents the balance between the two ensembles that appear on the
record, the young, next-generation Fo'tet and the more established Sextet.
The names of the members of each group are spelled out on the branches
of a tree, the Sextet side fully flowering while the Fo'tet side is
still budding; the tree's roots are inscribed with the names of elders
and mentors including Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Bill Fielder.
At
the center of all of this is a portrait of Peterson himself, the locus
of the enterprise both musically and spiritually. It is Peterson that
nurtures this living, growing entity so that buds will bloom, branches
will grow and thrive, and roots will delve ever deeper and stronger.
The Duality Perspective
thus embodies youth and maturity; past, present and future; and diverse
stylistic approaches based on a common language. In a bit of word
association, Peterson characterizes the young, hungry Fo'tet as "dry
ice, so cold it'll burn you," and the all-star Sextet as "richly rooted,
one foot in the tradition, the other foot in tomorrow." But as he
acknowledges, "Each has a distinct sound and approach, yet they have a
commonality at the core."
Of
course, as Peterson is quick to point out, there are more than two
sides to his musical identity. ("Later on there might be a record called
The Multiplicity Perspective," he muses.) Besides his
incomparable talent behind the drumkit, which has led to collaborations
with the likes of Terence Blanchard, Branford Marsalis, David Murray,
Roy Hargrove, Jon Faddis, Michael Brecker, Steve Coleman and Betty
Carter over a nearly thirty-year career - not to mention being
hand-picked by Art Blakey as the second drummer in the legendary
bandleader's Jazz Messenger Big Band until Blakey's 1990 death -
Peterson is an agile trumpeter and a respected educator.
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Photo Credit: Veronika Morscher
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Celebrating Peterson's fiftieth birthday, The Duality Perspective is the veteran drummer's 16th album as a leader and the second release on his own Onyx Music label, following last year's acclaimed Outer Reaches.
Turning 50, Peterson says, has been accompanied by some positive
adjustments in his lifestyle. "These changes helped me to be the best
person I can be," he says, "and the best person will always produce the
best music. I think this is one of my best records because it very much
says where I am right now."
The
importance of unifying distinct elements into a distinctive whole
springs directly from Peterson's martial arts training. A third-degree
black belt and Buddhist, Peterson has studied tae kwon do on and off for
more than two decades. "As I continue my martial arts training," he
says, "Asian philosophical concepts like yin and yang become more
important to me and I'm able to fuse them back into my other artistry,
my music art. It also helps me stay physically fit, so I can play with
the vigor of my youth but add to it the maturity and wisdom I've gotten
through my experiences."
The
latter role, in particular Peterson's professorship at Boston's
prestigious Berklee College of Music, is well represented in the Fo'tet,
the members of which are all current students at the school. Originally
conceived in 1989, this serves as an introduction to the band's new
incarnation. The new album's "4 in 1" represents a torch-passing, as
founding Fo'tet member Bryan Carrott plays marimba alongside current vibraphonist Joseph Doubleday. It has become a mentorship program along the lines of Blakey's talent-fostering Jazz Messengers.
"I
treat them like grown folks and I allow them to not be," Peterson says
of his role in the Fo'tet. "Musically, when they're demonstrating the
measure of how much they have to learn, I don't beat them up for it. I
try to share with them similarities that I can find in my own
experience."
The
growth and replenishment of the album cover's family tree is vividly
evidenced by the current membership of Peterson's Sextet, most of whom
were in the budding stage themselves when Peterson began working with
them. Trumpeter Sean Jones was a student at Rutgers University, who then introduced Peterson to saxophonist Tia Fuller; saxophonist Walter Smith III was a student in one of Peterson's clinics at Berklee prior to his professorship; the drummer taught bassist Luques Curtis and played in the senior recital of his brother, pianist Zaccai Curtis.
The
fact that all of them have gone on to be celebrated and in-demand
players on the current jazz scene - a testament to Peterson's gift as a
talent scout and mentor, a legacy passed on directly from Blakey. It's
also an added incentive to keep a close eye on the lesser-known (for
now) members of Peterson's younger band.
The
Fo'tet receives the honor of the CD's first half, opening with the
gritty groove of "One False Move." In his liner notes, Peterson refers
to the piece's down-and-dirty sound as "Swunk," a hybrid of swing and
funk that perfectly captures its gut-level momentum, propelled by the
meaty bass sound of Alexander L.J. Toth. The aforementioned "4 in
1" offers an exotic arrangement of the Monk classic contributed by
Indonesian musicians Sri Hanuraga and Elfa Zulham.
The
lullaby lilt of "Addison and Anthony," featuring Felix Peikli's winsome
bass clarinet, was inspired by Peterson's grandchildren, while "Bamboo
Bends in a Storm," honors Peterson's wife Diane and her resiliency of
their marriage, characterized by the insistent, driving percussion of
Reinaldo Dejesus. The final Fo'tet piece, the joyously darting
"Princess," reprises a piece from Peterson's second release dedicated to
his daughter Sonora Tiye - now 23 years old.
Tia
Fuller's silken soprano opens the Sextet half of the disc with "Coming
Home," a piece from Peterson's leader debut that begins to smolder with
the addition of the leader and the Curtis brothers. The Afro-Cuban
rhythms of "Impervious Gems," penned by Peterson's student Jonathon
Pinson, provide a showcase for Sean Jones' agile trumpet and the huge,
soulful tenor sound of Edwin "Eddie" Bayard.
The
title track is appropriately meditative, encompassing the broad-minded
harmoniousness at the album's core. Walter Smith III navigates the piece
with a deeply-felt, introspective solo, followed by Fuller's searching,
upward-reaching alto. Peterson illustrates the title's
inter-generational concept by drawing inspiration from both elders and
peers, particularly the work of Wayne Shorter, longtime friend Terence
Blanchard, and Sextet member Tia Fuller. "How does the saying go? Good
writers borrow, great writers steal. I've added a third part: Genius
writers steal and hide it right under your nose," Peterson concludes
with a raucous laugh.
"You
Have Know Idea" is the album's second tribute to Peterson's wife, this
one more seductive and playful. "Like her," Peterson writes of his
better half, "the groove is sensual and elegant."
The
album's closer, "Pinnacle," corrals the ensemble for a breakneck
burner, powered by Peterson's high-octane fuel. As always throughout the
album and throughout his career, Peterson refuses to hog the spotlight,
but renders himself essential to the overall musicality of the
undertaking. "I'm a musician who plays the drums," he says - a simple
statement but one, in the spirit of the album's dualistic perspective,
that speaks volumes.
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Click image to view The Duality Perspective EPK
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Ralph Peterson's Upcoming Performances:
August 10 | The Thompson House | Newport, KY
August 11 | Martha's Vineyard Festival (w/ The Curtis Brothers) | Martha's Vineyard, MA
August 27 | Blues Alley | Washington, DC
September 19 | Scullers (album release party)|Botson, MA
September 29 | Beantown Jazz Festival | Boston, MA
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