Another Hand

Great jazz album

I like his music. It was not quite what I expected from the piece I heard on a local jazz station.

EARLY

Following his 1988 release  Close-Up  David Sanborn became the host of his own cable program,which bought in guests as unique in range from Sun Ra's Arkestra and Bootsy Collins to Al Green. Plus many many more. This process of exposing so many so sometimes unsung talent really helped Sanborn take a look at his own music. True-in the 1980's he was on a huge winning streak that seemed to keep going and going. But commercial accessibility aside David Sanborn was also a musician. And especially in jazz,much as swing musicians playing in private for themselves whilst coming up with what would become be-bop,it's often vital to be able to take a little time away from popular success and take your music as far as one can. Because of his ability to play melody very soulfully,consistently from song to song on album after album Sanborn's own techniques as an improviser were not on display as much. So on this album,while still retaining Marcus Miller's production Sanborn teamed up Hal Willner for the majority of this production. He also decided to work alongside the likes of guitarist Bill Frissell,ex Ornette Coleman bass player Charlie Haden,percussionist Don Alias and drummer Jack DeJohnette for one of the most surprising albums of his career. Funny thing is,this is not a straight ahead acoustic jazz date. Straight ahead doesn't describe this music in the least. It's Frissell and Haden that really lead the musical charge here in terms of direction. From "First Song" through "Come To Me Nina",the title song "Weird From One Step Beyond" through a twelve minute+ meldy to "Dukes & Counts" we're dealing with music that is very stark,often little more than thumping percussion and often light drumming. It's Haden's basslines that wiggle and wabble in the most free jazz of ways that really brings most of this to life. On some occasions here Sanborn's sax has an otherworldly,soul searching quality more in keeping with John Coltrane than the Hank Crawford style soulfully melodic fire. On the albums most obviously melodic piece called "Jesus" Sanborns tone is still more reflective than intense. On "Hobbies" Lenny Picket comes at the music from another type of soulful angle. More the angle of an early/mid 60's soul jazz date than the kind of studiocentric funk sound that Sanborn usually went for on these types of things. Haden's country influence shows up on "Monica Jane",where Frissell pops in on that front too. It rather anticipates some of the jazz/country hybrids of later years rather than the earlier ones of Chet Atkins and such. I am honestly now sure how much this album is really loved by even Sanborn's biggest supporters. It has absolutely nothing to do with what he'd been doing in the 70's and 80's or what would come after. Nor does the type of jazz it embraces something that all jazz lovers can easily agree on. I once heard it said,in this case speaking of Ornette Coleman that the idea of jazz needing to be free seemed like a contradiction in terms. Especially considering how the very definition of the music stood for the freedom of improvisation. By the early 1990's even some of jazz's subgenre's such as fusion and free jazz were....themselves developing their own subgenre's. To anybody searching for purity in music,this might've seemed like a confusing nightmare. To others it was a big adventure. Sanborn decided to go along for the ride,completely alter everything about his sound and see what happens. Seemed to have done well enough for him. Strikes me as something that would be a critics favorite. And while some of the music drags on a bit for Sanborn standards I could give him ten stars alone just for the guts he had to try something so unexpected to kick off another musical decade for him.

One of my favorite albums that I can still listen to yrs later. I had a couple of his other albums but was never a huge fan. This album is like Stings Soul Cages album ... Sanborn hit on something beautiful but it wouldn’t make sense to revisit ever again. It still amazes me how he arranged some of the songs that have this country sound with the drums and guitar (Love Frissell) with a soulful Sax blowing over it. It simply blows apart stereotypes.

