In terms of really hearing what an ensemble is up to, the trio formation defines music in its most basic form, the skeleton laid bare. Looking back now, the recordings of the Bud Powell or Sonny Rollins trios virtually define their periods of creative music.   Joe Giardullo’s trio on Language of Swans might not have the same impact on our understanding of form, yet the mobility and energy are still impressive.

Giardullo leads this unit in an open-ended way while playing alto and soprano saxophone, bass clarinet and flute. Compositions are credited to the full trio.  Their take on trio play is an unusual one, starting with the blending of soprano and bass with box drum (tongue drum) on Giardullo’s dedication to his mentor Sam Rivers.  The organic tone carries on through the session, with the leader’s bass clarinet lending a rich sonority to "Fledge," his subtle humor leading to a brief cloudburst of tones.  Bassist Chris Sullivan and percussionist/ pianist Michael Thompson lock right in with Giardullo, making for strong trio interplay in a well defined recording.

"Language of Swans" is a tour de force, the bass clarinet overtone blast pushes the unit into the ether, setting up an attractive bass and drums exchange.  The concluding "Black Swan" is its opposite number; meditative bass clarinet and contrabass in duet, a simple piece that lets the ear catch up.  There is an attention to orchestral color here (not much in evidence elsewhere these days) that expands the trio’s available palette.  Thompson’s piano work, though minimal, conveys an ambiance that would be missed.  It creates an intimacy in this music that rewards listeners’ attention, capturing a successful balance between outside and in.

Coda
Issue 309

Steve Vickery

Saxophonist Joe Giardullo is perhaps best know for his impressive work with fellow saxophonist Joe McPhee, who he met in 1991. McPhee inspired Giardullo to come back to performing after a ten-year hiatus and Giardullo has worked with McPhee in his Bluette group. (One recent pairing that I've heard is McPhee & Giardullo's excellent Specific Gravity recording on Boxholder.)

For Language of Swans, Joe Giardullo is joined by Chris Sullivan on bass and Michael Thompson on trap and box drums. All compositions on the album are improvisations by the trio, who have been working together since around 1997.

The trio gets a large variety of sound textures from their changing instrumentation—Giardullo switches from soprano sax to bass clarinet to flute on the first three pieces and Michael Thompson alternates between traps and box drums (and plays piano on "Tear for the Missing"). The album has a quiet start, with bells, soprano sax, box drums and bass giving the first piece an exotic sound.

Highlights include "Early Spring" which starts with solo flute, joined by bass and drums. After a drum solo, Giardullo has a flute solo that reminded me of birds singing in Spring. "Migrations" is a more outside tune, with energetic sax playing that uses circular breathing and pounding trap drums that build to an intense climax.

Language of Swans is a very enjoyable album. It has a lot of variety in dynamics and sound, but remains unified due to the close listening of trio.    

Jazzmatazz

Alan Lankin

Saludamos la más reciente edición de Drimala, sello norteamericano de jazz de vanguardia e improvisación, ya que, por primera vez en la historia del jazz (!), presenta en dúo a Steve Swell y Perry Robinson. O Perry Robinson y Steve Swell, en la medida en que el orden de los factores –que no el orden de la música- es perfectamente arbitrario, significando esto que los artistas, ambos exponentes del instrumento con el que se expresan, están al mismo nivel artístico, técnico y creativo.

Improvisadores de dos generaciones diferentes, el legendario Perry Robinson, en el cenit de la madurez creativa, comenzó su carrera en los años 60, y recientemente realizó un excelente disco doble con William Parker y Walter Perkins, “Bob´s Pink Cadillac” (Eremite, 2001), del William Parker Clarinet Trio.

Steve Swell forma parte de la reciente generación de jazz que nació en el downtown neoyorquino y que hizo resurgir el trombón en todo su esplendor e importancia como instrumento solista.

