There are four musicians in The Billy Mohler Quartet. Yet after leaving their gig at Rizzoli bookstore on Sunday 19 May, I couldn’t help feeling that the name was a little misleading; their sound and energy felt more like a classic post-bop quintet – two horns built over a robust rhythm section that was percussive, chordal, and of course held a strong bass line.
This effect – I’ll dub it the Billy Mohler Ghost Quintet effect – draws in part from the audible space bassist Mohler occupies, switching happily between harmonics and rapid walks to full thrumming chords in progressions. But the sound also draws from the depth of his compositions, and how he manouevres the other three musicians.
The group were comfortable with energetic and tightly coordinated horn line openings and vigorous improvisations, or in more restrained emotional pieces. The Wait gave opportunities for tenorman John Ellis to showcase his fluid and neat style, and Jason Palmer on trumpet to surprise with syncopated stretches and well-timed rhythm section hits. They combined beautifully when trading phrases on Perseverance – their rich and emotional improvisations contrasting between melancholic trumpet and a resigned saxophone. The complexity of the compositions kept the horns on their toes – neither Ellis or Palmer are in the quartet on the recording – as they peered closely at their lead sheets, to enthusiastic head-nodding from Mohler.
Mohler’s evident enthusiasm is important, as is his willingness to vary the sound and style of the group. This should come as no surprise given his long cross-genre career, but the slow changes that morph from delicate work below the bridge to a heavy, dredging rock backing with irresistible swagger on Eventide, or the grooves – which sound like they were written on an electric bass instead of upright bass – such as on the title track of his latest album, Ultraviolet.
The true secret sauce of the group is Nate Wood on drums. Mohler and Wood have known each other since their childhood, and Wood adds both consummate jazz drumming and a versatile rockier edge. Wood rarely knowingly took the limelight, but he often drew it anyway. There were times, for example during The Wait – when Ellis’ fast and perfect virtuoso solo was the focus, but Wood’s restrained, clipped, sharp contributions expanded and grew into a full-kit masterpiece. By the end of the set on closing piece Fight Song, Wood is opening the song with the out-and-out polyrhythmic drum solo we were missing. On their (genuinely unplanned) encore Distant Star he stepped further still to the fore. Mohler’s expression – storming through this with a filthy groove – confirms what he said during the set – jamming with Wood might be one of his happier places.
Mohler was introduced by Ludovico Granvassu – host of weekly radio show Mondo Jazz hosted on Radio Free Brooklyn – who talks about growing up in rural Italy isolated from a jazz scene, and having a permanent Fear Of Missing Out. After moving to NYC and feeling like he would never miss out again, his FOMO eventually began to return when he realized that some of his favourite jazz musicians weren’t in NYC but in LA. His solution this time – instead of moving to LA – was to bring the LA scene to play for him. And a hardworking pillar of that LA scene is Billy Mohler.
However, with the Rizzoli Music Aperitivo – the monthly Sunday afternoon shows Granvassu curates at Rizzoli bookstore in Manhattan – he is also helping relieve the FOMO of a tranche of society who can’t easily stay up to speed with the regular evening and late night circuit, even if they live in the right city. And we NYC Jazz fans who work nights and/or have young kids are certainly grateful.
