Nussbaum, Anderson & Noy: 3/4 of the group Bann Play the Turning Point Cafe

The Turning Point Cafe in Piermont , NY
photo by Ralph A. Miriello c 2011

Twenty-six miles from New York City in the charming little village of Piermont, NY., is the home of the  Turning Point cafe and restaurant. The town picturesquely sits at the edge of  a wide section of the Hudson river and  in the shadow of the Tappan Zee Bridge in Rockland County, New York. Owner John McEvoy, has a penchant for blues, folk rock and "shit kicking" music and he has been bringing national and local acts to this area for the last thirty-five years. For the last three seasons McEvoy  has been collaborating with jazz saxophonist & promoter John Richmond to bring top notch jazz to this intimate music venue, mostly on Monday and Sunday nights.

Oz Noy, Adam Nussbaum & Jay Anderson of BANN
 photo
 by  Ralph A. Miriello  c 2011

This past Sunday, I made my way across the bridge to see the trioof drummer Adam Nussbaum, bassist Jay Anderson and electric guitarist Oz Noy perform. Together with tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, they make up the group BANN
( an acronyn for their last names Blake, Anderson, Nussbaum and Noy.). I recently reviewed their most recent offering  "As You Like", recorded at Anderson's Mountain Rest Studio in nearby New Paltz, NY and thought it was a top notch effort. (check out my review by clicking here).


I have seen drummer Adam Nussbaum perform before with guitarist John Abercrombie, with whom he regularly works. He is a drummer's drummer who always seems to have a coterie of other fellow players who come out to see him perform. He is a muscular, animated drummer with a firm attack and a keen sense of time. He is deft with brushes and uses his cymbals tastefully. Nussbaum is originally from Norwalk, CT and  has worked with John Scofield, Dave Liebman and James Moody to name a few.

Adam Nussbaum
photo by Ralph A. Miriello c 2011

Jay Anderson is the consummate journeyman bassist. His resume includes stints with Maria Schneider's award wining "Sky Blue" orchestra, singer/songwriter Michael Franks, the late great saxophonist Michael Brecker and Crusaders pianist Joe Sample as well being a first call  sideman for many other musicians. He can keep impeccable time or produce poignant solos with his facile technique.

Jay Anderson
phtoto by Ralph A. Miriello c 2011

Israeli born guitarist Oz Noy is the youngster in the group and the wild card in the deck. His playing is an odd amalgam of jazz, rock, funk and blues. His slant on the music always comes from a contemporary point of view. He crosses between genres with ease. He is an exciting player who doesn't play conventionally. His  excursions can be  surprisingly brilliant or conversely  leave you and  his fellow players scratching their heads. Besides working with Adam and Jay in BANN, he has played with super drummers Dave Wekl, Vinnie Colaiuta and Anton Fig along with bassists Will Lee and James Genus in his own power trios.

The group started their set at the Turning Point with an unusual take on the Jerome Kern classic "All the Things You Are", one my favorite cuts from their recent album. Noy uses an array of electronic devices to supplement his guitar sound and he modulated through the changes as Nussbaum used subtle brush strokes and soft traps with Anderson gently loping on his bass. The result was an old standard that  took on a new and contemporary sound.

The group included the  Thelonious  Monk's tune "Evidence" as a starting point for its exploration into staccato syncopation. The trio was able to negotiate the jagged starts and stops of the tune with a loose precision as Noy lead the way and Anderson and Nussbaum followed the chicane of changes in joyful tandem.  You could see these guys were having some fun.

Jay Anderson's decidedly western sounding "At Sundown" , also from the latest album, is a classic piece of Americana inspired music. Here Noy skillfully employs a glass slide to create the sound reminiscent of a pedal steel guitar. Using his brushes once again, Nussbaum animatedly hushes his cymbals at precise breaks in the music to great effect. Anderson's bass is warm and inviting, as Noy's guitar sounds like it is taking a page from the Bill Frisell play book.

Oz Noy
photo by Ralph A. Miriello c 2011

Noy's "Hot Peas and Butter"  found the guitarist getting  into some adventurous improvisation with a line from Jimi Hendix's " Third Stone from the Sun" figuring prominently during part of his solo. The band seemed a bit afloat on this one.

The group broke for a brief intermission and came back with a crowd pleasing Nussbaum blues titled "Sherwood Baby", with  Noy and Anderson both playing soulful solos.



Almost immediately after this blues, Noy started to  noodle on a lick from the melody "If I Only Had A Brain"from the  musical the Wizard of Oz. . His angular approach was immediately picked up on by his fellow band mates to the delight of the crowd. I am not sure if this was a part of the planned repertoire. It seemed more like a spontaneous response to a fleeting riff and it was fun to watch it develop.This is what makes "live", in the moment music so special.

In what was perhaps my favorite performance of the night, the trio did a wonderful ballad version of
John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" at a slow, sauntering pace that allowed for some beautiful solo moments from the three musicians. Anderson was particularly poignant on his bass solo.

