Timeless is a word that is often bandied about, but in this case, it really describes the music. Even though it was recorded nearly forty years ago, it still sounds fresh, exciting and invigorating.
Livia Records LRCD2403
Jim Doherty (piano); Louis Stewart (guitar); Bobby Shew (trumpet, flugelhorn); Bob Sheppard (alto saxophone); Gordon Brisker (tenor saxophone); Randy Aldcroft (trombone); Tom Warrington (bass); Billy Mintz (drums, percussion)
Recorded Sage & Sound Studios, Hollywood California September 1986
This album is the latest in a line of re-releases from the Irish music label Livia Records, and it’s a cracker. Livia was originally founded by 1977 by the Irish polymath Gerald Davis. When Davis died in 2005, the label’s activities ceased, but since 2022, Livia has been revived by jazz fan Dermot Rogers. In January 2025, we reviewed one of Livia Record’s new releases Louis Stewart / Martin Taylor – Acoustic Guitar Duets and Stewart also appears on this album.
Spondance was originally released on cassette in 1986, and a decade later, on CD. This latest CD version is well-packaged, with a gatefold digipak that includes cover art inspired by Matisse, photos and several sets of liner notes in a 16-page booklet. Pianist Jim Doherty was a busy composer, arranger and session music for television, dance and theatre. He also accompanied numerous jazz musicians visiting Ireland, including Ray Charles and Gerry Mulligan. In 1960, he auditioned a 16-year old guitar wizard, Louis Stewart, and the two men became long-time friends and musical associates. Stewart played with Tubby Hayes, George Shearing, Clark Terry, Benny Goodman, Ronnie Scott and many others. He died in 2016, aged 72.
The genesis of the music is humorously recalled by Doherty in his liner notes. In the mid-1980s, Doherty was working with Israeli ballet choreographer Domy Reiter-Soffer on a theatre production. As Doherty noted: ‘He confessed to knowing nothing about jazz, and I confessed to knowing less about ballet.’ They agreed that Doherty would compose a jazz dance project, which he named Spondance (Doherty has used the word ‘spon’ in various musical projects and its usage was inspired by the Goons). The plan was for the suite to be performed by Irish National Ballet, but sadly, the company folded before the music was completed, and so the score stands as a standalone piece. The music wasn’t even performed live in Ireland until February of this year.
With funding from the Arts Council of Ireland and various sponsors, Doherty set about recording the music. He tried recording it several times in Ireland, but planned soloists kept dropping out. It was friend and fellow musician Bobby Shew who suggested that Doherty and Stewart come to California to make the recording. Shew arranged the studio time and assembled a cast of musicians.
Spondance was recorded with an octet – two Irish musicians and half a dozen American players. It was a formidable cast of players, with Shew on trumpet and flugelhorn, saxophonists Bob Sheppard and Gordon Brisker; trombonist Randy Aldcroft, and a rhythm section comprised of bassist Tom Warrington and drummer Billy Mintz.
Between them, the American contingent had played with Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Joe Pass, Maynard Ferguson, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder,Elvis Presley, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan, the Brecker Brothers, Freddie Hubbard, Joni Mitchell, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Getz, Stanley Clarke and Lee Konitz – and the list is nowhere near complete.
Doherty’s starting point was to make the jazz dance suite a story of a boy meeting a girl. The two get together, before things come apart and they split up. They find each other again and live happily ever after. The story includes various characters, each represented by a different instrument and soloist. The suite consists of six songs, with a total playing time of around 40 minutes.
The opening number, ‘Nordic Maiden’ begins with crashing cymbals, tumbling percussion and rich, dense harmonies from the horn section – it’s like the curtain rising on a theatre performance. The sound brings to mind the music created by Gil Evans and Miles Davis in the late 1950s. The song switches to waltz time and Stewart’s guitar represents the girl character. If Louis Stewart had been American or had moved to the States, he would have been a household name, but he chose to remain in Ireland and never achieved the public profile his talents deserved. He was a superb musician, as evidenced on this piece. His playing had it all – grace, elegance, technical brilliance and a deep emotional depth. On this number, he caresses rather than plays his instrument. Tom Warrington also plays a solid bass solo.
The Ballad ‘When Two People Meet’ features guitar (the girl) and flugelhorn (representing the boy). The interaction between the two instruments is impressive. Stewart and Shew also play fine solos and trade fours. ‘Bertha D Blooze’ (a punning song title if ever there was one!) is a low-life Madame or drug dealer character, represented by Sheppard’s alto sax. Mintz’s opening bustling drum solo suggests that Bertha was a strong, sassy lady. The piece switches to a brisk jazz blues with stabbing horn lines and a walking bass line that is so fast, it’s almost running. The piece is dominated by a scampering alto sax and includes alto sax, tenor sax and drum solos.
‘El Sponzo’ is the name of Bertha’s Hispanic pimp and the Latin piece opens with Doherty playing a sprightly montuno riff on piano. However, despite composing the piece, Doherty did not assign his piano to any character. Instead, El Sponzo is represented by Gordon Brisker’s tenor sax, which dominates this number. Mintz also overdubbed shaker and conga drums, because, he said, ‘You gotta get the right feel for this sonofabitch.’ The song includes a call-and-response section between alto and tenor saxes, bringing Bertha and El Sponzo into a musical dialogue.
‘Sergeant Bones’ is described as a comical character, and so it’s no surprise that Randy Alcroft’s trombone plays the character’s role. He solos for long stretches in the piece. The song is a swinging jazz blues, also featuring a solo from Doherty and a lively coda featuring the horn section. The closing number, ‘Maybe It’s You’ ends the album on a good-feel note. It’s an uplifting fast swing piece that has the horns soaring up into the skies. Solos by Shew, Alcroft and Stewart are the icing on the cake.
Timeless is a word that is often bandied about, but in this case, it really describes the music. Even though it was recorded nearly forty years ago, it still sounds fresh, exciting and invigorating. Ballet’s loss was undoubtedly jazz’s gain
