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Another Shining Path
| REVIEW | SOURCE | REVIEWER | |
| "Gary Hassay, William Parker, and Toshi Makihara, collectively known as Ye Ren, offer their generally calm and reflective free music on Another Shining Path. Altoist Hassay has a fluid and richly-toned sound. His unhurried pacing sets the emotional tone for this music, one of high seriousness and commitment. The music has brief bursts of furious intensity, but even at his most hard blowing moments, Hassay usually retains an appealing warmth to his tone. The deeply grounded woody sound of William Parker's bass is known to all fans of the avant-garde; his tone is very will captured here in an all-digital recording. Makihara stays on brushes a lot and keeps a light touch at the drum kit, with quickly responsive accents and punctuation plus a variety of bells and chimes to set the atmosphere. The pieces unfold with an almost ritualistic demeanor, no surprise when you read that all three performers work extensively with dancers. Demanding listening, but worth the effort." | IAJRC Journal, |
Stuart Kremsky |
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| "Parker is at the center of Another Shining Path, the highly recommended debut by the group Ye Ren, in which he is flanked by Gary Hassay on alto and Toshi Makihara on percussion. You can't go too far wrong with Parker underpinning proceedings, but there's much else to admire here. Hassay is a thoughtful improvisor, convincing in lyric and abstract modes, with a fine sense of shape, texture, and development, and a clear firm incisive tone in all registers. Makihara is an attentive, responsive, and meticulous percussionist, a couple more steps down the post-Murray road. His deft contributions fill out the sound picture of these carefully constructed improvisations. In Improv terms, Another Shining Path is just that." | The Wire, |
Barry Wittmerden |
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| "Alto saxophonist Gary Hassay leads a stellar trio called Ye Ren (a name with 'no real meaning,' according to Hassay) for its debut recording. The eight tracks are distinguished for their sensitive interplay, synergy, and unique style. With all-star bassist William Parker and sparkling Philadelphia percussionist Toshi Makihara as the other partners, the group achieves something special on almost every cut. Hassay boasts a lyrical, often subdued, self-effacing approach, which puts him in an attractive light. Eschewing some of the postmodern techniques embraced by other freestyle saxophonists, Hassay instead forges a different path, relying on a dry tone, clipped phrases, and short, thoughtful excursions. Makihara continues to impress as an upcoming giant, and fans of Parker will not be disappointed." (3 1/2 Stars) | All-Music Guide, October, 1999 |
Steven Loewy |
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| "Having never heard, much less heard of Gary Hassay, Another Shining Path is a revelation. To identify Hassay as the leader of Ye Ren would be to undermine the vision of this group, for this is truly a trio devoid of a soloist and rhythm section mentality. Instead, what this aggregation has in mind is stellar, free-floating, collective interplay. The inclusion of bassist William Parker virtually guarantees a solid recording, but on this he still manages to surprise and delight as he wedges himself between his two colleagues with some of his most demonstrative playing to date (which is no small undertaking). Producer Wayne Becker has done an impeccable service to this music, giving each player an equal slice of the sonic pie, allowing for a mix that is equal in clarity to the music itself. Percussionist Toshi Makihara is an amazingly subtle colorist and the delicacy of his approach would surely be lost on an inferior recording. Luckily, there is no such difficulty here, as Makihara's brushwork give the music considerable space in addition to wide dynamic range, especially when entangled with the buzz of Parker's grainy arco. For the most part, Hassay swoops and soars within the group fibers without being dogmatic. His tone is arid, and his attack is incredibly laid back, sounding cautious not to crowd the mix without playing tentatively. While this groups tend to favor reflective, often stealthily exploratory modes of expression, it can still turn the heat up when it needs to without resorting to a squealing assault. While other trios have previously gone down this path, kudos should go out to Ye Ren for really adding their own twist and producing a stirring debut." | Signal To Noise, Sept/Oct 1999 |
Jon Morgan |
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| "The sound is slow, evolving, and never predictable: the
notes call it 'an untethered sphere, continually moving but not simply forward.' You
hear that at once, on A Fork In the Road, William Parker mournfully bows, a thick
alto drifts notes that cry. The drums, sparse and quiet, play apart from the others;
Toshi Makihara gets more active when Parker starts plucking. Gary Hassay is
constant, a calm voice when others would go elsewhere. A fork, all right. 7th Street Prowl is more aggressive, Hassay sounding peeved. Parker whips through a dissonant scrape; the drums start racing. Hassay turns to squawking, a clarinet belligerence over deep rhythm. The silences are tense, the fury thick while it lasts. A great rusty yelp is replaced by tiny warbles, and delicate plinks come after bowed static. Like a cat, it goes where it wants. Night Train is rickety and loud, ratchets and bells, busy bows and raucous honks. This is not the Jimmy Forrest tune, you knew that. It belongs to the rhythm: mechanical string figures and great metallic clanks. A picture in sound: Northern Lights opens with tiny bells, and the faintest groan from afar: a factory whistle on a distant shore, Parker grinds low, the reluctant performance of ancient machinery. Hassay jumps in: high wails, then rusted howls. The groans ebb and flow, joined by loose metal, or a whiff of harmonica. A great crashing fury, and then nothing: Parker walking away on a most uneasy morning. Rich's Race brings some quiet: as Parker walks, Hassay has a look around, a smooth tone and a nice vibrato. Makihara storms (the cymbals are really nice) but all is well. Some dissent at the end: Parker makes like the creaking of a weathervane. But the mood remains; free, but not wild. Ante Up smells of the tough street: persistent drums, a rapid skip from Parker, and Hassay turns gritty. He honks, but not all the time; he's soft, but with strength. 'Don't mess with my turf,' it says, and you pay attention ---it's the best here. It's a different kind of record --- no structure, but persistent moods, dissonance used in a quiet way, and consistency amid unpredictability. It's very peaceful for avant-garde, and if you're in the mood, you might take this path. |
Green Mountain Jazz Messenger, Vol. Three, No. One, Sept/Oct1999 |
John Barrett, Jr. |
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| "This trio's compelling rapport grows as their dynamic program unfolds. During the slow free blues pulse of It Was Rich's Race, bass maestro William Parker alternates between pizzicato and split-tone drone arco passages with awesome ease. Drummer Toshi Makihara matches Parker for expressive range and dramatic technique from delicate percussion fills in A Fork In the Road and Northern Lights to the brash bite of Ante Up. Gary Hassay's vibrant alto sax animates vital band performances from the free fractals of Night Train and spacious minimalism of 7th Street Prowl to the intensifying aggression of Circumambulate." | Coda, |
David Lewis |
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| "This is a semi-romantic, mostly medium-tempo session of "out" improvisations. It's not as lush as, for example, the recent Vinny Golia/Susan Allen duets on Nine Winds or some of the Maneria family outings, but it's less sparse than many of the chamber, Feldman/Giuffre-inspired recordings we've come to expect from certain British and German improvisers. The music here does move forward in spots, though it never really intends to swing. When he'd not engaging in extended sonorities, both Hassay's tone and his technique seem to recall another, less anxious, era. His delayed vibrato, for example, is full almost to bursting, and it gives several of the tunes a melancholy effect. He's a pleasantly meandering improviser as well. As most listeners to contemporary improvised music will know by now, William Parker is very good at post-Ornette-style improv, and he here regularly provides long, arching designs to what might have otherwise been attractive --- but essentially aimless --- noodling. His arco technique may not be up there with Leandre's, Phillips', Dresser's, or Morris', but there's always a satisfying meatiness to Parker's playing. In the end, content trumps form, anyway. My only complaint about his contribution here is that it's occasionally a little dim in the mix for my taste. Toshi Makihara is an industrious colorist, but he sometimes seems too busy on this recording. His straight sixteenth note brushwork on 7 Street Prowl is a case in point. Elsewhere, however, he shows himself a good listener with fine technique. The two strong mid-disk improvs, Northern Lights and Night Train, are good examples of how a high level bass player can spin flax into silken thread with a little help from a group of solid jazz players who are willing to listen and react sympathetically to interesting ideas." | Cadence, |
Walter Horn |
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| "The Shennongjia mountain territory north of the Three Gorges of the
Yangtze River is historically renowned in Chinese history as a veritable wellspring of
herbal medicine. To this day, the area is well known for its singularly unusual
plant and animal life. Many sections of the region remain uninhabited and
unexplored. But the most legendary of the indigenous creatures to the rocky, craggy
terrain and steeply sloping valleys is the "ye ren" (“wild man” or
“night man”) which is also called “yeti”, or, in somewhat vulgar
English, “Chinese Bigfoot”. Like its Pacific Northwest “cousin”,
this large nocturnal primate has consistently been successful in eluding would be captors.
If it were not for the occasional sighting, unverifiable by any means except for the
memory of the individual sighting it, the ye ren would rapidly vanish exclusively into the
realm of the imagination. Or would it? Perhaps the imagination is the only place in which to capture the uncapturable, to achieve a fix on a discrete moment in time and articulate on it even as it slides by and vanishes, to give realizable form and substance to the unseeable and unknowable. If so, then attempting to describe the music of Ye Ren, a freely improvising trio consisting of alto saxophonist Gary Hassay, the ubiquitous bassist William Parker, and percussionist Toshi Makihara is as hopeless as attempting to capture it’s namesake (more on this in a moment). Ye Ren is essentially led by Mr. Hassay, that is if anyone can truly claim to “lead” when creating music of this type (i.e., requiring intense interaction and equal cooperation amongst all participants). Although Mr. Hassay has been actively performing since 1979, ANOTHER SHINING PATH is only his second recording, the first being his solo cd A SURVIVOR’S SMILE (1996, Dbops Music). According to his biography, “interdisciplinary collaborations” have occupied his primary interest since 1985. Since that time, he has participated in numerous projects for dance and “action painting”. During this time, Mr. Hassay has also found opportunity to perform with a diverse range of musicians including Fred Frith, Tom Cora, George Cartwright, Andrew Cyrille, Gerry Hemingway, Peter Broetzmann, Wadada Leo Smith, and Milford Graves. He is also the President and founding member of improvisationalmusicco., inc. (improvco), a not-for-profit corporation based in Allentown, PA and has received funding from Meet the Composer, the PA Council on the Arts (Fellowship and Artist in Education) and the Painted Bride (NEA regional interdisciplinary grant). All of the performers in Ye Ren are obviously highly skilled musicians and listeners. The music ebbs and flows, ideas linger, vanish, reappear, all seemingly suspended in space and rotating about the coordinate axis for each of its three dimensions. The aforementioned interest in interdisciplinary collaboration is abundantly evident in the music recorded here. Each of the musicians is experienced in working with dancers. But perhaps this is where the music seems to lose its grasp on this particular listener’s attention. There seems to be a visual or other sensory aspect lacking. While all three musicians are communicating, they seem to be describing forms and substances that only they can detect. Hence, it seems a private conversation that the listener is merely eavesdropping on instead of participating in (albeit not as a performer). The abstract and amorphous remain so, the listener is left groping for an aural hold. Of course, the possibility exists that the musicians themselves are attempting to seize hold of something that is eluding their collective grasp. In that event, the listener could inevitably be trying to play catch up, tossed in the wake of someone who themselves are in hot pursuit of a rapidly moving and evolving phenomenon. This might seem to be a harsh condemnation but it isn’t intended as such. It should be further emphasized that none of this is to imply that ANOTHER SHINING PATH is a boring or bad outing. Fans of William Parker will undoubtedly find much to cherish in this clean, uncluttered, and well engineered recording. So again, return to the name Ye Ren. In the liner notes, Mr. Hassay states that the name has no real meaning and that its significance lies in the way it sounds. Ultimately, that may be all that matters with freely improvised music, namely the way it sounds. The listener must often find his or her own meaning and consensus is unlikely. Beauty, enjoyment, or even 'entertainment' is purely of the moment and resides entirely within the ears and imagination of the individual. In conclusion, it must be noted that ANOTHER SHINING PATH is also the first release on the Drimala Records label. From the liner notes: 'A portion of all Drimala Records’ proceeds are given to bring a small measure of love and hope to the homeless who but by an accident of birth could be you and I.' On the basis of this sentiment alone, it is suggested that Drimala Records is a label that should be closely watched and strongly supported." |
All About Jazz, |
Allen Huotari |
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| " Have you ever heard William Parker play bass? If so, are you still
unconvinced of his mastery? If Another Shining Path won't convince you, your ears
are tragically closed. Take the very first track, A Fork in the Road. Listen to how Parker weaves bass figures in and out and around the thoughtful alto of Gary Hassay. Listen to how all three players create a new and free soundscape of lyrical depth, without indulging in any of the clichés or tired screams of the now thirty-plus-year-old New Thing. Then see how the temperature slowly rises on 7th Street Prowl. Note how Parker increases the tension, slackens it again, brings matters to a boil, and supports Hassay as he returns again to calm and searching long tones. Nor is even that the end of the ride. This trio shows here that it has the ability to pack worlds, universes, into seven minutes thirteen. Night Train continues this action in a somewhat tenser mode, with Hassay fluttering in the high registers as Parker bows mellifluously. Here for the first time Hassay approaches the flat-out horn technique of Kidd Jordan, Charles Gayle, et al, but only briefly, and, with Parker's help, dramatic coherence. Circumambulate, It Was Rich's Race, and Ante Up are as rich and multifaceted as the rest of the disc, with Hassay particularly strong in the quietest passages. Toshi Makihara is no slouch either. He is stentorian and effective on Come What May (where Parker prods Hassay with powerful, intermittent rhythmic figures) and is the prime architect of the delicate, ringing opening to Northern Lights. All three players, however, (especially Parker and his wonderfully whining bow) contribute a great deal to the crepuscular atmosphere of this piece. A lyrical, surprising, and superbly executed series of performances." |
