Paragon

“Cerca”

(Jellymould Jazz JM-JJ014)

“Cerca” is the third album by the Anglo-German quartet Paragon whose 2010 sophomore recording “Quarterlife Crisis” was one of that year’s most enchanting releases. 2014 sees the group moving to the Huddersfield based Jellymould Jazz record label but the personnel remains the same with the group continuing to be co-led by German saxophonist Peter Ehwald and British pianist Arthur Lea. German bassist Matthias Akeo Nowak and English drummer Jon Scott complete the all star line up.

Ehwald and Lea continue to compose all of the group’s material with six of the ten pieces on “Cerca” coming from the pen of Ehwald and the remaining four from Lea. Writing independently they brought the fruits of their labours to a studio in Cologne and the album was recorded in two days with subsequent mixing taking place in London. Paragon’s music explores many avenues with influences including conventional jazz and bebop, British prog rock whimsy, folk melody and this time round, according to the press release, Venezuelan merengue and Indian bhangra. 

As ever there’s much to enjoy on this latest Paragon recording but for me the album does have a major flaw in that Lea plays Fender Rhodes throughout - “Quarterlife Crisis” saw him mixing acoustic and electric piano sounds. The group are obviously looking for a harder edged, more groove orientated sound but for me this comes at the cost of a lack of variety and overall the album is missing something of Quarterlife’s distinctive charm.

The album opens with Lea’s “Cerca De Ti”, effectively the title track. And there’s the Rhodes right from the start, entering into playful dialogue with Scott’s drums before Nowak’s bass groove kicks in and Ehwald’s sax pick up the melody. There’s plenty of the characteristics that distinguished “Quarterlife”,  a vaguely proggy, Canterbury style feel thanks to the keyboards and a characteristic post Loose Tubes style pastoralism courtesy of the quartet’s admiration for the likes of saxophonist Julian Arguelles and keyboardist Django Bates. But there’s also a more muscular, contemporary feel too which suggests that the group have also been looking to the contemporary New York scene for inspiration. 

Ehwald’s “East To West” is more wispy and impressionistic beginning with long, folk tinged saxophone phrases above sparsely plucked bass, filigree drum and cymbal work and shimmering Fender Rhodes. A simple, gentle, folk like melody subsequently emerges and the piece has a Scandinavian, Jan Garbarek type feel that reveals that Paragon are still capable of generating great charm.

Lea’s “Delhi Belly” introduces those Indian meters and melodies. Ehwald’s sax sound combines traditional jazz influences with Indian inflections as he shares the soloing duties with Lea’s keys. Nowak and Scott react to Lea’s meanderings with the characteristic quick wittedness and sure footedness that we have come to expect from this closely knit quartet.

Ehwald’s “Bohdan” is one of the saxophonist’s more forceful compositions and features him stretching out above Scott’s churning rhythms and Lea’s dirty, cerebrally funky Fender Rhodes. The keyboard player turns up the distortion on his own solo making this one of the album’s most immediate, hard hitting tracks.

In fact “Bohdan” is atypical of Ehwald’s writing, it actually sounds like one of Lea’s tunes which in the main tend to be more outgoing and rhythmically focussed. The beautiful “Glory” is more representative of the saxophonist’s usual composing style, an elegant tone poem featuring effective use of the bow by Nowak, delicately brooding elongated sax melodies, gently shimmering Rhodes and the subtlest of drum commentaries. It’s all richly atmospheric and evocative.

Lea’s “Blue Eyes White Dragon” seems to have become a favourite track with many listeners. It grows out of Nowak’s solo bass intro to embrace a funky Rhodes and bass groove that owes something to Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters. A wispy soprano sax melody adds to the appeal and acts as the jumping off point for Ehwald’s keening solo. Lea then stretches out on Rhodes accompanied by Nowak’s bass groove and Scott’s quietly energetic drumming. One of the most in demand young drummers in the UK Scott’s playing is consistently colourful and inventive.

Despite the seemingly joky title “Fat Pig” is Lea’s reflective moment, a shimmering ballad of great beauty featuring the mournful sound of Ehwald’s sax, gently ruminative Rhodes and Scott’s ever evolving percussion shadings. It acts as a counterpart to “Bohdan” in that it actually sounds more like one of Ehwald’s pieces.

The final three items come from the pen of Ehwald beginning with the sinuous “North To South”  which begins atmospherically with the sound of rushing wind and a sparse drum pattern before winding its way gently through intertwining sax and keyboard lines to arrive at a chunky odd meter riff/groove that some have likened to Soft Machine. However the “Canterbury” musician I’m most reminded of in Lea’s playing is the late, great Alan Gowen, once of Gilgamesh and National Health. 

The lovely “Linguine” unfolds more slowly, beginning in lush ballad like mode and expanding slowly via delightfully melodic solos from both Ehwald and Lea, the keyboard player adding a sly element of funkiness along the way.   

The closing “Ballade” is as beautiful as its title suggests with Nowak delivering a beautifully measured bass solo (his only one of the album) alongside tender sax, celestial Rhodes and delicately brushed drums.

“Cerca” is a good album, one that effectively highlights the contrasting writing styles of Ehwald and Lea but with the overall band chemistry allowing for the creation of a distinctive group sound. This is an open, highly interactive quartet and the members play well both individually and collectively. As neatly summarised by Scott “it’s the sound of four people listening to each other”.

I like Paragon and they’re a group I’d very much like to see play live but unfortunately their recent UK tour didn’t come anywhere near me. “Cerca” retains much of their characteristic charm and flair for melody while presenting some sophisticated musical ideas. I can’t deny that I miss that acoustic piano though and for me the album falls just short of the excellent “Quarterlife Crisis”.

 

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