Ambos artistas decidieron intercambiar ideas inspiradas en los lugares imaginarios que aparecían en la novela “Las Ciudades Invisibles” de Italo Calvino y registrar el resultado en disco, y en él muestran magníficas exploraciones libres, plenas de sentido, dirección y convergencia de esfuerzos.

tomajazz

Eduardo Chagas

Language of Swans is a trio led by multi-instrumentalist Joe Giardullo who, along with bassist Chris Sullivan and percussionist Michael Thompson explore tone and tempo with tense precision.  The opening track, "Rivers", is defined by Thompson's African drum and Giardullo's soprano sax.  It's an exotic sound that veers from the jazz tradition yet keeps the basic musical interplay of sax, bass, and drums fresh.  On "Early Spring", Giardullo switches to flute and Sullivan plays elaborately embellished bass lines, while "A Tear for the Missing" finds Thompson playing a wistful  and plaintive piano.  The leader's alto buzzes on "Migrations" on top of Sullivan and Thompson's bubbling bass and drums.

What characterizes all these pieces is the remarkable stop-and-start communication of the players.  At any given moment, two instruments interlock in a mini-duet, while the accents of the third provide just the right variety.  The CD's title track is also its longest and most varied.  Giardullo on bass clarinet bumps and pops on the low end, and blasts and screeches at the top in a constantly shifting mood.  Prepare to be transported.

AAJ - New York
March 2003

Jeff Stockton

This is a work resplendent in its sheer beauty, perfectly balanced in a mixture of delicate and complex atmospheres.   Multi-instrumentalist (saxes, flute and bass clarinet) and composer Giardullo, who I remember being involved with Pauline Oliveros among others, has utter command of the linear aspects of improvisation.  This means he's one of the few people who can sound like he is playing written parts while instead he's creating them on the spot.  Here he's flanked by the great duo of Chris Sullivan, whose bass is punchy and articulate at the same time, and Michael Thompson on drums and piano, both played with elegance and a sense of deep meaning.  No need to find a genre or a precise definition for this music.   Just think about serenity, awareness of life and a little bit of primordial energy.

Touching Extremes

Massimo Ricci

This CD is what Giardullo's previous Shadow & Light could have been if it wasn’t recorded in the date informed by the liner notes, 11 September of 2001, the day of the attacks against the twin towers of New York. The magma of fear, pain and rage that we listen in this work with Joe Mcphee as special guest was replaced in "Language of Swans" by a relative serenity and a much greater equilibrium. This time with Chris Sullivan and Michael Thompson, Giardullo’s new title represents a coming back to normality (if we can call it to the instability that we live in now in the States and in the World), the normality of the state of mind of this alto sax/flute/bass clarinet player, but also the “normality” of the musical praxis revealed in this tracks.

This is a very good record, don’t doubt about that, but the flame and the strength of Shadow & Light vanished, showing us that the most successful works of art are those born from extraordinary events, either bad or good ones, and even if they only have a personal and private dimension – for instance, the greatness of "Ascension" had everything to do with the religious illumination lived then by John Coltrane. Peter Brozmann said, in the years of "Machine Gun" and "Fuck the Boer," that a "cruel world needs a cruel music". The importance of Shadow & Light was determined by that evidence. "Language of Swans" is, inevitably, the music of the day after, calmed down even if we can notice some wounds, like in 'A Tear for the Missing'.  Between musical normality and exception, I prefer the last one, even if because of the wrong reasons.

Rui Eduardo Paes

Rui Eduardo Paes

Musicians commonly use certain tricks to demand your attention: they make noise, play powerfully, and exhibit plenty of showmanship. No so for saxophonist Joe Giardullo. His career (till now) has been one away from the spotlight, and therefore beyond popular attention. He has toiled (as an equal partner) in differing bands under Joe McPhee’s name, to some critical acclaim. This year’s two releases have changed his circumstances. Shadow And Light (released earlier this year) and now Language Of Swans are both strong arguments for Giardullo to take public credit for his brilliance.

