DOM MINSASI'S DDT + 2
Time Will Tell

CDM Records

Read Goin' Out With Dom Minasi
Read the Jazzitude review of Dom Minasi/The Vampire's Revenge

Dom Minasi’s latest recording, Time Will Tell, offers a healthy helping of the outside playing that has dominated Minasi’s last two trio recordings, Taking the Duke Out and Goin’ Out Again. But there’s also a great deal of more mainstream, swinging, lyrical playing that tempers the more outside material, and there are some new contributors: cellist Tomas Ulrich, drummer John Bollinger, and Minasi’s wife, vocalist Carol Mennie. Actually, Minasi’s DDT group (which is distinct from his trio) started several years back as a string trio and featured Minasi, Ulrich, and bassist Dominic Duval, who had played with Cecil Taylor. When Duval left the group, Minasi brought in trio bassist Ken Filiano. Minasi refers to this recording as a group recording, saying “It’s not about ego, it’s about the group.” Indeed, everything that Minasi does is about the musicians as a group and the music, and that is part of what makes his work so refreshing.

While the new recording contains the same kind of group collaboration that make it perfectly comfortable to listen to music that incorporates free improvisation, it contains many moments of haunting beauty that will surely make this one of the guitarist’s most successful albums to date. For example, the lyrical minor theme of the title track is something that many listeners will not have heard from Minasi before. The interplay between the strings creates the tension in this track while making the small group sound almost like an orchestra. The richness that Filiano and Ulrich wring from their instruments is heartrending, and Minasi’s gentle, untreated guitar sound provides just the right touch of melancholy. Bollinger supports it all with a bossa nova beat as temperate as a Brazilian breeze. “My Soul Cries Out” is another example the beauty and tenderness of Minasi’s writing. Both tracks are compositions that Dom wrote some time ago—“Time Will Tell” was done in the ‘80s, while “My Soul Cries Out” was composed in the ‘70s, ostensibly for Minasi’s second Blue Note album. Unfortunately, the label, under the corporate hand of United Artists, instead forced him to record an overly arranged and produced commercial album that caused him to quit recording for some time.

Fans of a more aggressive Minasi approach need not worry—there’s some of that here as well. The opener, Wayne Shorter’s “Witch Hunt” begins with a martial drumbeat before breaking into the tune proper. The group swings hard on this one, and all the string players solo impressively, building toward a conclusion that trades fours between outside and inside playing. “Be Op Be Op Be Ah” is testament to Minasi’s mastery of harmony and his bebop upbringing. The tune is based on the Gillespie’s famous “Night In Tunisia” and could have been perfectly at home on the bandstand at Minton’s. Dom also takes the opportunity to display his impressive guitar technique, though that never gets in the way of listening to what the other musicians are doing and interacting with them.

Two other Minasi originals, “John” and “Waltz for Eric” are dedicated to John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy, two musicians who were a huge influence on Dom’s approach to jazz. “John” uses the first three notes of “Giant Steps” to begin a stately introduction by Ulrich and Filiano that reflects the dignity and passion with which Coltrane approached both music and life. Bollinger provides nice brushwork while Minasi provides harmonic accompaniment to the bass/cello duo. It’s far from the typical Coltrane tribute that many might expect, which makes it seem all the more heartfelt. “Waltz For Eric” is a lively waltz that flows easily and freely. Minsasi’s solo, in particular, is worthy of its inspiration. Another energetic Minasi original is “DMP” which uses, as its starting point, the structure of Miles Davis’ “All Blues,” then takes it through some interesting twists and turns.

The final selection is a smoky, after-hours version of Monk’s “Round Midnight” featuring Carol Mennie’s interpretation of the song’s downhearted lyrics. It’s great to hear Minasi providing harmonic accompaniment behind Mennie. Not every great soloist can play well behind a vocalist, but Minasi’s work is very tasteful and supportive. His solo is also magnificent and gives listener an opportunity to hear him play completely ‘inside.’ The sober tones of bass and cello help give this rendition a feel that goes beyond midnight—one senses that this lament is being expressed long after that hour as passed. Carol Mennie’s vocals are dolorous and deeply felt. Her crystal-clear, vibrato-less voice pulls and squeezes the listener’s heart like it was made of clay. It’s a tour de force performance for the entire group.

Dom Minasi is finding creative ways to play both ‘inside’ and ‘outside,’ often within the same arrangement. It’s exciting to hear someone developing a unique body of recorded work unencumbered by the pressures of large labels looking only at the bottom line. It is never easy for a musician to stick by his or her principles and be true to himself. But if the development of one’s personal artistic voice is a journey both musical and spiritual, then can any musician really afford not to? Pick up Time Will Tell and enjoy it. And look forward to Dom Minasi’s next step on the journey.