After 12 albums for Warner/Reprise, this was Sanborn's first turn with Elektra. He wanted to explore boundaries and make artistic concerns his priority. Some of this set works wonderfully. "Hobbies" with Greg Cohen's bass and the insistent drums of Steve Jordan and Don Alias' percussion is a complete gas. Sanborn does "Jesus" penned by Lou Reed, an unusual source for a jazz cover, with Syd Straw's airy vocals giving a nice sheen to the slow contemplative melody. "Cee" is a breezy 2-minute Sanborn original that bounces joyfully. "Monica Jane" is a slink jazz piece by Bill Fisell with Sanborn's distinctive alto sax leading the parade. "Another Hand" succeeds in pushing the artistic boundaries a bit without becoming too freeform. Enjoy!

This is a definite departure for Sanborn as he goes outside to bring us "Another Hand". Looking at who he's playing with it's very obvious why he has taken the step over into Free Jazz, Bill Frisell and Charlie Haden. Haden was the bassist for the king of Free Jazz and fellow sax player, Ornate Coleman. Coleman could go so far outside that it would hurt. These outside tunes might be a little difficult for even jazz lovers to tolerate, but Sanborn only touches upon it leaving this album very easy to listen to.The Frisell/Haden combo starts you off easy with Haden's "First Song" and Frisell's signature sound on guitar. Then comes Frisell's turn for one of his songs with "Monica Jane". Haden has a small bass solo in the middle. Lou Reed's "Jesus" is the surprise of this unique combo's reprituer as it stays pretty much inside, which must be the setup for jumping straight on over into Free Jazz with the medley bringing back memories of Coleman. Don't let these songs scare you, the first three from the combo are very well done, and easy on the ear. Plus, for every song he plays with Frisell and Haden, he plays one without them. "Weird from One Step Beyond" (Frisell appears here too) is a beautiful, soulful jazz tune. Sanborn's sax is dripping with emotion as he blows those beautiful notes. Another beautiful song is "Come to Me, Nina." Sanborn mirrors Terry Adams on the piano with great results. Sanborn kicks it in with "Hobbies", which is upbeat and flashy. There's a solo from one of my favorite pianists, Mulgrew Miller. Miller hangs out for "Dukes & Counts", another great tune.This is one of those albums where an artist wants to step outside his confines and try a little something new. I have to applaud Sanborn for taking the risk, especially to try Free Jazz. Although I'm not a fan of Free Jazz, I still find this a great album. I'm not a big fan of the medley, but the rest of the album makes up for it. Sanborn sure can blow, and proves it on this album. He also surrounds himself with exceptional musicians. For more of Frisell and Haden, check them out with Ginger Baker on "Going Home", and for more Miller with Brian Lynch on "Tribute to the Trumpet Masters", both are excellent.

Good Stuff!

David Sanborn is a musician who has reached a position in his career where he's almost a genre in himself - he either makes a good David Sanborn album or a not-so-good David Sanborn album. This album - Another Hand - is very much in the former camp, an artful shuffling of his musical pack that includes a lovely version of the Velvet Underground third album classic, 'Jesus', with Sanborn soulfully emoting out Lou Reed's simple melody. As with all of Sanborn's album, 'Another Hand' boasts fine production values and consummate musicianship. If, like me, you tire of tedious lyrics, then 'Another Hand' offers vocal-free relief and a plentiful supply if musical thrills. Plus, you can pick up a copy relatively inexpensively.

Lovely

Quite a mixture here, but well worth listening to. Some parts are a little smooth, but in other places I am sure I could hear Charlie Mingus shuffling around and growling at the other musicans. In other places the band take up the sway of a street band and there is a man in a white coat waiting to play? Sadly Lester Bowie never gets to leave the celestial band and sit in! Listen after dark!!!

EXCELLENT

Hatte von David Sanborn zufällig eine CD ("timeagain") im Bücherflohmarkt meiner Stadtbibliothek für 50 Cent ergattert. Später dann auch noch "closer". War sehr angetan und dachte, ich müsste nun alles von Ihm haben. - Musste ich nicht.Natürlich ist er immer ein exelenter Alto Saxophonist, aber dieses Album ist doch mehr als Hinetrgrundgeplätscher beim Kochen oder malen zu brauchen.