Over two-plus decades spent living and working in New York, there is very little guitarist, composer, producer, and educator
Joel Harrison
hasn't tried. Early outings included the seminal
Free Country
with
Norah Jones
and
David Binney
, the orchestral
Infinite Possibility
, and the singer/songwriter date
Other River
.
Harrison
is working with a concept here.
America at War
is a big-band meditation on America's obsession with armed conflict; the country has been at war through 226 of its 240 years. In writing and arranging for a large group (they are conducted by trumpeter
Matt Holman
),
pursues many musics under the rubric of jazz in eight originals and a cover of
Tom Waits'
"Day After Tomorrow," an antiwar song from 2004's
Real Gone
, issued the year after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Some of
's 18 collaborators include trumpeter
Ingrid Jensen
, saxophonists
Jon Irabagon
Lisa Parrot
, trombonist
Curtis Hasselbring
, bassist
Gregg August
, and pianist
Daniel Kelly
.
The nearly ten-minute opener, "March on Washington," starts as a funky assertion with tubas, trap kit, a punchy brass groove, and
's electric guitar laying out a sinister funk vamp adorned by
Wilson Torres
's vibraphone. It winds itself out to play off the funky, bluesy vamp evoking early
Hot Rats
- and
Waka Jawaka
-era
Frank Zappa
as it proceeds.
Dave Smith
's trumpet solo presages an explosive fuzzed-out wah-wah six-string break before the martial snare of
Jared Schonig
ushers in an extended cacophonous horn chart with a surprise conclusion. While "Yellowcake" begins with a noir-ish, dramatic, orchestral interlude, it suddenly shifts gears and finds a mean Latin groove accented by bright brass, hand percussion, and vibes, with killer solos from
Hasselbring
Irabagon
. "The Vultures at Afghanistan" is where the modernist big-band innovations of the
Clarke-Boland Big Band
meet the Afro-Cuban grooves of
Irakere
. Its solos from
,
Ben Kono
's snaky soprano saxophone, and
Alan Ferber
's boss trombone are underscored by
Schonig
's frenetic kit, as well as
Torres
' bongos, congas, and shakers." "Requiem for an Unknown Soldier" is moodier, more expressionistic. The piano shimmers while introducing a slowly developing horn chart that offers staggered harmonies and pillowy textures in a long, languid suite, complete with stellar blues-inflected soloing from
Jensen
. "Gratitude" weaves soul, gospel, and sunshine pop into its arrangement. Its processional tempo begins to accelerate and nod at the influence of
Oliver Nelson
halfway through, with swirling orchestral colors and polyrhythms. While
's guitar playing is front and center on
Waits
' "Day After Tomorrow," it is granted further poignancy by him singing the lyric in front of restrained and tasteful accompaniment. Finally, "Stupid, Heartless, Pointless Drug War," melds post-bop jazz balladry, gritty blues, funky syncopation, and swinging tempos that would make
Henry Mancini
doff his hat to the composer. With
proves once again he is a master of articulating and innovating on the modern big-band form and is a compelling contributor to its written literature. This is a masterful work whose significance and musical importance will endure. ~ Thom Jurek