The final three tunes were Monk's "Straight No Chaser"; Noy's catchy "Minor Shuffle" which could easily become a it's own minor classic and a finale of Miles Davis "All Blues" with tenor saxophonist John Richmond sitting in for the last song.

It was a great evening of music and the Turning Point cafe is a wonderful venue that will hopefully continue to provide another needed place for great jazz to be experienced.

This article is also posted on The Huffington Post at
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ralph-a-miriello/nussbaum-anderson-noy-34-_b_887239.html

The Group BANN "As You Like" Modern Jazz at it's Best

Review of BANN’s   “As You Like”

Jazz Eyes Records 010

Recorded by Jay Anderson Mountain Rest Studio New Paltz, N.Y.

Rarely do I hear an album, this early in the year, that makes me want to declare it a possible candidate for one of the year’s best. It is simply too early to make that kind of statement, but the new BANN release “As You Like” may very well deserve this accolade.

BANN is an acronym for the first letters of the last names of the group’s players. Seamus Blake on tenor saxophone, Jay Anderson on double bass

(and incidentally the recording engineer on this date);  Oz Noy on electric guitar and Adam Nussbaum on drums. The rhythm section of Anderson and Nussbaum is a powerful team that together set the firm foundation for the explorations of the talented Blake and the quizzical Noy.

On the opening track, the group reconstruct the well-worn Jerome Kern tune “All the Things You Are” creating a modern sound, bringing it into the 21^st century. Blake’s powerful tenor plays ala Joe Henderson as Nussbaum and Anderson swing beneath. When Noy takes his fusionesque solo, resplendent with marvelously creative electronic effects. the dynamic rhythm section appropriately compliment his styling without missing a beat.

Monk’s music is especially good fodder for these guys as they tackle his “Played Twice”. There is a marvelous chemistry at work here that is quite wonderful to behold.  It is obvious that these guys all know and have studied the tradition. Blake and Noy are particularly well suited to play together, meshing their sounds on the head beautifully. When they solo, Blake’s tenor is strong, confident and biting. Noy has absorbed some of the best characteristics of Scofield’s funk, Frisell twang and combined them with Jeff Beck's blues sensibilities. Anderson’s bass lines are probing, exploratory and help push Noy along. Nussbaum finishes the piece with a stuttering Monk-like drum solo. This is a tour de force precisely because they all play so well together.

For those of us who grew up singing to Crosby, Stills & Nash, the inclusion of David Crosby’s touching “Guinivere” is a welcome surprise. Here Seamus Blake’s sensitive tenor work is simply beautiful. He articulates in a tender way that emits desire and yearning. Guitarist Noy adds his own delicate electronic effects that are superbly subtle. Nussbaum delicately brushes his cymbals in a cascade of  shimmers.

On “Days of Old” Anderson’s warm solo bass starts the song before Blake and Noy join in one of the more mellow songs on the album. Noy strums melodiously as Blake takes on a bluesy tone ending the song with a particularly poignant way.

“As You Like” is a funky tune with a repeating three note bass line and some guitar chords that simply feels good.  Blake takes the first solo, playing in melodious flow of inventive ideas. His playing, while not incendiary, is impassioned, thoughtful and evocative. When it is Noy’s turn his solo is bursting with ideas, quirky stylistic choices and an attack that blurs the boundaries between jazz and rock.

On Anderson’s “ At Sundown” we hear the Frisellian side of Noy. This decidedly western flavored tune is played brilliantly by the entire ensemble with Blake and Noy dueting in perfect sync on the theme. Noy executes a series of slides and tremolos that are extremely creative. Nussbaum keeps that back in the saddle beat as Noy meanders is a most twangy way, at times sounding like slide guitar wizard David Tronzo. Anderson plucks his way around his melody and the tune fades away like the sun dipping into the desert sand.

Oz Noy’s wonderfully infectious “ Minor Shuffle” is a playful romp that has Blake and Noy trading melody lines. Noy is joyfully unpredictable when he solos here without straying too far form his melody. He is a formidable player that has strangely not yet reached the prominence of some of his contemporaries. If his work on this album is any indication, his star is inevitably on the rise.

Joe Henderson’s “Isotope”  is a complex, jagged melody line that the group executes brilliantly. Blake’s sound is reminiscent of Joe’s. He has a deep resonant tone and he intonates clearly.  I first heard Seamus Blake on his 
“Live in Italy” album recorded in 2007. I heard something there and I continue to find his playing compelling. He has a fine command of his instrument and he plays with an emotional appeal that makes you want to hear more.

Jay Anderson and Adam Nussbaum are consummate professionals and first call musicians. They are the glue that holds this band together.  BANN is a powerful and effective communicator of a modern and exciting form of jazz that is entertaining, fresh, approachable and creative. I hope they stay together long enough to create some more great music.

Musicians: Seamus Blake, tenor sax; Jay Anderson double bass; Oz Noy, guitar and effects; Adam Nussbaum, drums