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MARK SHIM
I have been a jazz fan just long enough to be highly suspicious of serious-looking, well-dressed 20-something jazzmen who record for major labels. Mark Shim, however, is one serious-looking, 20-something jazzman who is unequivocally worth checking out. Not only does he have a full, rich, immensely attractive tone on tenor saxophone, his playing combines a truly advanced harmonic sense and flat-out amazing chops (which you would expect) with a feeling of spontaneity and discovery that I rarely hear in younger players. Though his playing reminds me at times of tenor saxophonists Gary Thomas and Courtney Pine, Shim has a less nasal tone than the former, and is less overtly Coltrane-influenced than the latter. Shim also appears to be emerging as a first-rate composer: some of the music on Turbulent Flow is staggering for its rhythmic complexities and modulations alone. Shim also enjoys odd juxtapositions of instruments (the bass - soprano sax lines on "Don't Wake the Violent Baby," marimba and tenor saxophone on "Survival Tactics," soprano and marimba on "Dirty Bird") and dark, shifting harmonies. Shim's unorthodox and rather dense compositions bustle with a restless energy, though they are by no means unpleasant or difficult to listen to. The tunes on Turbulent Flow are avant-garde in a way that doesn't sound avant-garde. Shim's second recording has him surrounded, again, by first rate, well-seasoned players and composers who, with the exception of drummer Eric Harland, have recorded and toured as leaders of their own groups. From what I hear on Harland's composition "Eminence," an off-center funky sort of tune and the final track on "Turbulent Flow," a leader-type gig isn't too far off in the future for him either. Harland, like Shim and mallet man Stefon Harris (featured on 3 cuts), is an exceptionally talented young player. His busy drumming is never too busy, and he has an uncanny knack for playing with the sort of feel that falls gracefully between bebop / freebop and 4/4 funk. Drew Gress is a thoroughly accomplished bassist whose playing belies an affinity for both Harland's in-between grooves, and for the sort of complicated harmonies that Shim and Simon revel in. His nimble playing on "Don't Wake The Violent Baby" is a real delight. Pianist Edward Simon is perhaps the most seasoned player on Turbulent Flow. His Fender Rhodes work on three tunes ("Turbulent Flow," "Don't Wake The Violent Baby," and "Eminence") is pretty mellow and shouldn't scare off the purists, and his solos on "Survival Tactics," "Scorpio," and "Jive Ones" are spirited, creative and a joy to hear. His style touches on Hancock, Hill, and Corea without being in any way derivative. Stefon Harris' guest shots on three tunes are quite substantial. His marimba gives a goofy, Zappa-like edge to "Survival Tactics" and "Dirty Bird," and his vibes solo really lights up Joe Henderson's "Recorda Me." Though it's still early in the year, Turbulent Flow is a virtual lock for a place in my personal Top Ten Jazz CDs of 2000 list. Dave Wayne Track Listing: 1. Turbulent Flow; 2. Recorda Me; 3. Christel Gazing; 4. Survival Tactics; 5. Don't Wake The Violent Baby; 6. Dirty Bird; 7. Scorpio; 8. Jive Ones; 9. Eminence (for Betty Carter) Personnel: Mark Shim, tenor and soprano saxophones; Drew Gress, bass; Edward Simon, acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano; Eric Harland, drums; Stefon Harris, vibes, marimba.
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