What Kind of Bird Is This? - The Eric Ineke JazzXpress featuring Tineke Postma

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“... History fosters temporal illusions, fractured perspectives. Time, like jazz, speeds up, slows down, and circles back on itself. Growing up, I thought westerns depicted an ancient epoch until I learned that Wyatt Earp was alive to hear Louis Armstrong's Hot Seven and read about Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic. In short, Parker is our contemporary. You can speak to people who spoke to him; not nearly as many as when I wrote this book, but quite a few. Age and custom have not dimmed the brilliance of his art, which, forged virtually in secret, illumined a panicky postwar world. Charlie Parker and his peers, shoulders to the wheel, inspiration through the roof, created the bedrock of modern jazz, its aspirations and language. We hear him more than we know.”

- Gary Giddins, Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker, Rev Ed. [2013; emphasis mine]

And now thanks to the recent release of What Kind of Bird Is This? - The JazzXpress featuring Tineke Postma [Challenge CR73512] we get to hear drummer Eric Ineke and alto saxophonist Tineke Postma in the company of a group of excellent musicians based in The Netherlands render their interpretation of Bird’s music as part of an international celebration of the 100th anniversary of Charlie Parker’s birth in 1920.

In addition to Eric and Tineke and JazzXpress regular members Sjoerd Dijkhuizen and bassist Marius Beets, newcomer Ian Cleaver takes on the trumpet chair and piano duties in the quintet are shared by three stalwarts of the straight-ahead Jazz scene in Holland: Peter Beets, Rein de Graaff, and Rob Agerbeek.

Of the 12 tracks on the album, seven are Parker compositions and the other five are comprised of two Jazz standards closely identified with Bird - Lover Man and Just Friends - two originals composed by Marius and trumpeter Howard McGhee’s Stupendous, a title which serves as a fitting tribute to the size of the footprint that Parker left on the development of modern Jazz in the second half of the 20th century.

The two standards are played straight-up while the remaining tracks are all arranged by either Marius Beets or Sjoerd Dijkhuizen with pianist Rob van Bavel, a long time member of previous JazzXpress quintets, doing the arranging honors on the opening cut - Relaxin’ at Camarillo.

In case you're wondering how a group of musicians so far removed - both chronologically and geographically - could do justice to the music of a Jazz Giant whose career ended with his death so long ago [1955] - start with alto saxophonist Tinke Postma rendering of Lover Man backed only by Marius on bass and Eric on drums and all your concerns about the continuity of the Parker tradition in a 21st century setting will be allayed. Bird’s gotta be up there smiling at Tineke’s marvelous reimagining of the song displays all of the risk-taking so closely associated with Bird’s soloing and the cadenza she uses to close the trio’s interpretation is as technically astute as it is heartfelt.

A lot of work went into the making of this recording; it wasn’t just slapped together and shoved into the market to capitalize on the centenary of Bird’s birth. What also helps to establish its uniqueness is the fact that:

“ ...Eric Ineke has passed by Parker's most popular tunes, like Now's The Time, Scrapple From The Apple and Bitiie's Bounce, choosing instead themes that are rarely played today such as Bongo Beep, Merry Go Round and Steeplechase.

Two of the pieces are composed by Marius Beets. Birdie Num Num is his variation on Charlie Parker's classic Confirmation. The title tune What Kinda Bird Is This? is a playful exercise in Parkeriana. The intro alludes to Moose the Mooche, but after that the performance switches to the chord changes of Cole Porter's What Is This Thing Called Love, which in turn formed the basis of Tadd Darmeron's Hot House, a linchpin in the Parker repertory.” - Bert Vuijsje, insert notes]

As one has come to expect with all JazzXpress albums, Marius Beets is the central element linking all aspects of the recording: from the driving bass lines which are essential in support of Eric central axiom for the quintet’s music - “it must always swing” - to the clever arrangements he provides for half of the tracks on the album as well as writing two original take offs on Bird tunes including the title track, to serving as the recording and mastering engineer for the project. The word “indispensable” comes to mind when one considers Marius' efforts on behalf of What Kind of Bird Is This? - The JazzXpress featuring Tineke Postma.  

If Marius is a constant presence in the JazzXpress, it was nice hear the arrival of some new faces in the group in the form of trumpeter Ian Cleaver and alto saxophonist Tineke Postma, the latter in part added to bring an E-flat sonority to the project in the form of an alto saxophone - Parker’s instrument of choice.