All About Jazz, |
Robert Spencer |
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| "Another Shining Path features a freely-improvised trio that unites alto saxophonist Gary Hassay with veteran bassist William Parker and Sino/New York percussionist Toshi Makihara. Rippling, flowing compositions move with an uncanny, of-the-moment logic that resembles free thought. With this CD, the internet-only Drimala record label is staking a bold claim as one of the most adventurous new music labels in the jazz community." | CMJ, |
James Lein |
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| "Ye Ren (Gary Hassay/William Parker/Toshi Makihara) - ANOTHER SHINING PATH: 69 minutes of improv that will thrill those who can’t deal with form. Hassay’s sax will be the “frosting on the cake”. This material is deliberate, & (at times) a bit slow paced for blood that’s used to improv that screeches along at rocket pace (one notable exception to that rule is cut 7, Ante Up, which clips right along nicely). OTOH, if you’re in a reflective mood, & want something that will help you sort the wheat from the drivel, this is the right path for you. I’d advise the listener to settle in somewhere comfortable with a good set of headphones. Makihara’s percussion & drums are miked perfectly, as is Parker’s acoustic bass. The players have a real sense of “team”, to the listener’s benefit… no battles over who gets in front, very nicely blended & a great mix! Comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those who want some skillfully played contemplative improvisation." | IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION, |
Dick Metcalf |
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| "It is always nicer to be able to listen to William Parker's fine
bass work in settings in which larger amounts of his ideas make it onto the tape. A recent
example is his duets CD with the likewise underappreciated Joe Morris (Invisible Weave,
No More Records 4). Parker is perhaps best known as a sideman for hard-blowing free
jazzers, in which settings his presence, unfortunately, often takes the form of a
throbbing mass buried within the mix ( I'll refrain from naming examples). His expansive
talents are often not put to their best use. On the present disc, however, Parker is right up there in the mix, where he needs to be. He is joined by relative newcomers (to these ears) Gary Hassay on alto sax, and percussionist Toshi Makihara. As a group, Ye Ren, they offer us eight of what sound like either open improvisations, or perhaps compositions that loosely structure collective improvisations. The approach to improvisation they employ is closest to the intense, fairly pointillistic, quieter approach of the U.K. constellation of players. To be even more specific: Ye Ren do not have the do or die energy of the Evan Parker Trio, nor ecstatic loopiness of Bevan/Kingston/Lewis, two other notable free improv trios; instead they share the contemplativeness of Joe Maneri's excellent recent groups, as well as some of the small versions of Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Hassay has a deep, breathy alto tone, reminiscent of many post-Hawkins tenorists' approaches in "normal" jazz. He uses mainly the lower register in developing his lines, and keeps them uncluttered. He exhales relatively long tones with palindromic (soft-loud-soft) dynamics. Even when the rhythm section clicks into active mode (e.g. on 7th Street Prowl ), Hassay sticks with the staid approach. The result is not inappropriate, nor particularly distracting, but it renders his presence within the group sound rather spectral. Hassay is primarily and consistently aware of what the other players are up to, instead of, for example, interpolating a central idea, as a soloist might. This combination of elements, on Hassay's part, gives many of the tunes here a genuine sense of drama and of unfolding. Parker shows his ken for nailing what a group needs in the lower register. He mainly uses a fat, round tone, with little treble, which gives the group a nice forceful thump for momentum (imagine a variably tuned bass drum.) He is also capable of brilliant virtuosic displays. Check out, for example, the lightning arco work on the third piece, Night Train. Makihara has a sculptural approach: he stacks layers of timbres and registers together at once, but his attack is sparse enough to leave plenty of sonic space. The effect in soundspace is analogous to a large tree in visual space: we see it in much of the sky, yet it is easy to see what's behind it. Makihara's sound is both shimmering and propelling. He shines in particular on Circumambulate. Here he employs a more extended drumkit than elsewhere on the disc. He displays the skittering playfulness of a Gerry Hemingway or John Stevens. This piece, in Makihara's hands, however, makes the rest of the disc seem as though it were missing an element of excitement. One wonders why the percussionist employed a more reserved tack elsewhere. The group seems to struggle with its identity , a bit, in Northern Lights. At first it seems to be a drone-based, raga-influenced, piece of the sort that Pharoah Sanders is known for. Then a harmonica appears in the mix very briefly, to no apparent aesthetic end. Surprisingly, toward the middle, Makihara goes bombastic and sends the group into an apparently reluctant cacophonic wail. The juxtapositions suggest that the group was attempting to forge new territory, which is admirable; but, of course, the display searching attitude does not itself merit documentation. Northern Lights is the only clunker. Ye Ren shows much promise here. They have a unique sound, and a tight focus that is rare for newer groups." |
The Improvisor |
Wyman Brantley |
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