Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tomasz Stańko New York Quartet: December Avenue

Tomasz Stańko New York Quartet: December Avenue

By Karl Ackermann
April 2, 2017
View read count

Tomasz Stańko New York Quartet: December Avenue

The elder statesman of modern Polish jazz, trumpeter and composer Tomasz Stańko has more than a forty year history with ECM. Dating back to his 1976 label debut, Balladyna, Stańko sounds to have arrived fully-formed, and in the company of

Dave Holland

bass
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Holland and Finnish percussionist

Edward Vesala

drums
1945 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Edward Vesala. Stańko's trademark atmospheric and cerebral style is fully intact on December Avenue, his twelth album for Manfred Eicher's label.

Stańko's New York Quartet includes ECM artists

David Virelles

piano
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">David Virelles, whose Mbókò (2016) and Antenna (2016), amassed high praise, and

Gerald Cleaver

drums
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerald Cleaver who has appeared on a number of the label's releases including those of

Michael Formanek

bass, acoustic
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Formanek,

Tim Berne

saxophone, alto
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Tim Berne,

Roscoe Mitchell

saxophone
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Roscoe Mitchell and

Miroslav Vitous

bass
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Miroslav Vitous. Both were part of Stańko's Wis?awa project while bassist

Thomas Morgan

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Thomas Morgan has been replaced by

Reuben Rogers

bass, acoustic

" data-original-title="" title="">Reuben Rogers. The bassist's ties to the label are with

Charles Lloyd

saxophone
b.1938

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Lloyd on Rabo de Nube (2007), Mirror (2010) and Athens Concert (2011).

Stańko has long surrounded himself with a younger generation of top-rate musicians, helping to keep his own, introspective-leaning style, more open. Historically notably among those supporting players was the Lontano (ECM, 2006) group where the trumpeter was backed by the

Marcin Wasilewski

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcin Wasilewski Trio who went on to substantial success. The New York Quartet has similarly brought out Stańko's considerable free improvisational skills but to a limited extent.

Virelles' meloncholy piano opens "Cloud," joined quickly by Stańko on a languid ballad that sets up the more spirited "Conclusion." On the latter we hear Rogers crafty introduction and Stańko's more animated playing but at just two- minutes, the piece doesn't quite live up to its energetic beginning. The pace doesn't accelerate again until "Burning Hot" where—relative to the reflective stroll of the opening numbers—the title is representative of Stańko's more inventive playing and the complex interaction with Virelles. "Ballad for Bruno Schulz" is essentially a Stańko/Virelles duo and the most appealling of the quiet compositions on December Avenue.

The minimal "Sound Space" leads to the energetic, boppish title track featuring a standout solo from Rogers and engaging contributions from both Stańko and Virelles, held together with some intricate and sophisticated work by Cleaver. "Yankiels Lid" is the most open of the twelve pieces and sees Virelles and Rogers at their most imaginative, while Stańko takes an accompanying role. "Young Girl In Flower" closes the album much as it began-a gentle ballad highlighted by Stańko's breathy signature style.

Stańko has been long been regarded for his ability to cover a wide range of emotions with his instrument and he can make the trumpet speak in tongues when he wishes to do so. But the avant-garde Stańko of circa Bluish (Power Bros., 1991) has long since been supplanted by the lyrically sophisticated minimalist of recent years. That mind-set works well in making his more visionary arrangements pop in the context of an entire album. December Avenue is strikingly balanced and tastefully performed by this well synergized quartet.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Cloud; Conclusion; Blue Cloud; Bright Moon; Burning Hot; David And Reuben; Ballad For Bruno Schulz; Sound Space; December Avenue; The Street Of Crocodiles; Yankiels Lid; Young Girl In Flower.

Personnel

Tomasz Stańko

trumpet

Tomasz Stanko: trumpet; David Virelles: piano; Reuben Rogers: double bass, Gerald Cleaver: drums.

Album information

Title: December Avenue | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: ECM Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Anybody's Spring
< Previous

My Tongue Crumbles After
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.