Giardullo’s improvising trio, which includes bassist Chris Sullivan and drummer (and sometimes pianist) Michael Thompson, have made one of those recordings of quiet intensity that demand repeated play. Giardullo’s improvisational approach is easygoing, yet composed. Whether he picks up a flute or a saxophone, he exhibits a folksy sound. Remember, this is is the kind of improvised jazz where pretty isn’t supposed to carry the day. Nevertheless, his gentle approach has the power to elicit sheer joy.

He utilizes the full arsenal of weaponry and style. From the circular breathing alto saxophone of unflagging energy on “Migrations” to his rambling flute on “Early Spring,” Giardullo paints a consistent and coherent picture of a fully realized jazz master musician. His music combines his experience with Joe McPhee and the musical spirit of Evan Parker. Yet he stands alone, much like Eric Dolphy playing with a naive kind-hearted approach. Especially appealing are the bass clarinet tributes to Dolphy on “Fledge” and the title track. Behind the powerful acoustic bass of Sullivan, he brings his muffled instrument to a howl. This consistent and very diverse recording is all within the character of this very talented musician.

All About Jazz

Mark Corroto

"M.O.R." isn't something that new releases from (one of our favorite labels) Drimala Records do... they always explore somethin' new, something different... & "Language Of Swans" is a near-perfect example of how rewarding a new musical experience can be. Joe's reeds (alto/soprano sax & bass clarinet) & flutes are superbly complimented by Chris's bass & Michael's beautiful percussive & sensitive keyboard work. The trio is always "on", no dragging of the momentum on any of the trax. The recording on these avant-jazzy compositions is excellent, especially when you don th' 'phones! The beauty of these improvised pieces is (obviously) in the spontaneity (and especially the sophisticated and laid-back interplay of the percussives with Giardullo's horns), but the other element that will (just) capture your attention for the entire 53-something minutes is how subtle the marriage is... we've all heard improvisors, but they often sound like they are reaching for something - this trio doesn't have to reach, 'coz they're already there! Accessible to any jazz-oriented listener, this CD (not only) gets our MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating - they are also the PICK of this issue for "best improvised jazz in 2002"!

Improvijazzation Nation,
Issue #60

Dick Metcalf

Joe Giardullo has labored for many years under the shadow of his colleague, Joe McPhee, with whom Giardullo has performed and recorded many times. When Giardullo ventures out alone, as he does here – as part of a superb collective – the results can be startlingly impressive.

The multi-talented reed player is an unlikely icon of so-called Avant Garde Jazz. For one thing, although capable of intensely developed clusters he generally performs with a certain delicacy that focuses on color, timbre, and sound to the exclusion of pure energy. For another, he plays a variety of instruments, including the flute, soprano sax, and bass clarinet – all of which lend themselves to a slightly lighter touch than, say, the traditional tenor or alto, the latter of which he also performs here. Thirdly, Giardullo engages in advanced techniques that require close listening: tonguing and valving, for instance, which create new and exotic qualities.

This is not to say that Giardullo cannot solo with intense concentration. He can and he often does so here, as for example on “A Tear for the Missing,” where his exhaustive flute improvisation is followed by Michael Thompson’s slow but powerful and laconic piano eventually leading back to a soft, wistful, contemplative soprano sax. There is hardly a weak track on the album, with all three members of the trio working as a single well-scrubbed unit to produce some extraordinarily synchronized sounds. On soprano Giardullo is indebted to Evan Parker- just listen to “Migrations” in which Giardullo’s extended improvisation builds with terrifying gusto.

There are no written melodies, and while the tunes are thoroughly improvised, they are nonetheless paragons of beauty, exhibiting a natural attraction even if not recognizable.  3 1/2 Stars (excellent)

All Music Guide

Steven Loewy

Saxophonist/flutist/clarinetist Joe Giardullo has spent much of the last few years exploring the notes in between the notes – his approach to pitch has been defined by glissandi and intentionally “out of tune” playing. And his rhythmic approach on his recent LPs, including Specific Gravity with Joe McPhee, Primal Intentions with Mike Bisio, and his outstanding quartet date Shadow and Light, has been similarly open-ended. His playing has been filled with weighty, suspended-time pauses and phrases whose movement from note to note depends more on the individual phrase’s logic than on any predetermined steady beat.

