(Andrew Sterman, tenor sax & bass flute; Todd Reynolds, violin; Bob Palmieri, guitar; Mick Rossi, piano; Kermit Driscoll, bass; Satoshi Takeishi, percussion; N.M. Sundar, chant; Nivedita Shivraj, veena)
A number of jazz artists have released albums lately incorporating a strong spiritual concern and/or peace & justice theme. I think this effort from saxist-composer Andrew Sterman is one of the most successful I have heard. However laudable the underlying intent of some of these albums, the final musical result often sounds forced or just plain not very interesting to listen to. Not so this lovely disc in what Sterman calls his Breath Pulse Jazz style.
It is the music for an interdisciplinary project which combines his music with choreography blending modern western and Indian traditional dance plus the projection of archival film footage. Its subject is the life and achievements of Mahatma Gandhi. Sterman read Gandhi’s autobiography very closely, and has crafted a suite with seven core movements corresponding to steps in the Indian leader’s spiritual and political life. There are three transitions using chant tying together the various sections.
Sterman worked early in his career with Frank Sinatra, as well as Dizzy and Aretha Franklin. He has long been a featured performer with the Philip Glass Ensemble (which explains how this release is on the Orange Mt. label), from which he learned the technique of using interlocking inner voices to drive the music and sustain moods. He gave his players interlocking parts which divided up the traditional relationships within a jazz group. Most of the tracks are very relaxing and meditational, with some beautiful melodies, deriving from connections with breath work, Tai Chi and Chi Gong. But the one track Satyagraha (passive resistance) becomes quite forceful and intense in attempting to communicate the emotional pressures Gandhi had when leading his peaceful demonstrations against the British in India. Sterman feels that he can spread Gandhi’s message of healing thru this music, and I feel he has succeeded in that with this very commendable album.
TrackList: Opening, Truth, Chant I, Faith, Fearlessness, Chant II, Ahimsa, Chant III, Satyagraha, Democracy, Peace.
– John Henry