Mitch Seidman

September 12 - 19, 1 9 9 6 [Off the Record]

*** Mitch Seidman

ANTS IN A TRANCE

(Brownstone)
Guitarist Seidman here assembles an introspective chamber sound: Lennie Hochman's bass clarinet, Harvie Swartz's acoustic bass, Ella Lou Weiller's viola. It's all mellow and moody, occasionally sumptuous, with swing more implied than stated; the only "standards" are Brubeck's finest waltz, "In Your Own Sweet Way," and Monk's Latin gem "Bye-Ya." Seidman taps witty New England-associated players/composers with a taste for genial galumphing: Bob Neiske's "Jump" (jounces spookily like Alfred Hitchcock's theme), Charlie Kohlhase's "If I Could" (hits bluesy peaks and valleys), guitarist Attila Zoller's "Homage To O.P." (incisive unison lines around walking bass).
The prime inspiration is clarinettist/composer Jimmy Giuffre (with whom Seidman studied), whose "Frog Legs" splays every which way but slyly imposes its own integral blues logic and sensibility -- a countrified Monk. Seidman's own stuff recalls the 1956 Giuffre clarinet/guitar/bass trio (or parts of it). "Like Someone" is a duo with Swartz, "Reflecting on Jimmy" picks out lean boppish lines with nicely rounded tone and technique, and the title track knits all hands in a spunky cat's cradle. There's even a nice bit of "free" tomfoolery toward the end.
-- Fred Bouchard