Aside from the annual TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival, it's rare that Ottawans get to experience a group that has, for many years, successfully brought together a lifetime's worth of experience into a sound encompassing all that makes jazz what it is in the 21st Century. Local bassist John Geggie brings six shows a years to the city's Fourth StageÑmusical high points where artists from near and far are brought together, most often with little to no safety net, for evenings of music that are all about risk, often serendipitous chemistry and occasionally even a little bit of background preparation/rehearsal.

Dave Liebman, who brought his longstanding group to CafŽ Paradiso for two sets, shares much with Geggie's philosophy of music created in the moment. But there is a difference. The saxophonist, with a resume longer than a career criminal's rap sheet and including stints working in the 1970s with Miles Davis and Elvin Jones, remains most notable for the three groupsÑLookout Farm, Quest and, now, the Dave Liebman GroupÑthat have occupied much of his career as a leader, and a lifelong musical partnership with pianist Richie Beriach that's not as active as it once was but remains special in its creation of a very personal musical language. Liebman is one those musicians who, coming of age in the 1960s and 1970s, views music as a continuum, in which aspects of free jazz, rock, world music, classicism and much more are all signposts along the way, but are there only to provide musicians capable of exploring and blending them with the broadest possible palette.

But by working with regular groups over the long haul, Liebman's view of always looking for the sound of surprise is bolstered by a deep-rooted chemistry. The result is that his groups have always been capable of taking great risks, have been equally secure in the kind of trust in which everyone knows how to respond and react, push and pullÑand, many timesÑdrive the music to completely unexpected places, all in the blink of an eye. Liebman's current group has been together since 1991, following the dissolution of Quest, the ten-year collective that recently reformed for a tour and an album, the outstanding Redemption - Quest Live in Europe (Hatology, 2007).

While pianist Phil Markowitz left in the late 1990sÑtrimming the quintet to a quartet and opening the group up for exploration of the freer, less harmonically dense territories that have always been one aspect of Liebman's multifaceted approachÑand the drum chair changed in 2001, when the powerhouse Marco Marcinko replaced Jamey HaddadÑguitarist Vic Juris and bassist Tony Marino have been with the group since inception, and the group's discographyÑmost recently Blues All Ways (OmniTone, 2007), which may be the most irreverent and broad-scoped look at the blues ever recordedÑreflects an increasingly expansive outlook, based on trust and comfort, but never complacency or predictability.

The group's two sets were, in many ways, a study in contrast. The first set, while not lacking for a moment the energy and expressionism that have become Liebman trademarks, was open-ended but less raucous, while the relentless power of the second setÑleaving the audience quite possibly more worn-out yet paradoxically more energized than the playersÑwill surely stand out as some of the finest improvised music this city has seen.

Still, as Liebman dipped back in his songbook to open with his ÒA Brite Piece,Ó first performed when he was a member of Elvin Jones' group in the early 1970s, the entire group dove in with the kind of immediate commitment and vibrant energy that require most groups a song or two to warm up to. LiebmanÑone of a very few who makes soprano his main axÑmay be one of today's most significant torchbearers for John Coltrane, but his richer, more open tone on soprano, and his distinctive ability to combine staggering flurries of notes with just the right allotment of space, giving even the most extended solo remarkable weight and an unmistakable sense of purpose, have always marked his playing with reference points for the listener attentive to his complex but rewarding musical storytelling.

In the previous group Haddad was an undoubtedly versatile player, especially in the area of the world music- inflected rhythms that have also been a part of Liebman's playing since his days with Miles Davis and Lookout Farm, but MarcinkoÑwho spends some of his extracurricular time away from the Liebman group playing in rock bands and Latin groupsÑhas been lighting a fire under the group since their first recording togetherÑConversation (Sunnyside, 2003). That album remains one of Dave Liebman Group's high water marks, and two tunes were culled from that album for the second setÑJuris' fiery and effects-laden ÒShorty George,Ó which would have fit comfortably as a more electrified outtake from Pat Metheny's 80/81 (ECM, 1980); and Liebman's ÒAnubis,Ó which began as a pan-cultural tone poem with Liebman on wooden flute, but quickly became a 5/4 improvisational tour de force with improvised segments meshing seamlessly with sinuous melodies and an in-the-gut riff from Juris and Marino acting as a periodic, potent rallying point for the quartet.

Marino is one of those players who, though he may have stood quietly at the rear of Paradiso's postage stamp of a stage, stoked the engine room with Marcinko while demonstrating solo strength of great beauty, power and dexterity. He's also a fine writer, with his first-set ballad, ÒGeneroso,Ó proving it is, indeed, possible to combine compositional complexity and simple lyricism.

