By Dylan Welsh
On February 25th, Berklee Professor Jason Anick released Tipping Point, his second album as a bandleader. The album pushes many boundaries in it’s use of violin and mandolin in a contemporary jazz setting, while whirring in a number of other genres, as reflected by Anick’s diverse taste in music.
On the evening of the 25th, I settled onto a bar stool in the corner of the Regattabar to catch the second of his three official CD release shows. The room was lively; the space was cozy without feeling packed in, and the energy was great. The club was full of both friends of Jason’s and Regattabar regulars, and it seemed to me like I was the only student present.
They opened right up with the first track on the album, an original titled “Stomped Out.” The tune displays one of my favorite aspects of the record, which is the blend between the violin and tenor sax when playing in unison. In fact, I found myself really missing the sound of the sax on the songs where he sat out. I did not catch the player’s name, but he really brought a lot to the table.
“Stomped Out” was followed by Anick’s gypsy jazz take on “Caravan.” This was one of the high points of the show for me. The sax ran great counterpoint lines under Anick’s melody playing, and during solo sections, Anick would often play pizzicato with these lines, once again demonstrating the excellent sound that comes from mixing the saxophone and violin.
Unfortunately, this blend did not translate as well once Anick picked up the mandolin on quartet’s arrangement of “Peace.” It sounded especially bassy through the PA system, and the frequencies often clashed with the bass and muddied up the sonic texture. Anick is an excellent mandolinist, but his use of the four-string variant, as well as the type of licks he plays, really makes it sound more like a guitar than a mandolin. The only point where the mandolin really shined for what it is was in his original, “Bella,” which is a tribute to Bella Fleck’s bluegrass-infused jazz.
Another high point in the show was Anick’s rendition of Ornette Coleman’s standard, “Turnaround.” Here, Anick brought up Matt DeChamplain, the pianist that he used to record many of the standards on the album. Because the piano was not the main feature, there wasn’t a huge difference for me when DeChamplain traded off with Jason Yegar, the pianist on the original pieces. On this blues tune, the mandolin sounded especially guitar-like. I didn’t mind it though, as Anick definitely rocks it regardless.
Overall, I really enjoyed catching the set. I loved hearing the violin/tenor sax double come to life in front of me, backe by an exceptional rhythm section. I am excited to hear where Anick goes next with his original work, and hope to see his band again soon.
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Tipping Point is available to purchase and download on Bandcamp
Jason’s quartet plays the Cornelia Street Cafe in New York City on March 18th
