Dreamstuff
Ayler Records, aylDL-070
Cadence Magazine 2008
By: Stuart Kremsky
Drawn from a pair of 2005 studio sessions (Marx, ts; Siegel, d; Catskill, NY, 8/18 & 12/11/05), the music soars from the opening fanfare by an unaccompanied Marx on his own “Harps.” There’s a striving quality to Marx’ insistent tenor, and he grows more intense as Siegel enters, evoking Elvin Jones just a bit.
The duo’s music is strongly influenced by the attitudes and performance styles of the new Jazz of the Sixties. One thing this pair knows how to do is keep things tight. Only a few tracks are longer than 5 minutes, a bit unusual in an era when 30 and 40 minute improvisations are so common. (Harps/ Little Elliot Lloyd/ Rag Tag/ Kind of Like Talking/ Tumble/ Exposition/ Bird’s Sanctuary/ Dreamstuff/Interiors/ Blues for John Stubblefield. 50:05)
Drummer Siegel’s one composing contribution, “Rag Tag,” has a Basie-like theme, but it takes off
from there with Marx’ playful tenor plus a running commentary from the drums. The pair’s two improvisations (the “let’s just see what happens” vibe of “Kind of Like Talking” and the atmospheric “Bird’s Sanctuary”) fit right in with the composed pieces.
John Esposito co-produced the session with the artists and contributed four of his tunes for the duo to
explore. His “Little Elliot Lloyd” is an attractively bluesy line that gets a keenly focused approach from Marx in his solo, varying his sound from rich and burred in the lower registers to shrill but controlled in the
upper range, all the while having a vigorous give and take with Siegel, mostly on brushes. “Interiors” is a static exercise in held tones against delicate cymbals and mallets lightly tapped on drums.
“Blues for John Stubblefield” has a Coltrane feel to it, and it provokes powerful solo work by the pair as they “play multiple tempos and meters simultaneously,” according to Esposito.
It ends the disc in fine fashion, clearly enunciating their immersion in the Jazz tradition and their ommitment to move the music forward.
Dreamstuff is a fine effort, definitely worth hearing.
Touching Extremes
By: Massimo Ricci
Tenor saxophonist Marx and drummer Siegel showcase bright talents in ten improvisations where the right balance of freedom and regulation seems to be the main bedrock of their approach.
Except for “Bird’s Sanctuary”, whose character is pretty ritualistic and deeply meditative, most of the tracks show lots of percussive sinuousness and melodic resourcefulness, resulting in a thoroughly gratifying experience. Marx’s corpulent tone never falters, delivering lines upon lines of forceful malleability which ranges from an extreme to another of the improvisational fantasy’s rainbow arc. No chance for him to be inserted in some heavy-duty shelf: after one’s convinced of having systematized that voice in a context of influences, off the man flies from our fist with swirling insurrections contradicting the previous codes of his playing.
Siegel is one of those drummers whose polyrhythmic mastery transforms the “skin factor” into something that can be digested either as an unsophisticated marvel (“I don’t understand it, but it’s beautiful!”) or a demonstration of anti-egocentrism, as he privileges thoughtful interaction and sensitive underlining of his comrade’s virtues rather than exposing himself in full bodybuilder booming pose (case in point, the gorgeous “Kind Of Like Talking”).
Nice effort from both artists, a veritable breath of fresh air that will find you satisfied, if not energized at the end of the album.
All About Jazz
By: Jake Harper
Duo performance is one of the most revealing venues for a performer. While as exposed as if performing solo, the inclusion of another musician into the creative process forces accountability. Many great musicians have been stretched by the process to create some of their best performances, whether it is Duke and Jimmy Blanton or Hank Jones and Joe Lovano.
The drum/sax duo is one that can very easily lend itself to a dizzying flurry of squeaks and honks and it is nice to hear on Dreamstuff melodic ideas fleshed out with plenty of space lining the walls.
Drummer Jeff "Siege" Siegel has a definite reserve on the drums as well, setting up long drum fills on the snare only, dropping in the bass kick at the end of a phrase. Without bass, the performers utilizing the full range of their instruments is very important in creating drama; Siegel's careful implementation of flourish with a snare here, booming bass kicks over there and gap fills with ride cymbal and high hat surround saxophonist Jeff Marx' sax lines with a sense of orchestration.
There is a consistency of improvisational material from song to song. Even the more exploratory tracks make use of a very singular style of free communication throughout. One benefit of dropping the bassist is in the added freedom of being able to fall into new and exciting improvisatory excursions; the only lacking aspect of Dreamstuff is a seeming reluctance for chance and exploration.
