Daniel Carter / William Parker / Federico Ughi: The Dream

By MARC MEDWIN (All About Jazz)

That's right, Daniel Carter plays piano on this date! It's the first thing you hear as this disc kicks immediately into definite but mature overdrive. It's a blast to hear William Parker, the bassist for Cecil Taylor's much-lauded Feel Trio, free-walking under Carter's percussive attacks, certainly indebted to Taylor but even more pointillistic. "Zero Softly is a spare minimalist musing where notes hang in the air like galaxies only to fade beneath Federico Ughi's carpet of brushwork. Indeed, many of the tracks fade in and out, more like dreams with uncertain conclusions, if they exist at all.

The program is astonishing in its breadth and scope, and this trio keeps each track fresh throughout with sudden instrumental switches. Check out the way the proto-swing of "Notorious suddenly slows down as Parker jumps from bass to tuba, sliding effortlessly into the dialogue.

The group interaction is fantastic throughout The Dream, without a weak combination. It's especially nice to hear Ughi in a more traditional context, combining the timbral savvy of Tony Oxley with the controlled power of Rashied Ali. The assumption is that the pieces were taken from larger improvisations and word is that there will be a second volume issued from this session. If it is equally well edited and programmed, it will certainly be worth the wait.

Daniel Carter / William Parker / Federico Ughi: The Dream

By TROY COLLINS (All About Jazz)

The Dream features the first recorded example of multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter playing piano. While this revelation is impressive enough, the album itself is a fascinating and endlessly rewarding listen. Ably accompanied by bassist William Parker and drummer Federico Ughi, Carter demonstrates remarkable facility on a half-dozen different instruments in settings ranging from sober to tumultuous.

Opening the album with "This Is the Dream" Carter reveals a piano technique reminiscent of fellow avant gardists Cecil Taylor, Dave Burrell and Don Pullen. His turn at the keyboard emphasizes rousing pointillistic urgency and methodical development. His kinetic, hyper-linear attack is underscored by the rhythm section's relentless, throttling undercurrent.

Equally intriguing is the presence of bassist William Parker playing tuba on a number of tunes. On the blistering "The Truth in the Core," Parker stutters out dense, brassy pedal tones while Ughi whips up a stirring, percussive frenzy. Carter wails away on his brusque tenor, heaving split tones with abandon. "Notorious" features the same instrumentation, this time a sumptuous swinger, with Parker blurting out walking patterns as Ughi provides casual swing that Carter uses to spin melodious variations on his tenor sax. The piece concludes in a genteel conversation between tenor and tuba.

"Life Beyond Death" proves the most unique combination. Carter's pneumatic piano duels with Parker's expressive, breathy tuba. Ughi drives the two with a lumbering, fractious rhythm, intensifying it as the piece progresses until it explodes in a maelstrom of loping, circuitous piano refrains and blustery tuba incantations.

But Parker doesn't abandon his main instrument completely. He generates considerable heat on "The Traditionalist!," a solo exploration of the expressive qualities of the bowed bass. Likewise, Ughi summons an energy level similar to Rashied Ali's infamous performance on Coltrane's Interstellar Space on "6 1/2 Billion." Parker spawns a pulverizing flurry of notes on his upright to keep pace, while Carter spirals out taut alto phrases of biting intensity.

"Spiritual Awakening" is a roiling feature for Carter's trumpet. Ughi slowly generates an increasingly turbulent undertow while Parker bleats out contrapuntal tuba lines, Carter's horn defiantly soaring overhead, executing vigorous fanfares. "Little Did I Know" begins as a reflective flute meditation. Building gradually to a swinging middle section, the piece ends with Carter briefly switching to trumpet for authoritative closing statements before the tune fades out.

With an exceptionally high level of group interaction and a judicious combination of lengthy improvisations and short interludes, The Dream is a marvelously diverse representation of these three musicians' multifarious talents. This remarkable achievement should be required listening for those in search of inventive free improvisation.