''Proximity'' is an album by drummer

Andrew Cyrille Andrew Charles Cyrille (born November 10, 1939) is an American avant-garde jazz drummer. Throughout his career, he has performed both as a leader and a sideman in the bands of Walt Dickerson and Cecil Taylor, among others. AllMusic biographe ...

and saxophonist

Bill McHenry Bill McHenry (born 1972) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the leader of the Bill McHenry Quartet and has released over a dozen albums under his own name, in addition to collaborating on many more. Early life McHenry was born i ...

. It was recorded in November 2014 at Brooklyn Recording in Brooklyn, NY, and was released by

Sunnyside Records Sunnyside Records is an American jazz record company and label established by François Zalacain in 1982 initially to release an album by pianist Harold Danko. Albums by Kirk Lightsey and Lee Konitz soon followed beginning a sequence of releases ...

in 2016.

Reception

DownBeat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

s Carlo Wolff stated that McHenry and Cyrille "make passionate music," and wrote that the album "conjures a conversation you'd love to join." He called "Fabula" "a spasming tune... that threatens to fall all over itself but miraculously remains upright," on which "percussion and saxophone seem of one mind." In a review for ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'', Budd Kopman wrote: "the session is very atmospheric and concentrated... The sound is wide and large, rather than sharp and concentrated, but this diffuse sound paradoxically is highly focused... The rather sparse music of ''Proximity'' is... captivating and actually a very emotional experience that feels to be almost like being there." In a second review for the same publication, Glenn Astarita commented: "McHenry's full-bodied tenor sound is occasionally mellowed via his light-hearted dialogues with Cyrille's poetic and overtly melodic fills, countered by many bristling improv segments. Even without a bassist, the musicians still manage to sustain a tightknit working relationship along with a capacious backdrop... these jazz masters transmit a compassionate and indisputably upbeat mindset from start to finish." Writing for ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'', Will Layman stated: "''Proximity''... is... more entertaining than most jazz recordings. Both of these musicians are rich in wit and play, so every second of their interaction is like a chase between cat and mouse. They dash and dip, push and pull... Highly recommended." In an article for ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

Music'', Kevin Whitehead remarked: "''Proximity'' is all about the drums and their melodic potential... his trap set is fully exposed and saxophonist Bill McHenry doesn't get between it and us. Cyrille's tour de force is his drum-set version of Leadbelly's dance ditty 'Green Corn.' The clackety playing on the rims harks back to early jazz great Baby Dodds."

Track listing

# "Bedouin Woman" (Cyrille, McHenry) – 3:02 # "Fabula" (

Don Moye Donald Moye, Jr. (born May 23, 1946), known as Famoudou Don Moye, is an American jazz percussionist and drummer. He is most known for his involvement with the Art Ensemble of Chicago and is noted for his mastery of African and Caribbean percuss ...

) – 2:49 # "Drum Song For Leadbelly" (Cyrille) – 4:22 # "Drum Man Cyrille" (

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

) – 3:10 # "Proximity" (Cyrille) – 5:03 # "Let Me Tell You This" (Cyrille, McHenry) – 3:21 # "Broken Heart" (Cyrille, McHenry) – 0:56 # "Aquatic Life" (Cyrille, McHenry) – 5:09 # "Double Dutch" (Cyrille, McHenry) – 3:02 # "Seasons" (Cyrille, McHenry) – 6:14 # "Dervish" (Cyrille, McHenry) – 1:35 # "To Be Continued..." (Max Koslow) – 0:05

Personnel

– drums *

– tenor saxophone

References

{{Reflist 2016 albums Andrew Cyrille albums