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signal
to noise
the journal of
improvised & experimental music
www.signaltonoisemagazine.org
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LISLE ELLIS & PATRICK BRENNAN
SAUNTERS, WALKS, AMBLES (CIMP)
 And skips, and leaps and broods.
But, what really distinguishes this duet session isn't legs as much as ears.
The British Columbia-born, San Francisco-based bassist Lisle Ellis is one
of the most ferocious listeners around, and this duet date with altoist Patrick
Brennan shows off his formidable ears. The material covered is a shout out
to Brennan's influences, leading off with an affectionate
"Crepuscule with Nellie". Monk is also
represented with two versions of "Misterioso" and Roscoe Mitchell is invoked
with a reverent reading of "Nonaah" that has much of it's composer's ear
for nuances of sound and gesture. But the musical spirit that I sense hovering
over this September 1998 session is that of Eric Dolphy. Brennan seems to
share the Los Angeles master's appetite for harmonic exploration and bop
rhythmic expression. "Ornithine," one of the 11 Brennan/Ellis compositions
on the date, is less Birdlike to to these ears than Dolphyesque, and it's
as much fun to listen to as it must have been to play. Overall, though, this
is a somewhat emotionally circumscribed session; nothing ever gets too hot
or too cool, too exploratory or too conventional. The duo partners work together
splendidly but never prod one another; a certain decorum is always observed.
It helps, then that such an intimate and conversational session was recorded
with the immediacy that Marc Rusch is able to achieve in The Spirit Room.
In his Recording Engineer's notes in the booklet, Rusch almost apologizes
for capturing the sound of the floor creaking under Patrick Brennan's feet
as he rocked in time to his playing. Played loud, this soft-grained music
come right into your listening space. "Naked sound," Rusch calls it. "Nothing
added or taken away." And nothing further needed. Listeners interested in
the art of subtlety should run, sprint, dash to get this human and humane
date.
John Chacona
Page 51 Signal to Noise - March/April 2000 |
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PATRICK BRENNAN with LISLE ELLIS
SAUNTERS, WALKS, AMBLES
CIMP 187
Crepuscule with Nellie / bucket-a-blood / Misterioso / saunter, walk,
amble: a. elsewise / b. far elseway / c. blootzway / d. sweet flat / Misterioso
/ ornithine / teletropic / Expression / Nonaah / precipining (a/b) / Chronology
/ backAtchya
Brennan, as; Lisle Ellis, b. September 28-29, 1998, Rossie, NY
 The
heart of the reviewer's critique necessarily focuses on the issue of subjective
vs. objective art. Each written piece must address the issue of whether the
contribution of the musicians should be merely described or judgement declared
(or some of each). If improvised music is totally subjective, then the efforts
of every artist are equally valid and the work of every performer is no better
than that of any other. However appealing that approach may be, it is
instinctively and demonstratively untenable. Otherwise the classic slolos
of a John Coltrane or a Peter Brotzmann would be no better than the sputters
of a second grade student. Yet, defining the elements that make one recording
"better" than another is a difficult, sometimes impossible task, and not
an entirely objective process. It is not self-discipline, creativity, virtuosity,
nor any other factor that describes why one sound is superior to another.
It is a combination of factors, including the less objective concept of pleasure,
coupled with the subjective renderings of those (serious listeners and critics)
who immerse themselves in the music. Over time there is a winnowing process
in which the cream rises.
What stimulated this discussion is the simple, yet also attractive, approach
of the instant CD. Patrick Brennan is an accomplished saxophonist, as evidenced
by his extraordinary pointillist reading of Roscoe Mitchell's difficult "Nonaah,"
his fluid and powerful rendition of his own
"teletropic," and his hard-edged and boppish "bucket-a-blood." Yet, often
he chooses a more primitive, somewhat self-indulgent interpretation, one
in which his notes land directly on (or even slightly after) the beat and
sputter forth at a leisurely gait. Is Brennan successful? Is this a "good"
CD? And if so, by what objective standards?
It is difficult for anyone to sustain interest for more than an hour of nearly
solo playing. (Lisle Ellis seems comfortable here in a clearly supportive
role.) Brennan does so for the most part, though not entirely. His acerbic
tone appeals, as does his attractive way of exploring the fringes of a melody.
Monk's "Crepuscule with Nellie" is given
a revolutionary interpretation, as Brennan alludes only to the essence of
the song, but he succeeds in making it his own. He is more direct in both
versions of "Misterioso," but he veers enough to the edges to transform it.
Elsewhere, the results are mixed, with "bucket-a-blood" a tour de
force, and the "backAtchya" a revelation with its down-and-dirty plunger
action (a throwback to Brennan's earlier days as a trombonist?); but his
four-part "saunter, walk, amble" is a touch off-focus.
Has Brennan successfully contributed an artistic statement of merit? Perhaps
only peripherally, and yet for our purposes, satisfactorily. Saunters,
Walks, Ambles should please some more than others, but while it mines
only a little new ground, it displays an appreciation for post-Ornette blowing
with an often subtle flair. It sometimes digresses and ambles a bit too much,
but it is sure to find something for nearly everyone who enjoys the free
voice of the alto saxophone - subjectively speaking, that is.
