Loose Wig - Velvet Coup
by Scott Yanow
Loose Wig is a quartet of adventurous jazz musicians who are based in the San Francisco Bay area. Their frontline is formed by tenor-saxophonist Ben Fajen and guitarist Mike Abraham while bassist Sam Bevan and drummer Bryan Bowman have very active roles, making the group into a true muscial democracy.
On Velvet Coup, Loose Wig performs 11 group originals; eight by Bevan, two from Bowman and one by Abraham. The music could be called modern post bop jazz in that, while the improvising is chordal-based, the compositions, structures and rhythmic accents are complex and fresh. These are not the type of tunes that are heard at typical jam sessions!
The music swings in its own way, with the saxophonist and the guitarist often playing the tricky melodies in unison. The opening "Ann Uncompromised" has Fajen and Abraham trading and echoing each other's ideas almost instantly. The interplay between the musicians (they all have big ears) is apparent throughout this set, whether it is the jazz waltz "Sweetback," the ominous-sounding "Revencers" (which has a pattern in 5/4 stated by bassist Bevan), the spooky ensemble ballad "A Faint Glimmer In Remembrance," or the post bop swinging of "The Sound Of Midnight."
Fajen's cool tone and Abraham's versatility, along with the tight rhythm section, make even the most complex music on Velvet Coup seem accessible. Recommended.
---Scott Yanow, author of ten books including The Jazz Singers, Jazz On Film and Jazz On Record 1917-76
