When I moved back to New Mexico from New York City, where I lived a short walk from some of the best-known jazz clubs in the world, I figured that I would have little opportunity to hear quality jazz in Albuquerque. Much to my very pleasant surprise, the Santa Fe–Albuquerque corridor was and is brimming with players who have the chops to play on any stage with anyone—and have done—and there are terrific venues to accommodate them. Exhibit one: the Cal Haines Quartet at the Outpost on December 1.

Early this fall, drummer Cal Haines was recuperating from a bout with cancer, which had kept him off the bandstand for months. Bassist David Parlato, who’d recently returned to Albuquerque after several years away, was encouraging him to get back behind his kit and jam informally with some simpáticos. They invited saxophonist/flutist Alex Murzyn to join them and found a happy correspondence in the trio. Later, on a break from his touring schedule with Tower of Power, trumpeter/flugelhornist Adolfo Acosta got together with Haines and Parlato, and that setup worked well, too. Haines thought the four of them might work well as a quartet. He was correct. With encouragement from his partner, Victoria Rogers, Haines organized the project, scheduling rehearsals and booking a date at the Outpost. Judging from a rehearsal a couple of days ago, the concert promises to be memorable.

First off, the résumés of the four include playing and/or recording with a musical who’s who—Miles Davis, Clark Terry, Frank Zappa, