CD Review: “Equinox” by Markus Schwartz & Lakou Brooklyn

HAITI

The name Markus Schwartz has grown in my consciousness for some time now.  It has come up time and again as I continue to introduce myself to the body of Haitian Jazz artistes, be they Jazz artistes born of Haiti or Jazz artists born with a Haitian soul –  no matter where they are in the diaspora.   But I could not have been ready for what I heard upon dunking the Markus Schwartz & Lakou Brooklyn’s “Equinox” in the CD carousel and the “lanbi” (conch shells), “tcha-tcha” gourd shakers and the “Fe” (iron instrument, fashioned from the recycled automobile leaf spring) came into sonic view as an introduction to Kote Moun Yo? (Where are the people?).

Upon hearing the orchestral drum chorus that anchors the head of Kote Moun Yo?, one would not have guessed it, but Markus Schwartz & Lakou Brooklyn is a four-man band from the Brooklyn yard.  For effect, Schwartz sampled various iterations of Haitian drums and looped the recordings in real-time to create the impression of a battery of drummers playing together.   No click tracks and electronic drums here, thank you.

Further enhancing the mood of the piece is the mellow, understated horn of Jean Caze and the electric guitar noodling of Monvelyno Alexis.   Granted, both Caze and Alexis take their turns at melody deconstruction; and Schwartz imposes himself in the mix oh so slightly, especially after Caze makes a run through a number of choruses.   However, it was the ensemble playing that made the greatest impression on me for a start.  What an invigorating first impression that was!

The music of Markus Schwartz and Lakou Brooklyn is naturally soft, yet powerful, lending fresh meaning the saying that one does not have to be loud to be heard.   With this kind of sound, excitement has to be found in the nuances.  In pursuit of this, the leader adds another layer to the repertoire, the acoustic bass of Paul Beaudry, on Yanvalloux.

Beaudry is charged with the responsibility of eschewing in trumpeter Caze whose straightforward statement of the head of this title, ushers in a dream, one that becomes a fantasy on the back of the hushed picking of the guitarist. Schwartz is almost inaudible on this one, letting Caze go front and center.   This is Jazz at its core, complete with trading and exchange.  Therefore, Caze must characteristically return the favour to Beaudry, which he does by expanding the theme to inspire the bassist to essay another unique interpretation on the low-end.

Fortune is on Beaudry’s side again on the next offering, Seremoni Tiga.  This time, he must use the bowed bass to summon up and chant the Vodou down.   Meanwhile, the trumpeter is squeezing some poignant notes out of his horn to conjure the sensibility of the solicitation just right.  Then he lets go to the figurative dancers who respond to the enchantment derived from the drums and percusssion with the kind of fervour set aside for the trance.   I can see all this unfolding in my mind’s ears.  The music is telling me a story.   My first impression of Markus Schwartz and Lakou Brooklyn is not misplaced.

Every album has to have a ditty, I think. On “Equinox,”Cecia is it.  Cecia is the type of song that can be learned as easily as a classic pop tune from yesteryear.  It is simple enough, I figure, so that the subject for whom this traditional Haitian song was written could find its meaning.   Placed as it is, in the middle of the six-song playlist, it serves as a pause – an intermission of sorts – for next up is the title track, “Equinox” by John Coltrane.

Not that it matters so much, but “Equinox” is the one oddity of the album.  (Don’t misunderstand!)  Apart from Yanvalloux (written in 1956 by Haitian guitarist and composer Frantz Casseus as part of his “Haitian Suite”), “Equinox” comprises of strictly Traditional Haitian songs.   Nonetheless, if for no other reason than that it is important for a local audience, in this case Haitians and Caribbeans (this is what Canadians call us), to appreciate that Classic Jazz can be re-worked respectfully in an indigenous format, “Equinox” is a perfect fit in this context.

That said, the traditional compositions, all of which are assumed to be in the public domain, are what make “Equinox” a valid addition to the growing library of hyphenated Caribbean-Jazz, if I can call it that.  In this regard, Markus Schwartz & Lakou Brooklyn have done justice to Haitian rara.

Want some mental stimulation?

Track down this recording,

and spin it when all is clear

for you must immerse completely.

Distractions are not welcome

for there is too much to hear.

There’s  too little to miss in this forbidden Jazz fix

amidst the uncluttered song sequence than numbers six.

Markus Schwartz & Lakou Brooklyn:

Schwartz: Haitian Rada & Petwo drums, miscellaneous percussion, loop sampler, vocals, conch shell

Jean Caze: trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals, conch shell

Monvelyno Alexis: electric guitar, vocals, percussion

Paul Beaudry: acoustic bass, percussion

EQUINOX (Soundkeeper Recordings, SR1002):

1. Kote Moun Yo?
2. Yanvalloux
3. Seremoni Tiga
4. Cecia
5. Equinox
6. Gede Drum-n-Bass

Equinox is Stereophile’s February 2011 Recording of Month, performed by Markus Schwartz and his band, Lakou Brooklyn, and recorded using Metric Halo’s award-winning ULN-8 by sound engineer Barry Diament of Soundkeeper Recordings.

Learn how Diament recorded the album using premium Nordost Valkyrja microphone cables with the Metric Halo ULN-8, paired with his Mac laptop running Metric Halo’s Record Panel.

“With only one microphone feed per playback channel, the result is quite time coherent and focused,” said Diament. “Any imperfections become obvious. With my ULN-8 and the Record Panel, this simple setup does a wonderful job capturing the performance as an audience member would hear it.”

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