Birdwatching, by Tim Lin

Birdwatching

by Tim Lin

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1.	Mohawk 05:36	buy track
2.	Donna Lee 04:40	buy track
3.	Scrapple From the Apple 06:48	buy track
4.	Dewey Square 04:30	buy track
5.	Embraceable You 07:14	buy track
6.	Confirmation 04:34	buy track
7.	Yardbird Suite 05:28	buy track
8.	Ornithology 04:40	buy track
9.	Anthropology 05:14	buy track

about

Songbirds learn how to sing by mimicking their elders, passing songs down from generation to generation. Alexay Kozhevnikov, professor at Penn State, explains: "If a bird doesn't hear the tutor, it will sing, but ... it will be nothing like the song of an adult bird. It will ... lack the wealth of acoustic structure."

Charlie Parker, the greatest Bird in jazz, showed musicians the blueprint to play his style of music: bebop. He learned songs from his elders (Bach, Lester Young, Stravinsky), but he also added his own twist. Bird's defining characteristic was that he could play with complete freedom rhythmically and harmonically, but he was never out of control.

Birdwatching is a product of Tim's long study of Parker. You're about to hear some of the greatest sounds in jazz: David's classic legato touch and in-the-pocket rhythms, Peter's signature boomy sound, Kenny's articulate cymbal and snare work, Ralph's brilliant and versatile tone, and Tim's colorful and complex sound. This album is an ode to Charlie Parker and his songs: wealthy in acoustic structure and full of Tim's own delightful twists.

Bang! "Mohawk" begins with a strong power walk with the Washingtons, followed by a chorus peppered by David's earthy voicings. Tim's solo is strong with loads of rhythmic variety. Reminiscent of the great tenor battles between Coltrane and Rollins, Tim and Ralph trade ideas in their solos.

You can hear the uniqueness of Tim and Ralph's voices as they play unison in "Donna Lee". Ralph knocks the opening break out of the park, and Tim's solo later on is elastic and buoyant.

"Scrapple from the Apple" starts with a fun mambo intro, a nod to Charlie Parker's Afro-Cuban work with Machito. The track ends with a vamp fadeout battle between the saxes, evoking the vibe of muscular tenor players like Michael Brecker and Steve Grossman.

"Dewey Square" is an intimate duet between Peter and Tim. Peter's bass playing is effortlessly melodic, even when playing backup.

"Embraceable You" is the only ballad on the album, featuring Tim's shimmering sound and David's spidery 16th note runs.

In "Confirmation", Tim pays respect to the past by incorporating both the classic Dexter Gordon intro and the Elmo Hope "Weeja" shout chorus.

David's arrangement of "Yardbird Suite" pushes the song forward with chromatic voice leading (Phineas Newborn) and stop-time hits on upbeats (Cedar Walton). Ralph's solo break is awesome like always.

"Ornithology" starts with a Bud Powell-esque piano intro and features Tim's beautiful phrasing, clean articulation, and rhythmic variation.

"Anthropology" is my arrangement. The intro uses major second harmony (Monk) and rhythmic pedal kicks (Horace Silver). The shout chorus alternates between the horn playing upper structure triads and Kenny's deft snarework. We end in outer space with Tim and Ralph playing a beautiful high note harmony.

I've been friends with Tim since he started playing jazz, and we've spent many late nights talking about music and musicians. Tim knows everything about the saxophone: he's tried every mouthpiece and every saxophone, and he's one of the few trusted people in the world that can fix saxophones inside and out. It's inspiring to see his passion for helping to grow the jazz community, including his work on fixing horns, teaching saxophone, and making this incredible album.

Charles Chen, March 2024

credits

released April 17, 2024

Tim Lin - Tenor Saxophone
David Hazeltine - Piano
Kenny Washington - Drums
Peter Washington - Bass
Recorded by Edwin Huet on Dec 22, 2023
Mixed by Talley Sherwood and Harriet Tam
Mastered by Greg Calbi
Produced by Charles Chen

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about

Tim Lin New York, New York

Currently residing in New York City, Tim is an active jazz artist & freelance musician, educator, author, and composer. His debut album "Romance in Formosa" produced by Bob Sheppard will be released late April / Early May 2022 featuring Andy LaVerne on piano, Billy Drummond on drums, and Jay Anderson on bass ... more

timlinmusic.com

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