Carlos Ward 1997

Carlos Ward Quartet Subway, Köln, Germany 1997 Carlos Ward - alto sax, flute Michael Cain - piano Essiet O. Essiet - bass Ronnie Burrage - drums WHEN jazz musicians improvise on vernacular dance rhythms, their variations sometimes become diffuse, compromising the binding integrity of the groove. Saturday at First on First, a bar-restaurant in the East Village, Carlos Ward's quartet rang inventive and frequently surprising changes on the rhythmic vernacular of funk, without allowing the grooves to drift or fragment. Mr. Ward, an alto saxophonist, writes tunes with hard edges, clear-cut melodic definition and sturdy rhythmic backbones. Alex Blake, a bassist, and Ronnie Burrage, a drummer, worked wonders with Mr. Ward's imaginative ostinato and back-beat variations. Mr. Blake played blazing chordal solos that brought Jimi Hendrix's guitar pyrotechnics to mind. But he was equally adept at nailing down the groove under the horn solos by Mr. Ward and his fluent trumpeter, Charles Sullivan. Mr. Burrage's crisp, nimble drumming brought a dancing, light-footed grace to the tunes with a hard back beat, and to the more flowing, swing-based numbers as well. Mr. Ward's saxophone playing was as vivid and sharply focused as his writing. His diverse musical experiences, from a job with John Coltrane in the 60's to more recent associations with Abdullah Ibrahim, a South African pianist, and with the funk band B.T. Express, have all contributed to the formation of an incisively original style. His playing sings with the colorings and inflections of black vocal music; but while many vocally oriented horn players tend to float their phrases over the rhythmic pulse, Mr. Ward digs in and grapples with it. He has been a distinguished sideman for some years; now he seems ready to step out on his own.