Steven Lugerner’s SLUGish Ensemble

Arguably New York and New Orleans top the list of cities celebrated by jazz musicians. But here’s another disc describing San Francisco in sound. Conceived of during Covid lockdown-induced wanderings in his local neighborhood by Steven Lugerner, canny arrangements turn his seven new compositions into clean swinging themes that at times may be a bit too immaculate.

Often coming across as a bleached version of the Headhunters’ work, the tunes are embellished by the bass clarinet, baritone saxophone and alto flute playing of Lugerner, faculty director at the Sanford Jazz Workshop, who has played with the likes of Myra Melford and Todd Sickafoose. His associates are Javier Santiago who adds rhythmic struts, flowery wriggles and coordinated linear ambulation from acoustic and electric piano; Steve Blum, whose synthesizer textures color the pieces with additional tones and occasional spacey sparkles; guitarist Justin Rock, who often lives up to his name with forcefully ringing but not overbearing string licks; while Giulio Xavier Cetto’s double bass slaps and Michael Mitchell’s drum pops maintain the creations’ smooth flow.

Despite the declared focus, tellingly the most emotional and righteously upsetting sounds are ones that turn away from the city travelog. “No Justice, No Peace”, for instance, is dedicated to individuals whose deaths sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. A rolling landscape of percussion shuffles and keyboard shatters and shrills, it includes Lugerner embellishing his reed tones with altissimo screams to express anger and pain. Serious drum thumps and keyboard clanks inject excitable undulations to “Myra” named for pianist Melford, another standout. Its spiraling textures mark a defining testament to her playing.

Other tunes, interrupted at points with such distinctive motifs as ringing guitar flanges, heavy drum smacks and pressurized saxophonist intensity are all played with faultless professionalism allowing neighborhood sound pictures to be sonically sketched. Still one would wish that the heated passion and unrepressed grit expressed during some sequences had been emphasized more. Overall, Lugerner’s program is pleasant, effervescent and certainly not SLUGish. But less dispassionate performance near-perfection and adding more risk taking textures would have been welcome.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Del Sur 2. Portola 3. Moraga 4. No Justice, No Peace 5. La Bica 6. Juanita 7. Myra

Personnel: Steven Lugerner (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, alto flute); Javier Santiago (piano, fender Rhodes); Steve Blum (synthesizer); Justin Rock (guitar); Giulio Xavier Cetto (bass) and Michael Mitchell (drums)