Off the Beaten Track

On Off the Beaten Track, Don Rader and Roger Frampton achieve the rare feat of creating music that’s both adventurous and lovely. The two closing tracks provide ample testimony. Frampton’s "Highjinks" offers a sly nod to Ornette with a dizzy line executed by sopranino and trumpet. The joint improvisation "Two of One ... " closes the date with an aching cry. Even when essaying tunes from the hard bop repertoire – notably Horace Silver’s "Quicksilver" and Jimmy Heath’s "CTA" – Rader and Frampton avoid rote recital. Instead Rader incorporates extended references to "Inch Worm" on "CTA" and "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" on "Quicksilver," which are more touchstones than quips. And "The Meaning of the Blues" gets a fulsome reading that stands up well to the Davis-Evans version. (Interestingly, Rader and Frampton also play J.J. Johnson’s "Lament" which Evans and Davis linked to "Meaning" on Miles Ahead.) Their "Upper Manhattan Medical Group" also is noteworthy.

A great deal of the credit goes to Rader’s burnished, conversational way with a melody, whether composed or created on the spot. Given his way with a line, it’s not surprising that he fills his improvisations with tender lyricism. His own "Ashyia" gives him an opportunity to demonstrate the full range of his lyric powers. Frampton is more reserved, but his playing provides a context for Rader’s trumpeting. When I woke up one morning with his playing still in my head from the night before, it was a well-considered padding, a supple stride that I heard. His solos, too, are lyrical, lush with more than a touch of sustain pedal. His sopranino and recorder add additional color. This is music of great range and enduring beauty.