Like his other recent LPs, much of Language of Swans seems to be freely improvised. At first glance, though, it seems to have little else in common with its predecessors. The pitch content of Giardullo’s playing is unusually straightforward for him – he generally sticks to the twelve tones of the octave used in most Western music. And the circling polyrhythms often employed by bassist Chris Sullivan and drummer/pianist Michael Thompson are also fairly regular, as much of the album is based on lulling, unassuming grooves.

On the surface, then, Language of Swans is a departure from much of Giardullo’s recent work. On a deeper level, though, while Giardullo’s approach has changed, his values haven’t. To my ears, his previous open-ended style reflected the influence of Middle- and Far Eastern music from Egypt to Japan. After all, microtones – the notes between the notes – have always been prominent in all sorts of non-Western traditional music. And Giardullo’s loose phrasing and his use of pauses both have ties to the East.

Language of Swans is more conventionally jazzy than the rest of Giardullo’s recent work, but in a secondhand way, it also shares characteristics with much non-Western music. His melodic lines are more traditional on this album, but they’re also slurred and stepwise in a way that recalls classical Arabic music. His wide-open approach to rhythm remains intact, even with Sullivan and Thompson playing more consistent beats than Giardullo’s earlier collaborators. And the way he overblows on bass clarinet reminds me more of Tuvan throat singing than Eric Dolphy.

So Language of Swans isn’t so much a departure as a reorientation, and it allows us to hear the most essential elements of Giardullo’s style, like his relaxed sense of phrasing and his introverted style of presentation, in a context that’s far more accessible than he’s been in the past. The album even contains a lush, romantic piano ballad (“A Tear For The Missing”) and an old-school free jazz blowout (“Migrations). Anyone intrigued by Giardullo but turned off by his use of microtonality or the sparseness of his playing would do well to start with Language of Swans.

Dusted Magazine

Charlie Wilmoth

Language of Swans’ eponymous offering is unusual in it’s sparseness and deceptively tentative tone, though principal Joe Giardullo is no musical wallflower or novice. Having worked extensively with Joe McPhee, the multi-reed player is well versed in the complexities and possibilities of his instruments (alto and soprano saxophones, flute and bass clarinet). That he is ably accompanied by the superb bassist Chris Sullivan and master drummer/percussionist Michael Thompson brings the nuance of each piece that much more brightly to the fore.

The overall tone is gentle, quiet and introspective, even in sections where the energy and pulse have quickened. “Early Spring,” especially has that deceptive energy level, though the 14 minute-plus title piece sees everyone stretch and explore multiple timbral ranges. While Giardullo scratches the sonic palette, Sullivan elasticizes the strings and Thompson beats thunderous explosions behind before the piece settles into a short-lived quiet that builds slowly to crescendo. Seven extraordinary tracks.

Jazz Review

Mark E. Gallo

Language of Swans represents multi instrumentalist/composer Joe Giardullo's second release on Drimala Records. The first, Shadow And Light, was made with Joe McPhee on September 11, 2001.  Language of Swans is a very different project from the sheer intensity of Giardullo's first disc. It offers an opportunity to hear Joe Giardullo’s whole musical world, with his atonal palette spanning a range of soaring, beautiful, complex, shearing notes.

The opening tune, “Rivers,” is reminiscent of an early Gary Bartz on soprano saxophone. On this track bassist Chris Sullivan does an excellent task of feeding the pulse. Two numbers later, “Early Spring” showcases Giardullo's flute playing. The interplay between Sullivan's bass and his flute strongly resembles the Ron Carter / Eric Dolphy mode. Michael Thompson handles the drumming with an approach that’s not overbearing but still keeps the other two musicians on their pace.