Steven A Loewy
Page 115 Cadence - February 2000
Reprinted with permission from Cadence Magazine |
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The Queen
And The Rebel
 The chancier choice is the up-and-coming alto
saxophonist/composer Patrick Brennan, who performs
at the Painted Bride tonight. Brennan
plays in a freewheeling style that combines the energy of the “free
jazz” of the 60’s with the eclecticism of the 80s. His music resembles
that of the Art Ensemble of Chicago’s Roscoe Mitchell in its edgy
creativity. Brennan spins his open-ended lines into a rough-hewn, multi-textured
musical fabric in a spontaneous fashion that is fascinating to witness. His
ensemble of ingenious improvisers includes Steve Swell (trombone), David
Sidman (guitar), Newman Baker(drums) and Rachiim Ausar-Sahu (bass).
Philadelphia City Paper - June 3, 1988
Reprinted with permission |
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PATRICK BRENNAN:
SOUP/The Patrick Brennan Ensemble,
INTRODUCING:SOUP,
Deep Dish DD-101
 Some of the more vital figures in jazz, such as David Murray
and Henry Threadgill have gravitated to the six-to-eight-piece ensemble,
a special challenge to the composer/arranger/improviser. as the scores must
have an orchestral impact while retaining the elasticity and allusiveness
of small group banter. For the most part, altoist Patrick Brennan successfully
meets the challenge on Soup. using a neo-traditionalist syntax similar to
Murray’s. Brennan’s charts capture a bristling, if sometimes
two-dimensional, energy; subsequently. the boppish spunk of
Slick, the loping phrasing of
Pressed Shuffle, and the lean, plied voicing
of Waltz are fine vehicles for Brennan and
the equally blistering tenor of Marvin Blackman (bassist John Loehrke. trombonist
Fred Parcells. pianist James Weidman, and drummer Dan Spencer also contribute
substantive solos). Though Shuffle and the collective improvising on Atatatata
wear thin upon repeated listenings, Brennan has put enough stick-to-your-ribs
music into Soup to make one anticipate upcoming courses.
Bill Shoemaker
Downbeat, September 1983
Volume 50 No. 9
Reprinted with permission from Downbeat Magazine |
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PATRICK BRENNAN:
SOUP/The Patrick Brennan Ensemble,
INTRODUCING:SOUP,
Deep Dish DD-101
 Patrick Brennan - Soup (Deep Dish). This month’s pleasant
surprise, Brennan is a newcomer whose vivid. right-angled alto style summons
up Roscoe Mitchell and Jackie McLean, and whose colorful writing for sextet
boasts a nodding acquaintance with late-50s Mingus and mid-60s AACM. The
antic spirit of Brennan’s ensemble keeps you listening even when the
solos falter, which they rarely do. Aside from Brennan, the most promising
soloist here is Fred Parcells, a slyly bumptious trombonist.
Francis Davis
Musician - May 1983
Reprinted with permission from Musician Magazine |
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PATRICK BRENNAN:
SOUP/The Patrick Brennan Ensemble,
INTRODUCING:SOUP,
Deep Dish DD-101
 New York’s SOUP/ THE PATRICK BRENNAN ENSEMBLE. on Introducing:
SOUP plays a delightfully quirky, circusy blend of swing, blues and free
music. Charles Mingus is, I’d guess their primary inspiration. You can
hear his influence most clearly in the horn harmonies on the uptempo
Slick, in the mood of the sprightly
Waltz, and in the clever ear-catching little
background figures the horn players use to spur each other’s solos on.
The resultant sound crosses section riffing with New Orleans polyphony.
Gutbucket trombonist (alto, tenor and bass) Fred Parcells is the most endearing
player with a boozy style that conjures up images of him tipsily swaying
back and forth on the bandstand, always on the verge of falling over or dropping
his slide on the floor, yet he always remains in control. Carla Bley, check
him out, he may be your next trombone player. The leader has nervous. speedy
bop approach to alto sax, though at times he displays a slippery. swoopy
sound that complements Parcells’. The horns collectively (tenorist Marvin
Blackman joins them) have a flexible sense of pitch that allows for some
expressive sour harmonies. particularly on the droney opening to II-I-V Down.
The rhythm section of James Weidman (p, org), John Loehrke (b). and Dan Spencer
(d) is equally energetic, if less eccentric, save on the tricky, offbeat
wobble of the bluesy Pressed Shuffle, on which
baritonist Rich Oppenheim sits in. Weidman and Spencer get the most chance
to step on Atatatata’s free break. Imaginative (by Brennan) thoroughly
rehearsed. with a compelling rhythmic thrust. Fun, and well worth seeking
out.
Kevin Whitehead
Cadence- November 1982
Reprinted with permission from Cadence Magazine |
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There’s little to say about this album other than to recommend
it very highly, which, I suppose, says a lot in itself. This is a lovely
album. Brennan is a free altoist heavily under the influence of Ornette Coleman
in his sound and phrasing, though with a more studied technique and less
tonal harmonic conception. He’s an abstract expressionist with chops;
Brennan passes my test of what constitutes a successful free player, mainly
in that he’s utterly coherent in his free associative improvisations,
and he imbues his music with a great deal of timbral and rhythmic variety.
His compositions are fresh and quite original, giving direction to the group
interplay, providing focus for the loosely swinging improvisations.
Brennan’s trio-mates are fine players, as well - equal partners in the
music’s egalitarian construct. Bassist Rachim Ausar-Sahu functions as
the music’s fulcrum much of the time, as on the
lengthy
Trio album from caustic-toned alto saxophonist Patrick Brennan,
which derives much of its energy from the balance between the leader's sorties
and bassist Rachiim Ausar-Sahu's well-weighted backing. What's striking about
the album is how how tight it is, with a stop-start writing style that pushes
it along from fragment to clearly-defined fragment. All this without losing
improvisatory grace. Brennan's got a bunch of compositions that blend quirkiness
and discipline, and a very distinct style of his own.
