Omerta - Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach

Jul

7

Omerta - Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach

≡ Category: 1970s, Essential, Post Bop, Reviews |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING

Rating:

I gave Omerta five stars even though Forgotten Fantasies is Liebman and Beirach’s best work together as a duo. But then again, Forgotten Fantasies was never released on cd, so if you want to hear what makes the duo of Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach so special, picking up a copy of Omerta is one of the best ways to do so. (Another great release to check out is Double Edge.)

Liebman on tenor sax and flute is the romantic here and Beirach is the icy intellectual on piano — together, they make pure magic.

In the late 60s, Richie Beirach made a point of studying 20th Century classical music, concentrating on the works of such composers as Schoenberg and Scriabin. Beirach integrated the harmonic advances of these composers into his compositions, but perhaps even more importantly into his piano accompaniment. This earned him the sobriquet “The Code” among his fellow musicians.

Dave Liebman too has a strong interest in 20th Century classical music, as can be ascertained by his release Dedications, which features a string quartet scored by Liebman backing the core trio of Beirach, Liebman, and bassist Eddie Gomez.

This grounding in modern classical music gives the compositions of Liebman and Beirach an unusual depth. It also informs their interpretations of standards, which are invariably reharmonized in a startingly dissonant way. Often the rhythms are completely reconfigured as well. When you see that Liebman and Beirach are covering an old chestnut like In A Sentimental Mood, you don’t get the familiar dread of having to sit through yet another version of a tune that has been played to death. It’s pretty much guaranteed that they’ll find something new in it.

Another reason the pairing of Liebman and Beirach is so special is the incredible musical empathy between the two of them. On Omerta and the recordings of Dave Liebman’s post bop/fusion quintet Lookout Farm (if you’re lucky enough to be able to find them), you will see that Liebman and Beirach have an almost telepathic ability to anticipate and build on each others musical comments. The reason for that dates back to the jam sessions that Liebman hosted in his loft on West 19th street in New York City, which included such luminaries as the Brecker Brothers, Steve Grossman, Chick Corea and of course Richie Beirach.

The music on Omerta tends towards the somber and reflective, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of astonishing beauty. Liebman, in my opinion, is one of the great jazz flautists, second only to Joe Farrell in the sumptousness of his tone, and taking a backseat to no one in terms of his note choices. Beirach spins crystaline webs of notes, which remind me somehow of the world turned into a glittering palace after an ice storm.

The ultimate effect is dreamlike. Omerta will put you under a spell that lasts until the final notes fade away.

Unfortunately, Omerta is currently out of print. If you can find a copy, grab it. (For ideas on how to search for music which is out of print, see my post Finding Out of Print Titles.)