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Tony Malaby and Firebath Ignite the Jazz Gallery

By Dave Kaufman
June 23, 2024
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I had the great pleasure of seeing

Tony Malaby

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Malaby perform at The Jazz Gallery. Malaby moved to Boston a couple of years ago to take up a teaching position at Berklee. Although he continues to perform in New York City, I had not seen him live since he moved. On this occasion, his band presented the "Firebath" suite based around three simple melodies. Malaby has performed this suite for the past several months with different ensembles including an 11-piece mini orchestra featuring three bass players and two drummers. The music seems to take on the character of the musicians (based on YouTube videos). Malaby is rightfully one of the most celebrated saxophonists in free jazz and improvised music. But he is also a noteworthy composer and a sound architect.

At the Jazz Gallery, Malaby was accompanied by stellar (mostly) New York-based musicians including

Angelica Sanchez

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Angelica Sanchez on piano,

Dave Ballou

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Ballou on Trumpet,

Ben Monder

guitar
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Monder on Guitar,

Mark Helias

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Helias on bass, and

Allan Mednard

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Allan Mednard on drums. With the possible exception of Mednard, all of these musicians have a lengthy history of working with Malaby. The term "Firebath" is an Old English term meaning a bath in intense heat and deep cleansing effect like a sauna (Wiktionary). Music described as a "firebath" signify a fiery, intense, and transformative journey. This is a perfectly apt description for the performance. Sanchez, Mallaby, and Ballou brought the heat in their solos. Monder uses a lot of electronic effects and is more of a sonic explorer, which was a perfect complement. Both Helias and Mednard stoked the flames, but also added nuance and shape to the sound. The music wasn't all fire and brimstone, there were extended melodic passages, periods of greater intensity followed by stretches where the music was spare. Canadian drummer

Nick Fraser

drums
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Nick Fraser employed the term "improvising at the edges of composition" in an interview. That was a fitting description of the Firebath experience. It was an exhilarating 60-minute set that seemed to pass by in an instant. View Slideshow

Ben Monder with Tony Malaby's Firebath at the NYC Jazz...

Tony Malaby with Firebath at the NYC Jazz Gallery

Ben Monder with Tony Malaby's Firebath at the NYC Jazz...

Dave Ballou with Tony Malaby's Firebath at the NYC Jazz...

Tony Malaby with Firebath at the NYC Jazz Gallery

Dave Ballou with Tony Malaby's Firebath at the NYC Jazz...

Angelica Sanchez, Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, Dave Ballou,...

Tony Malaby, Mark Helias, and Dave Ballou, and Ben Monder...

Tony Malaby with Firebath at the NYC Jazz Gallery

Dave Ballou with Tony Malaby's Firebath at the NYC Jazz...

Tony Malaby with Firebath at the NYC Jazz Gallery

Angelica Sanchez with Tony Malaby's Firebath at the NYC...

Tony Malaby Under The Turnpike

Tony Malaby With The Nick Fraser Group At The Rex

Tony Malaby And Ben Monder With Paloma Recio At The Nash In...

Tony Malaby At Constellation In Chicago

Tony Malaby With The Mario Pavone Mythos Sextet At Cornelia...

Tony Malaby With Tamarindo Trio At The Vision Festival 2011

Tony Malaby With Chris Lightcap's Big Mouth

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