By
Andrew Gilbert
N music as in romance, opposites often attract.
East Bay saxophonist Michael Zilber is an extroverted burner who has
forged a bracing post-Coltrane vocabulary. Guitarist John Stowell, long based
in Portland, Ore., possesses a cool, crystalline tone and a knack for quietly
astonishing harmonic flights.
Over the past few years, they've honed a fire and ice partnership with
the South Bay's rhythm section tandem of bassist John Shifflett and drummer
Jason Lewis. The quartet, which released last year's aptly named CD "Shot
Through With Beauty" (Origin), plays a series of gigs around the region
over the next two weeks, including a Sunday afternoon house concert at Chez
Hanny in San Francisco, the Hilton San Jose's Affinity Restaurant as part of
San Jose Jazz's free Wednesday concert series, March 3 at the Jazzschool in
Berkeley, and March 4 at Studio Pink House in Saratoga.
"I think we kind of meet in the middle, and push each other
gently," says Stowell, who used to perform regularly at Garden City.
"It's an interesting challenge playing with Mike, in the best sense. He
brings out something a little different in me. Maybe I'm playing with more
energy, and he's playing with more introspection."
Long aware of each other's work, Zilber and Stowell first met and heard
each other play at the 2005 San Jose Jazz Festival, where the guitarist's duo
with bassist David Friesen preceded a set by a quartet Zilber co-led with
pianist Susan Muscarella.
Struck by Stowell's singular sound, Zilber immediately decided to
arrange some private playing time with Stowell.
"I was drawn by his sound and serenity," Zilber says.
"I'd been hearing about him for a while. People raved about John, and I
could see why. He's got this unique approach, at once very beautiful and
lyrical, almost astringent."
Part of what gives the quartet such a distinctive identity is a consistently
enthralling repertoire. All four musicians contribute original pieces, but they
also draw widely from gifted but little covered composers like trumpeter Kenny
Wheeler, guitarist John Scofield, pianist Keith Jarrett and guitarist John
Abercrombie.
Even when they tackle a standard, such as Dizzy Gillespie's "Con
Alma," it's reharmonized so as to take on a new identity.
Stowell gets most of the credit for bringing in the rarely played gems.
After years of tackling the same standards at jam sessions, he started
collecting interesting pieces. He's gleaned hundreds of tunes over the years,
and makes a point of pushing players and audiences to think beyond the usual
suspects.
"Everyone knows 'Stella By Starlight,' and we've heard classic
versions," Stowell says. "But look at what else is out there. There
are hundreds of tunes by Duke Ellington and Jobim and Billy Strayhorn that
people don't play. Bill Evans wrote a hundred tunes. Steve Swallow and Toninho
Horta have written dozens.You don't have to look that hard to find great music
that nobody's playing, and it's OK to challenge your audience with things that
are beautiful."
Musical temperament isn't the only thing that makes Stowell and Zilber a
study in contrasts. The Connecticut-raised guitarist moved to Portland in 1976
to pursue a musical partnership with Friesen, a bassist already established as
a creative force. When they started going their separate ways after seven years
touring and recording together, Stowell relied on an international web of
friends, and he's become the quintessential itinerant musician who augments
gigs with workshops and master classes.
It's not that Zilber never gets out on the road, but he's pursued an
alternative career strategy, making himself an essential component of the Bay
Area scene.
Born and raised in Vancouver, B.C., he moved to Boston to study at New
England Conservatory and Tufts and went on to earn a doctorate in composition
from New York University. After almost a decade in New York City, he and his
wife (the late theater artist Carla Zilbersmith) decided to relocate to the Bay
Area in the early '90s when Los Medanos College in the East Bay offered him a
job.
As the head of the school's jazz studies program, he's mentored some of
the region's finest young improvisers, such as guitarist Terrence Brewer.
Zilber leads a regular jam session at the Jazzschool, where he also teaches an
advanced workshop for high school students. Despite his academic
responsibilities, he manages to keep evolving as an artist.
Though he's always chosen to work with pianists rather than guitarists,
he's found an ideal foil in Stowell.
"He's so full and lush harmonically," Zilber says. "There
are a lot of great guitarists, but the music I write is pretty rich and
detailed harmonically, and he can really get that. I tend to be pretty heart on
my sleeve. John's more serene, more Nordic. We balance each other out."
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