However, it should be stressed that Tineke is no newcomer to the Dutch Jazz scene in general. Born in 1978, she started playing saxophone, flute and piano at age of 9 and was immediately attracted to Jazz and Pop music. After finishing her Bachelor’s degree in Jazz music, she graduated cum laude in June 2003 from the Masters program at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. During her work on her Masters, Tineke received two scholarships to study at the Manhattan School of Music where she worked with Dick Oatts, Dave Lieberman, Chris Potter and Gary Dial.

Tineke’s debut album First Avenue was released at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 2004. For The Rhythm followed in 2005 and featured her with Edoardo Righini [guitar], Rob van Bavel [piano], Darryl Hall [bass] and Teri Lynn Carrington [drums]. 

I first heard her on a 2004 Dutch FM radio broadcast with The Metropole Orchestra under the direction of Dick Bakker on which she performed arrangements written by Jeff Beale, Mike Abene, Henk Meutgeert and Vince Mendoza on both soprano and alto saxophone. This was followed by Dutch FM radio broadcasts of her performances at The Bimhuis in Amsterdam in 2005 with some of the cream-of-the-crop of Jazz musicians based in The Netherlands including trombonist Ilja Reijngoud, guitarist Martijn van Iterson, pianist Ron van Bavel, bassist Jeroen Vierdag, and drummer Marcel Serierse.

What’s especially fun about listening to Tineke on this disc is hearing her improvise on bebop changes in a straight-ahead setting as she usually plays in a freer format and style similar at times to that employed by Jane Ira Bloom when she’s on soprano sax.

Another unexpected “plus” is that in the absence of Rob van Bavel from his usual place on the piano bench, Eric brought in three [!] alternating pianists: Peter Beets, Rob Agerbeek and Rein De Graaff [with whom he has worked as a member of his trio for over 50 years backing notable Jazz musicians performing at concert and club venues throughout Holland and Europe].

Peter’s approach to piano is technically in line with that of Oscar Peterson while Rein’s take on the instrument is more of a blend of the approach favored by Barry Harris, Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones. Rob Agerbeek is featured on only one track and he lays down some soulful funk on Marius’ playful arrangement of Bongo Beep.

And then there’s Sjoerd Dijkhuizen who’s big, boastful tenor sax sound brings up memories of Al Cohn with more than a little Zoot Sims swing to lift each of the ten tracks that he plays on to exciting levels of intensity. Sjoerd is reminiscent of those big horn guys who just “plant their feet and bring it;” there's no holding back with Sjoerd.

Keeping it all together and swinging it from beginning to end is drummer Eric Ineke who personifies the drummer as accompanist. He lifts, drives, propels, pushes, supports and kicks the music forward unrelentingly in a manner that brings to mind the drummers that played with Charlie Parker including Kenny Clarke, Stan Levey, Joe Harris, Art Blakey, Shadow Wilson, Max Roach, and Roy Haynes.

Although you’ve probably heard Parker tunes such as Relaxin’ at Camarillo, Steeplechase and Ah-Leu-Cha on many occasions, the intriguing and artful arrangements by Marius, Rob and Sjoerd give them a freshness and a clarity that makes Parker’s music sound vital and vigorous once again in these interpretations by Eric Ineke’s JazzXpress.

Every aspect of this recording represents what Jazz in its best form should be - melodic, harmonic and rhythmic exploration - seeking new ways to interpret familiar tunes and songs as a basis for expressing new improvisations. Bird’s music may be the catalyst, but Eric Ineke’s band - the Jazz Express featuring Tineke Postma - puts its own mark, very distinctive on his music.

As I have previously noted, during a particularly difficult time for performing artists, it’s nice to have the opportunity to help support them by purchasing their recordings. Everyone stays safe and all of those concerned with making the recording pick up some schimolies while enriching your soul with their artistry. Maybe it’s our small way of becoming a “patron of the arts.”

In closing, a word of appreciation should also be expressed to the fine folks at Challenge Records for their continuing support of Eric and the musicians, past and present, who make up the JazzXpress. If I’m not mistaken, this is their seventh album together. 

Tineke has her own website which you can visit by going here and Eric’s URL can be located here.