Review from Cadence Magazine by Don Lerman
Tenor saxophonist Marty Krystall and his acoustic Jazz trio Mojave provide an outstanding Jazz set characterized by both adventuresome and traditional qualities. Krystall is a strong musical voice on tenor and bass clarinet, bringing influences from Rollins, Coltrane, Dolphy, and conveying reverence for earlier Jazz and bebop artists. Possessing a wide expressive range, Krystall captures and extends the spirit and legacy of Ben Webster on "Ben Addiction," of Monk on "Ask Me Now," of Jaki Byard on "Mrs. Parker of KC," and of Herbie Nichols on "Terpsichore." Review from JazzReview.com by Ron Bierman It happens more often lately that I have a "WOW" reaction to a release by someone I've never heard before. The unknowns come in two sizes--a young player trained by one of the increasing number of terrific jazz schools, or a veteran musician who doesn't tour and has seldom been recorded as a soloist. Marty Krystall fits the latter category. He was born in 1951, invites comparisons to the best tenors in jazz, and this is the first I've heard of him? Yup. He's spent most of his career in LA, which probably has the most undiscovered wows of any city. They make a comfortable living as studio musicians, backing popular artists or making film and TV soundtracks. Actually, I have heard Marty Krystall. I just didn't know it. His hundreds of movie credits include X-Men, Forest Gump andThe Mummy Returns. On this release he plays tenor and, most unusually since it's even touchier than the notoriously cranky soprano clarinet, a bass clarinet. Krystall's tenor tone is strong and clear, with a touch of sweetness and a vibrato that are more typical of an alto. His clarinet tone is aggressively masculine. His technique is clean and rhythmically sure at any speed on either instrument. The less-cantankerous tenor is his choice on seven of ten tracks. The "Theme from Gunsmoke" gets things off to a Western-tinged start. There's humor in the selection and playing, but the trio swings with an intense, hard edge reinforced by the austere vibe of the pianoless combination. Sinclair Lott adds texture and color rather than just keeping time. J.P. Maramba provides a solid harmonic foundation, has a brief solo, and then a more visible role on "We've Heard It All Before," his own tune. Its catchy melody goes to the clarinet closely shadowed by bowed, then plucked bass. Both Krystall and Lott solo over walking base which then strides alone for a moment before the melody returns. The comfortable medium tempo is appropriate to the song's title. "Ben Addiction" by Ben Webster begins with a tribute to that Swing-Era master and stays there most of the way, but Krystall updates the tune with post-bop touches throughout. Jaki Byard's quirky "Mrs. Parker of KC" gets a treatment reminiscent of the bass-clarinet surprise leaps and harmonic substitutions of Eric Dolphy. And if you knew how I feel about Dolphy, you'd know what a compliment that is. Krystall gains further status in my eyes by including Monk's "Ask Me Now." His tenor sounds like it's making playful love to the tune. If you've only heard Mr. Krystall in "Return of the Mummy" and "Forest Gump," you really need to get this album. Highly recommended.
Review from Point of Departure by Bill Shoemaker One of Marty Krystall's current pursuits is Mojave, a trio with bassist J.P. Maramba and drummer Sinclair Lott. From the outset of their Way Out West-like workout on the theme from "Gunsmoke," they establish themselves as a unit that prods the material and each other at every turn. They put new light on well-known pieces like Monk's "Ask Me Now" and Herbie Nichols "Terpsichore" (a heated take on Jaki Byard's lesser known "Mrs. Parker of KC" rounds out a mid-album trio of pianist-penned compositions) by initially giving the melodies breathing room and then spooling out pungent choruses that stretch the contours of the respective compositions while reinforcing their original emotional intent. Something of the same can be said of their blistering take on Ben Webster's "Ben Addiction;" but Mojave's taste for and insight into jazz's pantheon is a secondary agenda. Both Krystall and Maramba are fine writers who establish specific points of view on bedrock jazz principles with well-turned phrases and spark-shooting structural twists. Fortunately, the bassist's "We've Heard It All Before" doesn't live up to its name; a simultaneously playful and pensive tune that would fit Michael Moore like a glove, it gives Krystall an excellent platform to demonstrate the heat and elegance he can generate on bass clarinet. Krystall's "Blue Dunes," a delicious and thorough reworking of "Blue Skies" replete with a tom tom-tinged jazz exotica vamp, reiterates that the art of camouflage is as important as ever in jazz. Still, the trio's respective resources as improvisers suggest that all they need to make an engaging recording is to have someone to click the record button. That's certainly the case with "Duo at Diablo," a simmering, freely improvised duet between Krystall and Lott, and the two back-to-back blues vehicles that end the album. Maramba sounds like he's cut from the same cloth as Neidlinger: excellent fundamentals, impeccable time, and razor-sharp responsiveness. Lott constantly feeds percolating cross-rhythms and solo-goosing embellishments in a thoroughly unobtrusive manner (some of the latter quality may be attributed to the one-point stereo recording, but probably not much). And Krystall is simply pungent throughout. There's nothing at all arid about Mojave. |
