Bang changes that: His solo has the scholarly command of a solo classical recital, yet the spontaneous gait and trajectory that only exists in jazz. He blazes through melodic ideas, then changes course and slides his bow frenetically into the upper-register, hemming and hawing his way back into key. Lowe picks up from Bang’s last fading note, returning the piece to a slinky film-noir atmosphere as he tramps through low-end variations on the main melody with a steady, tiptoeing use of space, occasionally working his way into unbearably tense squawks and whispers. Naktani’s solo then nearly causes heart failure, building suspense as he shaves gradually down to no sound at all save bell and bass drum, then runs up to a breathtaking cymbal crescendo that brings back the melody. Never quite the summit of material and performance that is “Nothing But Love,” “Dark Silhouette” is the bolder performance, a tension-and-release masterpiece.
The baffling aspect of Above & Beyond is the band’s billing. As mentioned, the “Billy Bang Quintet Featuring Frank Lowe” by all rights should be the “Billy Bang/Frank Lowe Quintet” here; however, it’s incomprehensible that Andrew Bemkey doesn’t get the second-line billing that Lowe now has. By no means a name player, the Indiana native has a growing Downtown reputation and a unique, aggressive style. By accident or design this album is an important showcase for him. In fact, Bemkey is the most adventurous musician present, dropping bright, sudden splashes of sound into his thick chords and polytonal runs. This is a pianist to keep your eye on.
It’s a wonder to think how far the two leads have come in their work together. In 1978, Lowe was a free-jazz firebrand, and Bang a coolly cerebral avant-garde player – they complemented each other. Over the years , though never abandoning post-bop, they grew as close musically as they did personally; they sounded more and more like old friends jamming together. The album title perhaps refers to where Frank Lowe went in September 2003, but it also refers to the manner in which he left the musical world. If these old friends, these almost-twins, had to say goodbye, there was no more more glorious way to do it than Above & Beyond.
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