Remy Le Boeuf: Assembly of Shadows
SoundSpore Records

A mere half-year after the release of his debut as a leader, Light as a Word, saxophonist Remy Le Boeuf takes an audacious step forward with an exceptional foray into jazz orchestra writing. Issued on his own SoundSpore Records, Assembly of Shadows impresses on multiple counts, from the exacting quality of its arrangements to the vitality of its performances. It's a remarkably assured collection of large ensemble material that sees the leader rising to the occasion and showing no signs of tentativeness. Among those Le Boeuf cites as inspirations for the project are Maria Schneider, Charles Mingus, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Benjamin Britten; certainly one can draw connections from Assembly of Shadows to Schneider and Bernstein in particular, Le Boeuf's recording exemplifying the kind of luscious orchestral character that marks their works, too. In tailoring the album's arrangements to suit the soloists, he also follows in the long-standing tradition associated with Ellington.

For Assembly of Shadows, Le Boeuf brought Gregory Robbins aboard to conduct and recruited for the recording six woodwind players (including the leader on alto/soprano saxophones and flutes), four trumpeters, and five trombonists, with flutist Anna Webber and trumpeters Philip Dizack and Matt Holman some of the featured performers. Guitarist Alex Goodman and pianist Martha Kato also make strong impressions, while bassist Matt Aronoff, drummer Peter Kronreif, and percussionist James Shipp contribute sterling support and rhythmic drive throughout. The recording's smartly sequenced, too. Had Assembly of Shadows opened with the five-movement title work, the accompanying standalones might have been dwarfed by it. Le Boeuf instead wisely chose to introduce the album with the bright scene-setter “Strata” (a 2015 commission from Keio Light Music Society in Japan) and a bold reimagining of Ornette Coleman's “Honeymooners” (arranged by Le Boeuf in 2018 at the request of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra) before advancing to the suite. The recording consequently possesses an effective flow.

Resplendent harmonies and intricate polyphonic execution mark “Strata” as an excellent opener. The music's syncopated swing lends the material an engaging flow, and one comes away from the performance impressed by how deftly the music transitions between full-band passages and smaller units. Trombonist Eric Miller and Webber are granted the album's first solo spots, and both distinguish themselves with robust turns, their statements aligned comfortably to the arrangement. So complete is the punchy, big band-styled makeover of Coleman's “Honeymooners” (from 1988's Virgin Beauty), long-time Ornette fans could mistake the piece as one authored by Le Boeuf himself. Again the fluidity with which the music blends through-composed episodes and freer explorations impresses, as does the precision with which the large collective executes oft-complex charts that bustle with a kind of theatrical, West Side Story-like flair.

There's a programmatic dimension to the twenty-eight-minute title suite that has to do with a child lost in the forest who falls asleep beneath trees and then awakens to dancing shadows that have come to life. Said shadows teach the child things about herself, after which she's guided home to bed to reawaken and wonder if perhaps it was all merely a dream. Of course, the listener can choose to disregard the story or not whilst absorbing the suite's five parts, the material certainly compelling enough on pure musical terms. Among the highlights are the mellifluous contributions trumpeter Philip Dizack and Goodman bring to the second movement, “Assembly of Shadows,” and the similarly strong statement Dizack delivers in the third, “Shapeless Dancer,” also memorable for its subtle Latin-tinged thrust. The suite takes a bluesy, Mingus-like turn in the fourth part, “Transfiguration,” when saxophonists Le Boeuf and Carl Maraghi indulge in an extended dialogue where the leader's honey-toned alto alternates with the deep growl of Maraghi's baritone. Kato elevates the fourth movement and the lyrical closer “A Light Through the Leaves” with beautifully poised moments to help bring the suite to an elegant resolution. Still, the primary takeaway from the performance centers on Le Boeuf's gift for shaping the whole into a cohesive entity. As much as the suite offers an opportunity for individual players to assert themselves, it's as a collective accomplishment that the piece most shines.

November 2019