I never had the opportunity to document this quartet, so I am happy that I can now share these live sets from Cornelia St. Cafe. At the time of these recordings, I was leading the groups Tamarindo, Apparitions, and Paloma Recio, as well as many sideman projects, several of which featured Ralph Alessi and John Hébert . The three of us were yearning for an outlet to stretch out in a casual, relaxed setting with no predetermined solo order, solo length or complicated road maps. When I was offered a weekend at Cornelia Street, I jumped at the chance and called Billy Drummond.
I put together four books of tunes that were laying around the pad, mostly by peers such as Chris Lightcap, Angelica Sanchez, Dave Scott, Michael Attias, Eivind Opsvik, and Billy Mintz. We filled out the book with Ralph and John’s tunes, along with some Ornette, Frisell, Motian, and Sidney Bechet. At the time I called it “The Reading Band.” Drew Gress often subbed for Hébert . This group never played to an empty room. Please follow us here at Bandcamp and enjoy Cellar Notes.
1. Ralph and the Red Head (Dave Scott), Blind Pig (John Hébert), Flight (Billy Mintz) 29:31
2. Mirror Me (Angelica Sanchez), Humpty Dumpty (Ornette Coleman), Endless(Paul Motian) 21:17
3. Cajun Christmas (John Hébert) 10:59
Tony Malaby - Tenor Saxophone
Ralph Alessi - Trumpet
John Hébert - Bass
Billy Drummond - Drums
Recorded by Scott Friedlander
Mastered by Eivind Opsvik
Cover Art by Tim Berne
Recorded Live at Cornelia St. Cafe on March 13, 2009
