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Lewine's Tapes a Slam Dunk
By Wayne Thompson
Jazz Scene

Alan Lewines's latest album, "Free Wheeling," is the most provocative of the three that bear his name. By way of introduction, Lewine is a newcomer to Portland. But it didn't take him long to catch on here. In January alone he was booked for 22 gigs in the Portland area. Lewine, a composer and a scholar in many of jazz's many splendored forms, was active in jazz circles in Albuquerque, New Mexico, since 1982. This album, and two others, Red Hot Peppers," and "Original Jazz (reviewed below) were recorded there. Lewine and his co-leader, Bob Brown, divided this album into two distinct sides. Side A, indeed, is freewheeling. Lewine wrote three of the compositions and Brown another. The only familiar tune on the side is "Sam's Sack," by Wes Montgomery. Side B, on the other hand, is a celebration of standards, starting with John Lennon's "Eleanor Rigby," and including "Lover Man" and Dexter Gordon's "Red Top." Two more Lewine originals finish it off. Alan is a multi-talented jazzman. His bass solos show a Charlie Mingus influence, though Milt Hinton is his bass model. His original music - especially, "Free Wheeling," the title tune - is very melodic, though packed with dramatic stridence. Throughout the album, Lewine got plenty of support from his colleagues. Arlen Asher, on saxophone, flute and clarinet, added a needed mellow, high frequency contrast to the lower-frequency rumblings of Lewine's bass. "Lover Man" is a nice arrangement, featuring vocalist Laura Brown (Bob's wife), who unmistakably has heard Billie Holiday versions. This is an interesting album, but there are a few pieces that rise up and bit the unsuspecting listener who would deploy this album as background music. An example is "Obfuscation Through Syllabification." This is a Lewine composition that sounds at times like cocks fighting. Don't let that sop you from buying the cassette, though. IT is a generous 68 minutes long and offers much to like. The New Mexico Music Industry Coalition agrees. It nominated this album for three awards last year. Recoding quality is first rate.

Owlsong Jazz, 1989, 1002, 3 ½ Stars.

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