Reggie Workman - Summit Conference (Postcards, 1993)

Reggie Workman, bass
Sam Rivers, tenor & soprano sax, flute
Julian Priester, trombone
Andrew Hill, piano
Pheeroan akLaff, drums

Recorded December 5 & 6, 1993
Kampo Audio, NYC
Engineer: Joe Babaria

I mentioned earlier that Postcards was one of the most interesting new jazz labels to appear in the early 1990s. My two favorite albums in the label's short life are Reggie Workman's Summit Conference and Cerebral Caverns. These works, along with Synthesis (Leo, 1986), are radically different from Workman's dozens of recording sessions for Blue Note during the 1960s. 

The program for Summit Conference consists of two original compositions by Workman, two by Sam Rivers, one by Julian Priester, one by Andrew Hill, and one each by John Carter and Sonelius Smith. They range from high energy workouts to quiet meditations.

Carter's "Encounter" begins the program with a rather mysterious repeated bass figure. Rivers and Priester engage in what sounds like simultaneous solos over Hill's and Pheeroan akLaff's backing. The dark, urgent intensity mounts until Workman's bass solo takes the tune out. 

The second track, Workman's "Estelle's Theme," has an angular melody that sounds like an Andrew Hill piece. In Workman's words, "Estelle" is "a waltz with an ironic contemporary rhythm." Just the right challenge for Hill and the other musicians on this date.

The title track continues the sense of mystery sustained throughout most of the album. It does so without obvious chord changes, as Workman maintains a vamp throughout the roiling interplay between the horns. The following piece, Priester's "Breath," is the most difficult piece, according to Workman, due to its "contrapuntal melodies" and "unfolding rhythmic variations." 

As if to simplify the musical program, the closing track, Hill's "Gone," is a set of meditations on a beautiful tone poem, played repeatedly by different combinations of band members. In sequence, the melody is played by bass, piano and flute; piano alone; and finishes with the whole band minus drums. It's not monotonous because Hill's melodies often contain enough variety to remove the need for improvised solos. It's a lovely way to end a brilliant summit conference with these adventurous artists.

For my review of Workman's Synthesis album, go to:

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