SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2020

Tim Niland  - Jazzblogspot

 

Sangeeta Michael Berardi - Divine Song (New Pulse, 1979; CD re-issue, Sunjump Records, 2020)

 

This is a remastered CD re-issue of an album from guitarist Sangeeta Michael Berardi, accompanied on various tracks by an extraordinary lineup including Archie Shepp on tenor saxophone, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Mario Pavone and Eddie Gomez on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums. The opener, John Coltrane’s “Some Other Blues” has excellent blowing from Shepp’s saxophone, sounding lusty and upbeat, with Berardi’s guitar comping and fluidly soloing. Solid bass and drums provide a sound backdrop, while the trombone sneaks in to add further texture, and Rudd develops a section of his own before folding back in. “Dancing on the Crescent Moon at Dusk I” moves into a more post bop direction, with guitar, bass and drums playing medium fast, and the leader developing a commanding guitar solo. Cymbals and buoyant bass highlight a cascade of guitar notes, and a really fine trio playing all around. Sophisticated guitar and bass intertwine on Gershwin’s “Summertime” sounding mellow but intricate. They play a beautifully flowing version of the standard, with both players dialed in. The full group comes together for “The Fifth Heart String Sings” with guitar, drums, mysterious buzzing bowed bass. Shepp’s rich saxophone fills in the sound, raw saxophone and blustery trombone, with sharp threads of guitar, creating a powerful performance, a knotty improvisation stretching out, culminating in superb raw rending tenor saxophone, and a fine reed duet with trumpet. “Dreaming Coltrane” builds slowly from guitar, light percussion and bowed bass with lowering horns adding a dark atmosphere. Drums and regular bass take up the rhythm, as stark trumpet and guitar branch out, guitar solos of quality, becoming complex over splashy cymbals and stoic bass. Trombone weaves through again, providing artful foil for the wonderful guitar playing, each adding growls and trills to keep things fresh. The finale, “Dancing on the Crescent Moon at Dusk II,” features the base trio with trombone, at a medium up clip and playing tight, the guitar and trombone diverge while still swinging hard. Trombone and guitar playing off of one another in a spirited fashion, stretching out once again and trading solo spots in addition to tight interplay. This was a very good album and it is good to have it back in wide circulation. Berardi is a fine guitar player, with a strong tone and keen approach to improvisation, and he fits in well with the heady company he keeps.

 

 

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Sangeeta Michael Berardi: Divine Song (Sunjump 0019; USA)

Featuring Sangeeta Michael Berardi on guitar & compositions, Archie Shepp on tenor sax, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Mario Pavone & Eddie Gomez on contrabasses and Rashied Ali on drums.

 

This is a reissue of a rare album by Sangeeta Michael Berardi, a Connecticut-based guitarist, who is known to just a handful of jazz guitar

aficionados. The original LP was released in 1980 on the New Pulse Artists label,

rarely reviewed with original copies going for upwards of $70. This reissue, which came out the year (2020), adds two long pieces which clock in at nearly 30 minutes of more music.

 

For this session, Sangeeta organized a fine all-star band with most elder musicians, Archie Shepp & Roswell Rudd on horns (both of whom have been collaborating since the mid-sixties), two bassists Eddie Gomez (for Bill Evans) & Mario Pavone (with Thomas Chapin) and the great drummer Rashied Ali, who was John Coltrane’s last drummer of choice. Mr. Berardi wrote 6 of the 8 songs here with standards included. The album begins with an old Coltrane piece, “Some Other Blues”.

 

It is always great to hear that bluesy swagger which epitomizes Archie Shepp’s sound and this is what we heard throughout this disc. On “Universal Soldiers” things are stripped down to just a guitar, bass & drums trio so that we get to hear Sangeeta and Rashied Ali play their fleet string of notes closely aligned.

 

One of the things that stands out here is Mr. Berardi’s tone on guitar: a pure, refined jazz guitar sound with little distortion or effects. His tone and playing on Gershwin’s “Summertime” is especially enchanting, the song is mostly a duo for guitar and contrabass and features an exquisite bass solo in the second half.

 

 

This disc ends with three long pieces and this is where the sextet really stretches out. “The Fifth Heart String Sings” has an odd, quirky theme and leans towards some more progressive influences, rather cerebral in the way it floats freely along. The solo by Mr. Rudd on trombone is most chilling, like an ancient voice calling out from another time, long ago. In the last section of this piece, Sangeeta’s guitar, Shepp’s tenor & Rudd’s trombone all swirl together in a dream-like space which is most hypnotic.

 

The highlight piece here is called, “Dreaming Coltrane”, and it also has a fine, dreamy, floating vibe with a long inspired solo from the guitar with strong spirited interplay from the trombone. The overall vibe here is an often trance-inducing spiritual sounding journey. Take a trip with Sangeeta’s spiritual sextet and listen to their superb ‘Divine Song’.

- Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery

 

 

 

 

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