Big Trouble

Phillip Johnston:

Big Trouble
Johnston's arrangement sets the melody off, like a jewel; it has the cuckoo-clock precision of Lacy's pendular logic, even as the sectional arrangement harks back to Jelly Roll Morton.

(Kevin Whitehead)

Recorded in 1992
Phillip Johnston soprano saxophone Bob DeBellis soprano & baritone saxophones, bass clarinet Jim Leff trombone Joe Ruddick keyboards, sampler, alto saxophone (4) David Hofstra bass, fender bass, tuba Kevin Norton drums, percussion, marimba, glockenspiel David Tronzo slide guitar (3, 4, 5, 10) Adams Rogers guitar (1, 6, 7, 10) Marcus Rojas tuba (6, 7) Richard Dworkin bongos (6), talking drum (7)

Ind. Title Composer Dur.
1/ The Invisible Word Phillip Johnston 3:36
2/ Step Tempest Herbie Nichols 7:07
3/ Hemline Steve Lacy 2:51
4/ Walking The Dogma Kevin Norton 5:52
5/ 12 Bars Herbie Nichols 4:46
6/ Natural Confusion / Waltz Of The Untouched Phillip Johnston 9:11
7/ Chillbone 9:53
8/ The Hymn Of The Souls Who Are Passing / Still Water 11:19
9/ Nudididity Bob DeBellis 7:07
10/ Powerhouse Raymond Scott 3:12

All tracks arranged by P. Johnston (except 4 and 9 arranged by the composers); 6 and 8 from "The Dream Detective", a music theater work by P. Johnston and R. Nemo Hill.

Recorded June/July 1992 at Water Music Recorders, Hoboken, NJ. Enginner: Jon Rosenberg. Assistant engineers: Nick Prout, David Voigt, Ann Selznick.
Mixed August 1992 at East Side Sound, NYC.
Mastered at PhonoComp, Tribiano-Milano (Italy). Engineer: Gennaro Carone.

Producers: P. Johnston & Richard Dworkin. Executive producer: Giovanni Bonandrini.

Cover painting by Wendy Lewis.

Contact: Phillip Johnston, web site: home page of madness.

Liner Notes

The way Big Trouble plays Steve Lacy and Herbie Nichols shows how far the band can stretch a tune without snapping it. "I tried to take some peculiar aspect of each tune and use it at as a basis for the arrangement", Phillip says." Like the melody of Lacy's 'Hemline' has an unusual AAABBBAABBABCCCAAABBBAABBAB structure; on his solo version, which I believe comes from an obscure Italian record, after he plays the tune through, he improvises freely, but I make that structure into the blowing form, using different elements of the melody underneath."

Johnston's arrangement sets the melody off, like a jewel; it has the cuckoo-clock precision of Lacy's pendular logic, even as the sectional arrangement harks back to Jelly Roll Morton.

Kevin Whitehead (excerpt from the sleeve notes)