D.B. Shrier Quartet: “D.B. Shrier Emerges” (1967/2023) CD Review

Tenor saxophone player D.B. Shrier put out only one record in his lifetime, the 1967 album D.B. Shrier Emerges, which was released on Alfa Records. It was apparently a very small pressing, and so not a lot of folks got the chance to enjoy the music. But now Omnivore Recordings has put out a special expanded edition of the album with five bonus tracks. The story of how this special release came to be is contained within the CD liner notes, written by Alan Sukoenig, and of course the story includes coincidence and serendipity. How else would rare albums like this one, complete with bonus material, ever get into our hands? And the bonus tracks include one piece composed by D.B. Shrier. The quartet is made up of D.B. Shrier on tenor saxophone, Mike Michaels on piano, Tyrone Brown on bass, and William Roye on drums (though two of the bonus tracks feature other musicians). According to the liner notes, these tracks are the first recordings that Tyrone Brown ever did, quite a while before his work with Max Roach. The tracks were restored and mastered by Michael Graves at Osiris Studio in Los Angeles, and the re-issue was produced by Alan Sukoenig and Cheryl Pawelski.

The album opens with “Blue Lights,” a piece composed by saxophonist Gigi Gryce. This track is moving and cooking straight out of the gate. It has a delicious, loose feel to it, like it is happening at some little underground club, where folks are drinking and dancing. There is a delicious section where the bass and drums are grooving. The piano is then added, but that doesn’t mean the drums are going to relax at all. There is a raw, wonderful energy to this track. It is interesting how long D.B. Shrier is absent from the opening track. But when he does come back in, his sax has plenty to say, and the band jams. This is a live recording, and at the end you can hear the crowd applauding. It doesn’t sound like a particularly large audience. It must have been something to be a part of it. “Blue Lights” is followed by a composition by Tyrone Brown, “East,” with a change of pace from the first tune, this one slower, easing in with a hypnotic theme on saxophone, and with a rhythm that is steady and almost ominous. The piano, in contrast, has a sort of magical, light feel at first, before then settling into this strange, haunting atmosphere. And the sax is like a voice from another land, introducing us to its history, in all its wild sadness and desire. There is a need expressed in the playing. That is in turn followed by “Raveesh,” a piece written by Mike Michaels. This one also seems to be coming from some distant land, or creating its own world. There is something loose in the presentation, like a somewhat relaxed introduction to this place. And yet there is an understated power, something below the surface, moving and thriving.

Those first three tracks were recorded at Community College in Philadelphia. Then “These Foolish Things” was recorded in a studio, and has quite a different feel. The saxophone has a delicious late-night vibe, calm, soothing, perhaps a bit lonesome. There is some beautiful playing here, the instrument growing in loquacity. That lead is followed by some really nice work on piano, continuing that late-night feel. The original album concludes with a cover of “All Blues,” the Miles Davis tune, recorded at The Riddle Paddock in Lima, Pennsylvania. Some crowd noise is audible as the quartet eases in, and it is not long before the musicians are digging in. There is some absolutely wonderful and captivating work on saxophone. Why did D.B. Shrier not record another album? Crazy. At the end of that first lengthy lead, the audience applauds. This track also features some excellent work on piano, as well as a cool lead on bass toward the end.

Bonus Tracks

The bonus tracks begin with a piece written by Tyrone Brown, recorded at Community College. There is an introduction to this one: “For want of a better title, he’s called it ‘Opus #3.’” An interesting rhythm is soon developed, bringing to mind people marching in some wooded area or jungle toward danger. But then perhaps what is feared turns out to be all right, and the march feels more and more like a dance, though of course it is possible that it is just our sense of things that has changed. Whatever is happening, however, it is the saxophone that soon is in charge. The mood then gets a lot lighter with “Indiana.” This one was recorded in 1963 at Houston Hall Rehearsal Room at the University of Pennsylvania. There is certainly some joy here, and I especially love that lead on bass. Toward the end there is some exciting work on drums. This track features the trio of D.B. Shrier on tenor saxophone, Bob Pitcoff on bass, and Allan Elgart on drums.

D.B. Shrier’s rendition of Charlie Parker’s “Steeplechase” was recorded at a party at the Shrier family home in Newton, Massachusetts, and features the quartet of D.B. Shrier on tenor saxophone, Ron Brown on piano, Phil Morrison on bass, and Bill Elgart on drums. This track contains some excellent energy. That’s followed by “Helene,” the only piece on this disc composed by D.B. Shrier. As it begins, it has the feeling of already being in progress. There is a sense of excitement to it, and it gets wild at moments. And there is a bass solo toward the end. This disc then concludes with “Just You Just Me.” These days when I hear this song, I can’t help but think of that wonderful Woody Allen film Everyone Says I Love You. This version quickly takes off into some fun territory.

CD Track List

1. Blue Lights
2. East
3. Raveesh
4. These Foolish Things
5. All Blues
6. Opus #3
7. Indiana
8. Steeplechase
9. Helene
10. Just You Just Me

This special expanded edition of D.B. Shrier Emerges was released on February 24, 2023 through Omnivore Recordings.