In a group in which, Liebman aside, every member is deserving of greater recognition, It's Juris' lack of larger-scale notoriety that remains the greatest mystery. A contemporary with larger names including Frisell, Metheny, Scofield and Abercrombie, he possesses comparable harmonic sophistication and virtuosity. His Blue Horizon (Zoho, 2004) remains an overlooked gem that's his most personal statement as a leader to date. Criticized by some for its eclecticism, it was that very quality that revealed his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz but also of things farther afield.

In performance, his inestimable technique was but a means to improvisational ends, combining fluent chordal strength with a very personal approach to articulating his distinctive single-note lines that, on record, seem unfathomable, but make perfect sense with the luxury of watching him in performance. From Lenny Breau-like harmonics to gritty, Scofield-esque shades of blue, his ability to create soundscapes with his instrument through the use of a small array of effects, is as personal as Frisell's. And, as he's proven on albums ranging from his more mainstream A Second Look (Mel Bay, 2005) to the jamming live album with drummer Ken Serio, Live...In the Moment (Tripping Tree, 2008), there's an ability, similar to John Abercrombie's, to sound distinctly himself, regardless of the context.

The same, of course, can be said for the entire group, based on the two sets that had an Ottawa audience restricted to a small size only because of the capacity limitation of Paradiso, a jazz club that's doing its best to be a home for local musicians and international artists alike. Both sets were packed, giving great hope that the club can continue to expand its horizons to include more shows of this caliber. Critically acclaimed but popularly undervalued, Dave Liebman has a discography that runs the entire gamut from free jazz to through-composed, complex, rock-inflected improvised music. With Juris, Marino and Marcinko he has a flexible working unit that may operate without a safety net but, based on their two Ottawa sets, creates a whole so profoundly satisfying as to lay waste any claim that jazz is in trouble. This was music of the life- affirming variety, capable of energizing and rendering positive even those suffering through the most troubled of times.

An inspiring player since the early 70’s, Vic Juris continues to inspire as he pushes the limits of his playing, going beyond all expectations on his latest Mel Bay Records label release “A Second Look”. An artistically modern and fresh sounding CD, “A Second Look” combines an intense set of originals and standards that features Juris’ creative and introspective approach to crafting thoughtful improvisation and inventive reharmonization as he explores the jazz lexicon through the use of both traditional and modern improvisational fare.

Backed by such supportive musicians as bassist Jay Anderson, a monster player in his own right, and Tim Horner, a superlative drummer who commands both subtle finesse and thunderous force from his skins, Juris pulls out all the stops as he plays with an intensity and skill that places him in the top tier of Jazz Guitar players.

Case in point is the Keith Jarrett tune “Shades of Jazz”. Juris and his musical cohorts waste no time turning this tune inside out as they play both inside and outside the changes with Anderson and Horner stretching out a bit on this one while Juris just tears the tune up with some very enviable soloing.

Wonderful playing abounds on this CD. From the title track to the last tune, “Indian Summer”, Juris plays with extraordinary confidence, maturity, and taste as he coaxes long flowing lines through each of the ten tunes on this session. And while there is plenty of jaw-dropping technique, there is also a vulnerable sensitivity which can be heard on the tunes “Barney K.” a Juris original, Bill Evans’s “Very Early” and the heartfelt Juris composition “Little Brian”.

“Barney K.” is especially poetic with a lyrical nylon string melody that was composed at a time when jazz guitar legend Barney Kessel was ill. As Juris mentions in his liner notes to the tune: “I was trying to send out some positive energy…long live his spirit and incredible will”. There’s some really beautiful playing on this tune from both Juris and Anderson, who takes a short but none-the-less enchanting solo.

The nylon string is also featured on the surprisingly near total reharmonization of the standard “All the Things You Are”, where Juris equates the reharmonization as possibly coming from his listening to the “…rock band “Radiohead’”. The listener can make up their own mind on this tune, but wherever it came from it is stunningly crafted and Juris’ Richard DiCarlo nylon string sounds just wonderful.

Adding to the beauty of this tune is master reedsman David Liebman, who guests on a few tunes, including the title track, and sounds, as always, truly captivating. The combination of Juris and Liebman is killer, especially on the Juris original “Dizzy, Trane, and You” which is definitely a high point on this CD as they share the melody and then blow to their heart’s content.

Actually, there are quite a few high points on this CD. From the solo intro to Bill Evans’ “Very Early” which flows into a “duo” with himself, to the almost Metheny-ish Juris penned “Table For One” with guest vocalist Kate Baker singing the melody along with Juris’s guitar. It is this haunting quality that reminds me of Metheny. Not to mention the subtle delay on Juris’ warm sounding Bill Comins electric. But don’t be fooled, the music is definitely Vic Juris and not an imitation of anyone else. It’s no wonder that guys like Jimmy Bruno, John Abercrombie and Peter Bernstein are in awe of Juris’ as a musician prompting Bernstein to state that “A Second Look” is a “beautiful record” and that “Vic Juris is one of the best players on the modern scene.” You can’t get higher praise than that.