“A Tear For The Missing” exemplifies an established improviser painting the melody with strokes as simple as Jackson Pollack. Take the time to locate Joe Giardullo's record; it's worth a careful listen.

All About Jazz

Richton Guy Thomas

Now that jazz is supposedly in one of its periodic boomlets of almost-popularity, the public is starting to take notice of exploratory improvisers who have been plugging away on their own for many years.

Case in point is multi-reedist Joe Giardullo, who first recorded in 1980, and who has been going full tilt as a first-class improviser since the early 1990s. But it's only in the past half decade or so that he has gained notice for his work in Pauline Oliveros' Deep Listening Band and in different formations with woodwind/brass master Joe McPhee.

To add substance to the delay between artistry and audience appreciation, this CD dates from 1998. Not unlike suddenly acclaimed works by prominent visual artists that are discovered and reassessed after the painter gains fame, they show that the inventiveness and technique of 2003's Giardullo was also in evidence five and six years ago.

Low-key throughout, Language of Swans' 141/4-minute title track shows how the three players interact in a leisurely fashion. Although Thompson and Sullivan have functioned as a rhythm section for the likes of vocalist Barbara Sfraga, nowhere do standard patterns come into play. Instead Giardullo's dissonant and intermittent bass clarinet reverberations are met with discontinuous drum beats and bass strings constructing short spherical patterns around them. Nuanced and anticipatory the two also cope with dissonant higher overtones from the woodwind, while Giardullo -- on flute-- and Sullivan later show affinity for each other's conceptions in a passage that allows them to operate in close harmony as the drummer splashes his cymbals swan-like not far away.

Thompson briefly shows off a command of romantic, contemporary piano on "A Tear for the Missing" meshed with delicate alto sax lines, as well as his versatility on bell and box drum on "Rivers." Carnatic in concept, with the percussionist sounding as if he's playing a tabla, Giardullo's simple chirping soprano sax lines cleverly integrates into acoustic sound picture with Sullivan's bass line more felt than heard.

"Early Spring," sort of a bebop chamber music piece, is the bassman's showcase, providing him with an outlet for his string tugs and double-stopping pizzicato. Condensed press rolls and cymbal strokes add to the broken rhythm of the instant composition. High-pitched multiphonics are Giardullo's contribution, but there are times he strays perilously close to parody snake-charmer territory.

Right now, it seems that Language of Swans shouldn't be that trio's swan song.

Jazz Weekly

Ken Waxman

Many listeners have become more familiar with the powerful reeds player Giardullo in the last few years thanks to his association with Joe McPhee on a series of recordings. But as Giardullo’s profile has been raised, older sessions pairing him with other, lesser-known associates have begun to trickle out. With a superb- and, to me, previously unheard- rhythm team, Giardullo unpacks all his horns for this accessible yet thoughtful set. Recorded in September 1998, SWANS is another of Giardullo’s sessions that has now thankfully come to light. Chris Sullivan and Michael Thompson are masters of feel, maestros of the deep earthen groove (fans of Parker and Drake will surely not be disappointed). The triple-play percussiveness of “Fledge” (with Giardullo slap-tonguing on bass clarinet) is a delight. The combination of toughness and lyrical creativity (with Giardullo’s flute) on “Early Spring” recalls what I love about Air (which, thinking about it, is probably the closest analogue this trio has...high praise in my book). This piece also features a great bass solo from Sullivan- where have these guys got to?

Thompson’s piano into to “A Tear For The Missing” is a bit awkward, sort of a sub-Sam Rivers jabbing. But things get back on form with a churning, hard-driving “Migrations” (with hot circular breathing). With one foot in the rootsy impressionism of Air and the other in serious contempo action jazz of the Vandermark/AALY variety, this is a sweet disc.

Signal to Noise
Spring 2003

Jason Bivins

Privacy Policy

Site Map

 About Drimala

Other Resources

Distribution

Tell A Friend

© 1998-2006 Drimala Records, a division of PMG Corporation   All Rights Reserved.