Lookout Farm

Sound DNA

• Jazz
• Post-Bop & Modal

• sparse
• meditative
• cerebral

About

Dave Liebman was one of the great saxophonists to succeed Wayne Shorter in Miles Davis’ electric bands of the early 1970s. Albums like <i>On the Corner</i>, <i>Get Up With It</i>, and <i>Dark Magus</i> all bear his indelible stamp. The Brooklyn native and 2010 NEA Jazz Master also gained renown in Elvin Jones’ historic two-tenor quartet, thanks to such classics as <i>Live at the Lighthouse</i>. In 1973, Liebman emerged as a leader with <i>First Visit</i>, documenting a musical kinship with pianist Richie Beirach that would endure for decades. And <i>Lookout Farm</i>, one of two titles for ECM that followed, has that mysterious Liebman/Beirach alchemy at the center, as well. Released in 1974, <i>Lookout Farm</i> features bassist Frank Tusa, drummer Jeff Williams, and percussionists Don Alias and Badal Roy as part of a short-lived lineup—dubbed Lookout Farm—that gained cult status as one of the era’s unheralded treasures. Previously unreleased live recordings from Lookout Farm (the band) revealed a kind of next-level spiritual element, at times reminiscent of late-career John Coltrane. But <i>Lookout Farm</i> (the album) had a more ethereal, chamber-like component, one established right away by John Abercrombie’s acoustic guitar and Liebman’s alto flute on “Pablo’s Story.” Beirach plays Rhodes on that track, as well as the ensuing “Sam’s Float”—with killer Abercrombie wah-wah—but he begins “M.D.” with a stellar acoustic piano intro. When Liebman comes in on tenor, a language is revealed—an austere, darkly lyrical duo sound that these masters went on to develop on such albums as <i>Forgotten Fantasies</i> and <i>Omerta</i>. Multilayered percussion starts to stir as “M.D.” gathers intensity, finally giving way to crushing funk psychedelia as the group segues to “Lookout Farm,” a longform suite with majestic peaks and valleys. There’s a rawness that marks the best of 1970s New York jazz, but an approach to texture and form that elevates <i>Lookout Farm</i> way beyond the ordinary.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits