The pianist Bill Anschell was surprisingly self-taught, he
subsequently studied at Oberlin College and Wesleyan under some influential teachers. After receiving his master's degree he came to Atlanta in 1989 as the
jazz coordinator for the Southern Arts Federation. He eventually formed an
internationally syndicated radio show “Jazz South” and became steeped in the
Atlanta jazz scene, with his trio performing at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games
and the Atlanta Montreux Jazz Festival.
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| Bill Anschell photo credit unknown |
The work of the now Seattle based pianist Bill Anschell is new
to me and it was with a no anticipation that I found myself being drawn in by
his latest album Rumbler. Anschell
starts it off with his own quirky rendition of Monk’s “Misterioso,” which
combines elements of Monk’s angular style with Anschell’s own unique
interpretative bent. Anschell’s core rhythm section is made up of Chris Symer
on bass and Jose Martinez on drums. After a sparse single note piano and
saxophone presentation of the dissonant melody line, with tenor being manned by
Richard (not Richie) Cole, Anschell takes the tune into modernity, injecting
Brian Monroney’s electric guitar, bass and drums pounding out a booming, brash counter-melody
to the ascending and descending lines of the composition. The tune then turns
into a Monroney led blues ballad, but only for a brief stint, before the group
jumps time signature once again. This time, backed by a Symer walking bass line, Anschell
offers an inspired piano solo. The band changes time again to provide Cole a
gutsy tenor solo. If you think there is a lot going on here, you’d be right,
but it all comes together remarkably well and during this brief a little over
seven-minute trip we get some fabulously stirring music.
“Dark Wind” is an Anschell composition derived from the
Afro-Peruvian lando, a dance
originated musical style. The alto flute of Hans Teuber adds to its soft
undulating rhythm. The breezy tune carries you in its sway enhanced by Jeff
Busch’s percussion. “Captive Light” is another Anschell composition written in
5/4 time that seems to gets lost in its own beauty, as Teuber plays a very
Desmond-esque sounding tenor.
The band returns to more adventurous music with the
cadenced strut of “MBK,” a reference to a food court in Thailand. Monroney’s echoing
electric guitar rips in raw and Martinez’s traps march the music along with
peacock pride. Anschell’s piano solo is
interestingly “out” while still being “in” as the band creates the atmospheric
canvas on which to paint. Symer’s bass is a constant grounding bar for this
kinetic group. This one rocks.
“No You Go,” is another Anschell composition with a catchy,
albeit modal line that the band navigates with precision and unity. Anschell’s
solo piano work is fluid and interesting. Symer’s bass solo is quick and clean.
Martinez gets a chance to show off a little with some extended trap, tom and cymbal
work that is rhythmic without being too flashy.
Anschell and his trio take on an often-neglected Lennon
& McCartney standard “For No One.” The song is given a swinging and
contemporary treatment that makes you re-appreciate the lasting melody and its
possibilities.
The “Rumbler” is brooding, pensive song that features the
longing soprano of Jeff Coffin (of Dave Mathews and Flecktone’s fame), floating
over Symer’s pedal point bass lines and Martinez’s delicate cymbal based time.
Anschell sets the mood with his piano solo before Coffin goes off into an
extended soprano solo that soars over the proceedings like a hawk in flight. Anschell and his rhythm section get to take
this one out at the coda with a sense of bravado.
The album continues with “39F”, an easy, samba inspired
swinger, that again features Hans Teuber on alto saxophone. “Heisenberg’s Fugue
State,” is a reference to the main character, a meth cooking schoolteacher, on
the series “Breaking Bad. This one reunites guitarist Monroney with the group,
but his time on acoustic guitar. “The Dreaded ‘E’ Word” gets back to more of
what I like to hear from this band, a pulsing swinger with rhythmic diversity
and Monroney returning to his jagged guitar work and Anschell getting to
explore some of his more out of the box ideas.
The cd ends with Duke Ellington’s “Reflections in D,” a pensive and moving solo
piano exploration .
Anschell’s playing is contemporary, sometimes pretty, but he has a mischievous,
exploratory side that occasionally comes out in his playing and when he has the
right players with him, as he does on several of these cuts, he is someone who
has something to say.
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