The Williamsport Guardian: Jack and Ben Wright at Raytown

MANDATORY MENTION: As mentioned earlier, I write bi-monthly music reviews for a local independent newspaper, The Williamsport Guardian, typically reviewing several albums each column, as well as commenting on local musical performances and events. Because I've been receiving a lot of requests for these reviews, and as far as I can tell they are not as yet published online, I've decided to begin posting them here. The newspaper itself is always well-written, attractive, and full of interesting insights-- AND free-- so be sure to grab a copy if you notice it some where.

Jack and Ben Wright at Raytown w/ “Black Marble” and Seth Olinski
June 3, 2008

Calculated chaos reverberated through one of Raytown’s wooden rooms last Tuesday, when underground free jazz legend Jack Wright performed with his son Ben, filling the room with their unique style of transcendent free jazz. The elder Wright played his saxophone with the irreverence characteristic of a master performer, showing little interest in traditional saxophone techniques and instead opting to dismantle and reassemble his horn throughout the performance, pushing air through cavities and tunnels not typically used. Similarly, Ben Wright showed no qualms about playing his bass in unusual manners, vehemently slapping the strings, percussively striking the body of the instrument, and calmly bowing the plastic tailpiece. Through this medley of unusual movement emerged ornate tapestries of abstract sound, the musicians focusing not on the obvious musical devices of predictable melody and classical rhythm, but rather on the more sincere tools of call-and-response and musical communication. As the two musicians played, there were obvious reactions to one another, Jack Wright echoing moods or motifs in his son’s playing, just as Ben did the same in response to his father’s unique saxophone lines. One of the most sublime moments of the performance came when local guitarist Seth Olinski (Akron/Family) joined the Wrights for a final piece at the end of the night, treating his acoustic guitar with the same kind of irreverence, and using metal and glass slides, along with a section of cork, to coax broad, sweeping sounds from his instrument. Olinski found the sonic middle ground between Ben Wright’s kinetic rumble and Jack Wright’s impassioned roar, highlighting and ornamenting their sound with observations and responses of his own.

Entirely improvised music of any kind is a rarity in this area, particularly improvised music of this esteem and caliber. Jack Wright began his career as a saxophonist in the improvised music scene of Philadelphia, honing his skill and cementing his artistic vision in the nightclubs and music venues of the East Coast. After a career in academia during the 1960’s and a stint working in radical politics during the 1970’s, he began a string of North American and European tours with various collaborators and sidemen, bringing improvised music to the small towns and villages of the United States and Canada, earning the moniker the “Johnny Appleseed of Improvised Music”. As one of the most respected free jazz improvisers performing today, it is an extraordinary honor to have hosted him in Williamsport, and to have had the opportunity to experience his music.

Opening for these free jazz innovators was Black Marble, a local folk duo consisting of Alex Callenberger and Lena Yeagle, both gifted musicians and songwriters writing and performing within the idioms of modern folk and ambient music. The multilayered sound of their harmonized singing echoed through the wide, wooden room, interacting neatly with Callenberger’s artful guitar and Yeagle’s majestic violin lines. The artistry of their compositions is illuminated through the use of their opposite voices, as well as the opposing timbres of their respective instruments, creating a diversity of sound and a broader sonic spectrum than is normally expected in a duo. Innovators in a much different but equally important way, their contrasting musical style was an interesting and appropriate way to set the stage for the extraordinary improvisations of Jack and Ben Wright.