GEOF BRADFIELD

COLOSSAL ABUNDANCE

Calligram Records

Geof Bradfield, tenor saxophone/bass clarinet/mbira/composer/arranger; Greg Ward, alto saxophone; Anna Webber, tenor saxophone/flute/bass flute; Ben Goldberg, clarinet/contra alto clarinet; Derrick Gardner & Russ Johnson, trumpets; Norman Palm, trombone; Momo Hasselbring Seko, French horn; Scott Hesse, guitar; Clark Sommers, bass; Dana Hall, drums/cymbals/ percussion; Gregory Beyer, berimbau/mbira/marimba/percussion.

This is the tenth album release from record label founder and woodwind player, Geof Bradfield.  This time he leads a 12-piece ensemble who interprets his original compositions, as well as music by John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Henry Threadgill and Jaki Byard.

“Twelve is a magic number.  Mathematically it’s the smallest colossally abundant number, meaning it has an unusually large number of divisors.  Musically, that translates here into combinations of the 12 pulses of African rhythmic cycles, the 12 pitches of the Western chromatic scale, and my 12 musicians,” Geof Bradfield shares his numerical inspiration for this project.

During a visit to Zimbabwe in 2008, Bradfield was introduced to the mystical Shona Mbira music that’s over a thousand years old. It was developed by the Shona people of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Mbira is both a music and an instrument that holds great cultural significance in African societies.  This is a respected music that they believe is a link between human beings and the spiritual world.  It’s a music used in African rituals and ceremonies. Circular in form, like the earth itself, mbira has a goal of drawing musicians and listeners into a state of meditation.  Some believe that this music contains healing properties for mind and body. On a 2015 release, Geof Bradfield’s Quintet recorded “Mbira Song.”  So. this is a music he has been studying and perfecting for a number of years.

With that historic context in mind, it’s easy to imagine why a musician and woodwind master would want to learn to play the mbira.  Bradfield became obsessed with the African music and the mbira instrument. He studied with mbira masters in the United States and also in rural Mhondoro, Zimbabwe, with the goal of incorporating this music and instrument into his projects.

Bradfield opens his current album (Colossal Abundance) playing mbira with percussionist, Gregory Beyer playing berimbau on a traditional Shona mbira song called “Mahororo.”  This opening song morphs smoothly into the John Coltrane tune, “Lonnie’s Lament.”  On the Coltrane standard, Bradfield picks up his tenor saxophone and plays with heart and soul.  He has handpicked his fellow musicians.  One that remains consistent in his recording sessions and groups is drummer Dana Hall.  They have often played together as a duo, as well as in large ensembles like this one.

Always incorporating the African music into his own arrangements, and very often playing the mbira himself, Bradfield’s tune called “Tuku” clearly embraces the unique sound of the mbira.  This song was written for Zimbabwean legend, Oliver Mtukudzi, who Bradfield performed with on his first trip to Zimbabwe. The rhythms in the “Tuku” tune recall African jazz legend Abdullah Ibrahim and Bradfield’s mentor, Randy Weston. The trumpet solo on this tune is powerful and Dana Hall is grandly featured on drums, with the horn section punching harmonically throughout, as strong as cymbals.  One thing about Bradfield’s arranging, he changes moods like bowties.  His compositions remind me of musical suites, rather than singular songs. This is an album culturally rich and full of uniqueness, imagination and spirituality.

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil

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