My first introduction to Mat Marucci (1945, Rome, NY) was on a series of recordings (mostly on the Marco Records label) in various groupings from big band to quartets, recorded in the late ‘70s to early ‘80s. Then after a spell there was a 1989 date from Timeless, a 1995 recording on the short-lived Jazz Inspiration label, and then silence for about a decade until Cadence Jazz Records issued a 2003 recording. Those dates, along with a small group of sideman recordings with people such as Jimmy Smith and John Tchicai, to my knowledge are the extent of Mat’s discography. There have also been numerous West Coast gigs with a host of leaders including Les McCann, Kenny Burrell, Pharoah Sanders, Buddy DeFranco, and others. Drum students most likely are familiar with Mat through the couple of drum books he has authored. Mat and Doug Webb (1960, Chicago, IL) have been working together for years. Although Doug has recorded frequently with big bands (Gordon Brisker, Charles Rutherford, Carl Saunders), diverse groups (Horace Silver to Freddie Hubbard to Carly Simon), and a number of commercial acts—it was a series of small group club demo recordings with Mat that really caught my ear and brought Doug and his direct, fluid, very likable improvs (absolutely fluent in the Bop vernacular) to my attention. That quality, coupled with the exploration of some of Mat’s original compositions, convinced me that this was a project worth giving exposure. Prior to this recording the trio played a gig in Syracuse, NY, drove up to CIMP the next morning, and arrived early to ensure time enough to achieve quality work before Doug and Mat had to fly back to California the following day. Not flying in from California was the bassist, Ken Filiano (1952, Patchogue, NY), who had worked with Mat through much of the 1980s and had also worked with Doug Webb beginning in the late ‘70s. Ken has appeared on quite a few CIMP sessions and I regard him as one of the finest bassists and creative improvised music minds on the scene. Ken seemed a natural fit. A rushed familiarization, albeit very pleasant and congenial, filled the first couple hours. We moved through introductions, set-up, a bite to eat, and sound checks so that it was 1:30 p.m. before recording actually began. I think we were all racing and it took a few moments to coordinate the minds and heartbeats and go from three individuals playing correctly to an inspired group involvement and a shared interconnected pacing dynamic. It occurred to me that the very clear structural form of Mat’s compositions (as contrasted to less formal, more instant composition) tends to inhibit the necessity of a dynamic involvement that’s past the formal music as the form enables players to count on themes and melodies to bring the listener initially to the music. The aim for me on this (and any) recording of creative improvised music is to get past the right notes, the perfection of the form, and bring the human inventiveness, joy, grief, and passion into the music from the artists and then into their individual playing to become one whole, greater than their sum. As this began to happen, my observations were that it occurred most often when Mat was pushing the underpinning up into the other players/soloists. As the afternoon moved into early evening and a testy repartee emerged occasionally, the music grew better and better (dig the Westminster chimes quote from Doug in The Rumble) and the dynamic became more than just notes. Even so, the notes are particularly important to this date for it was Mat’s compositions that were in large part the impetus. As a composer Mat brought to the session a certain insistence for the form, which in itself was another dynamic to be dealt with, in concert with all the other elements. This recording basically fell into three sections. The first featured soprano, the second tenor, and the third stritch, with each composition keyed to one of the reeds. My objective was to showcase Mat’s compositions and record some compelling music. We had done that (actually more than needed) and still there were some of Mat’s compositions not “visited.” More importantly, we had three musicians that still wanted to play, even when told there was enough material. We broke for supper after almost seven hours of recording. Had it ended at that point a fine recording would have been produced, but, instead, the trio regrouped after supper and tried some additional takes and other tunes. The music continued to flow, including one extemporaneous venture (Spirit Room) and well over 20 complete and incomplete takes of Upstate Connection. In spite of the anomaly of Upstate Connection, the group was now working in a nearly unflawed groove for take after take (eventually extending to a second CD’s worth) and after nearly 12 hours of work brought everything to a close with Body & Soul, a piece Mat and Doug have been opening their gigs with for the past eight years. The muse is an unpredictable thing but given time, talent, and skill, art will triumph. For which we are all the benefactors. Robert D. Rusch - January 10, 2006 After Note: The music on these two releases is issued in the same order as it was recorded. This is my preferred choice if it programs well—which often it does not—as this reproduces even closer the actual concert experience. A minority of recorded sessions accomodate themselves to this kind of programming. The fact that a recording session offers up enough material for two releases and that they program well in chronological order is quite remarkable and, in this case, may be due in large part to the years of experience Mat and Doug have had playing sets in clubs. Listeners who have both issues (CIMPs 346 and 356) will notice two different takes of “Waltz for Therese” and “Riff for Rusch.” They are included not just for their excellence but, just as important, for their difference in presentation. RDR - February 2006