Added to all the great music on this CD is an enhanced disk that you can play in your CD-Rom that features an interview, biography, discography, and photos from the session.

If you are a fan of great Jazz Guitar or just great music in general, Vic Juris’ “A Second Look” is definitely a must for your music library. Don’t give it a second thought.

Some performers, like a boxer at the sound of the bell, storm out with something to prove. Musical assertiveness can be a good thing; certainly harmonic knowledge, physical dexterity, and stamina are all meaningful attributes of any good player. But in contrast to those who feel the need to place these elements on immediate display are others more relaxed about their abilities and, perhaps, more concerned with the deeper meaning of a composition, something that demands a certain surrender of ego. They may provide a hint here and there of their formidable abilities, but their true skill lies in subsuming their talents in service of the song.

Guitarist Vic Juris is one such player. A contemporary of all the usual suspects in contemporary jazz guitar—Scofield, Metheny, Frisell, Abercrombie—Juris has proven, over the course of thirty years and recordings with artists as diverse as saxophonist Dave Liebman, vibraphonist Joe Locke, and singer Mel Tormé, to be a flexible player with a broad stylistic reach. But, curiously, while he’s a known entity in musician circles, he’s never reached the level of popularity of his contemporaries. His latest disc, A Second Look, may not do anything to change that situation, but it should.

An unhurried player who develops his solos with care, still conveying a completely spontaneous feeling, Juris might be most easily paralleled, at least superficially, with Pat Metheny’s more mainstream efforts. Like Metheny, his electric tone is warm and full-bodied, with more than a little reverb to fatten up the sound; also, like Metheny, he’s equally apt to employ a steel-string acoustic or classical guitar. He even shares an interest in Latin music, adding Kate Baker’s wordless vocals to the Brazilian-informed “Table for One.”

But there the similarities end. Metheny has a whole musical language that he’s developed over the course of the same number of years as Juris, and is unmistakable for it—in some ways, though, his signatures have almost become his albatross, with listener expectation more a demand to hear them. Juris has his own predilections, to be sure, but in many ways, by not being constrained by the shackles of popularity like Metheny is, he’s freer to pursue his muse unencumbered.

Whether on his own compositions, like the uptempo swinger “Dizzy, Trane and You” and the bossa-informed “Barney K,” or imaginative reworkings of standards like “All the Things You Are,” with its classical guitar and radically reduced tempo and harmonic reworking, Juris never loses sight of a song’s essence. And his choice of bandmates is equally astute. Bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Tim Horner are sympathetic foils and strong yet understated soloists; while Dave Liebman is typically thought of as a more outgoing player, he’s equally capable of delicate subtlety, as on “All the Things You Are.”

A Second Look, like last year’s Blue Horizon, continues to assert Juris’ considerable talents in a less-is-more context. To hear someone who is almost insidiously pushing the boundaries of jazz guitar, one need look no further.

Vic Juris was in Louisville back on October 29, 2002 as part of Dave Liebman's quartet, for a concert at the University of Louisville. Late in 2004 this recording as a leader was released, featuring Joe Locke on vibes and marimba, Jay Anderson on bass (and producer/engineer of the CD), Adam Nussbaum on drums and Jamey Haddad (a former colleague in Liebman's group) on percussion. The album opens with the one song featuring the wordless singing of Katie Baker, "Dancing Shadows," sounding vaguely like something Pat Metheny might do; the rest of the album is strictly instrumental. Haddad is given a long solo on tabla (or a similar drum) on "Sunset on Vega," before the song turns into a quiet meditation for acoustic guitar with subtle accents by the other musicians. While Juris' liner notes give a nod to the classic Gary Burton Quartet recordings such as Duster and Live at Carnegie Hall, regarding the interplay of his guitar with Locke's mallet work, this is no "Duster Revisited." Throughout there is an emphasis on Juris' acoustic playing, setting a different frame of reference altogether from Larry Coryell's groundbreaking electric guitar work with Burton. Additionally, by utilizing marimba as well as vibes, there is a greater variety of melodic percussion here. Additionally, Juris adds to the variety of this album by engaging in short duets with the others, such as "Gojo Duet" with Locke and "Domo Duo" with Nussbaum. The title song is the second-to-last of the compositions here and is airy and spacious. Altogether, this is a recording that should help bring Juris wider notice in the jazz community. It is available through www.zohomusic.com if you can't find it locally.

"Jazzin'" column for Louisville Music News (www.louisvillemusic.com).
Martin Z. Kasdan Jr.
Jazz Columnist
Louisville Music News