The Microscopic Septet – Been Up So Long It Looks Like Down to Me: The Micros Play the Blues (2017)

The Microscopic Septet is one of those rare groups that have been able to take a unique and enduring approach to various forms of popular music, be it jazz, blues, R & B, rock, pop, and so on, by balancing respect with irreverence, namely such outfits as Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, the New Rhythm and Blues Quintet (NRBQ), the Sun Ra Arkestra, the Jazz Passengers, the Vienna Art Orchestra, and Mostly Other People Do the Killing. After bringing a fresh perspective to the music of Thelonious Monk in 2010 (Friday the Thirteenth: The Micros Play Monk), the band this time takes on the blues form, mostly through the illuminating compositions and arrangements of its co-founders, soprano saxophonist Phillip Johnston and pianist Joel Forrester. The Micros have remained surprisingly intact since formation in 1980 (albeit with a 14-year hiatus), with only altoist Don Davis (1981 for John Zorn) and tenor saxophonist Michael Hashim (for Paul Shapiro in 2006) coming on board to join original members Johnston, Forrester, baritone saxophonist Dave Sewelson, bassist Dave Hofstra, and drummer Richard Dworkin. As Johnston once said, "Break all the rules and respect all the saints," and the Micros continue to display the ability and inclination to swing their tails off on the one hand, while launching into jubilant free form flights of fancy on the other.

The soul jazz theme of "Cat Toys" leads to a riffing Hashim that evolves into his bluesy, motif-laced solo. A hearty unison section is succeeded by Hofstra's expressive point of view, as well as Forrester's flowing runs alongside the horns' vamp. "Blues Cubistico" possesses a pulsating, circular theme that generates Sewelson's rumbling, playfully unpredictable improv on this short (2:47) but sweet track. Hofstra's bass is up front for the profoundly blue "Deep Blue," with Forrester accentuating the floating-on-air ambiance, before the ensemble enters with additional thematic content. Hashim and Sewelson strut their stuff amidst the band's provocative asides, and Forrester's trickling wizardry precedes the rambunctious reprise. Johnston's perky soprano heads up his riffing dance hall theme to "Don't Mind If I Do," with Hashim, the composer, and Davis spiritedly sustaining the positive mood consecutively prior to the group's sharply harmonized recap.

The Micros march and stomp through the assertive "Migraine Blues," during which a sinuous Hashim, and a lamenting Sewelson expound upon the meaning of it all. The raucous free form opening to "PJ in the 60s" segues into walking bass and a most appealing classic-in-the-making Micros theme. Hashim and Davis engage in a lucid and seamless give-and-take, answered by the same from a whimsical Johnston and a brawny Sewelson. Forrester and Dworkin match up winningly next in this altogether cleverly arranged selection. "When It's Getting Dark" is regenerated from Johnston's rock band, The Public Servants, and retains its shuffling rhythmic thrust, with Dworkin excelling as the horns enticingly riff no-end and Davis and Sewelson wail progressively and boldly. Unbridled contrapuntal ruminations introduce "Simple-Minded Blues," with its slyly askew theme, and soloists here include a down home Forrester, soulfully nuanced Hashim, and profoundly committed Hofstra.

"After You, Joel" contains a catchy call-and-response theme that resolves into swinging efforts by Forrester and Johnston, and then Dworkin's dynamic drum break. "12 Angry Birds" is out of '20's Duke Ellington (think "The Mooche"), the droning dirge-like legato melody, with its more upbeat bridge, setting the stage for Johnston's quivering soft-toned blues connotations. The emphatic, well-orchestrated line to "Quizzical" makes this septet sound like a full-sized, full-strength big band, and Forrester and Johnston are the featured players, each in splendid personalized form. Forrester re-harmonizes the Xmas carol "Silent Night" as a sad blues, with Johnston channeling Pee Wee Russell in his initial solo. Salient interplay ensues amongst the horns in keeping with the piece's temperament, as does the pianist's stripped down, essential blues essay. The closing "I've Got a Right to Cry" was a 1950 R & B hit for Joe Liggins and the Honeydrippers, and this version finds Sewleson taking the vocal after the band plays the attractive theme, he sounding like a cross between Louis Armstrong and Fats Domino. Hashim and Davis then rock out to seal the deal.

Tracklist:

1.Cat Toys. 04:33
2.Blues Cubistico 02:47
3.Dark Blue 06:34
4.Don’t Mind If I Do 04:04
5.Migraine Blues (for Wendlyn Alter) 04:50
6.PJ in the 60s 06:21
7.When It’s Getting Dark 04:34
8.Simple-Minded Blues 05:43
9.After You, Joel 02:28
10.12 Angry Birds 04:26
11.Quizzical 05:51
12.Silent Night 06:21
13.I’ve Got a Right to Cry 03:16