AlbanyJazz.com
By: Jeff Waggoner
From the first note of the CD "Dreamstuff," the listener can tell you are being engaged by a serious tenor saxophonist.
Anyone who takes such care to deliver great, throaty blasts out of the sax like Chicago-based Jeff Marx does, you know he is a meticulous craftsman.
Listen further, to "Dreamstuff," the newly released duo CD on the Swedish Ayler Records label with drummer Jeff "Siege" Siegel, you know you are listening to art, not just craft.
Hudson Valley resident Siegel is much more a collaborator in this duo session than he is an accompanist or rhythm keeper. While Marx takes center stage on most of the 10 songs on this CD, Siegel's presence and counterpoint to Marx is what makes this CD a keeper.
It's a rare delight to hear a drum set player who is a total percussionist. Someone who doesn't let any clank, thunk or tinkle go unused.
This is especially the case on the beautiful improvisation, "Bird's Sancutary," whistles, flutes and jangles make it float.
All 10 songs are originals written by Marx, Siegel or producer John Esposito and it is one of those albums that really should be listened as a whole.
It says a lot about the level of musicianship in this region when a label such as Ayler Records produces one of our own. Ayler Records has put out recording of some of the most important free jazz musicians performing today, including Peter Brötzmann, Henry Grimes, Hamid Drake, William Parker, Assif Tsahar and Charles Gayle.
But 'free jazz" shouldn't put off potential listeners of this CD. It occasionally teases with free jazz concepts, but the players/composers always find some kind of organizing principle that shape the music. Every note here makes sense.
Personally, this is one of my favorite CD acquisitions so far in 2007. Recommended.
WNUR Chicago
By: Mike Szajewski
Recorded in the summer and winter of 2005, here is a set of 10 relatively short pieces which explore the more swinging, bouncy side of free jazz in a sax/drums format.
Marx proves to be a powerful player, more than carrying his weight as the sole tonal voice of the album. He takes a basic idea in each piece, and introduces a series of turns and variations, creating a lively overall feel.
Siegel's drumming is deceptively free; despite being of a traditional time signature, each phrase seems to be perfectly in place, which speaks volumes about the communicative ability of these two as a pair.
www.lesondugrisli.com
By: Grisli
Sur Dreamstuff, le saxophoniste Jeff Marx et le batteur Jeff "Siege" Siegel renouent avec l'intensité d'un free minimaliste, ludique autant que décisif.
S'il cite souvent John Coltrane ou Sonny Rollins en référence, ce sont des saxophonistes plus jeunes que Marx évoque ici: Arthur Blythe sur Little Elliot Lloyd, Jimmy Lyons ailleurs, aidé par la tournure prise par une rencontre qui en rappelle une autre, plus ancienne: celle de Lyons, donc, et d'Andrew Cyrille. Au jeu des comparaisons, Siegel se plie au son de facéties capables d'obliger le ténor à tourner sur lui même (Esposition), de développements fleuris ou de propositions espiègles (Rag Tag).
Tenant parfois de l'ébauche charmante (Kind Of Like Talking), Dreamstuff voit donc Marx et Siegel réussir avec subtilité dans l'exercice du duo créatif, et redonner des couleurs à une mode malheureusement un peu passée.
Jazznett
By: Henrik Kaldahl
This new download-only release from the ever amazing Ayler Records is a duo recording by the two free minded musicians, Jeff Marx who controls the tenorsaxophone and the drummer Jeff ”Siege” Siegel. The release consists of ten incredible tight played numbers which was recorded at NRS Recording Studio, Catskill New York on August 18 and december 11 in 2005.
The interplay between these two great artists are really something out of the ordinary. The way the numbers are played brings the thoughts back to the work between John Coltrane and Rashied Ali in the sixties – at times sounding like a updated version of these two old masters and their work together. On this record there is no leadman who stands in front of the other. Both musicians stand together like partners in crime and the result is one strong unit moving forward on a collective mission into the amazing world of free jazz. Marx pushes his saxophone to the limit with convincing and breathtaking results and Siege bangs the drums with great skills and foreward thinking playing on the drums.
The music here is extremely well played by two great musicians, who plays like there was no tomorrow and like this was the one thing they just had to do before the world ends as we know it. As on all of the other releases from Ayler records I have reviewed, the quality is very, very high and I can only give it my most sincere recommendation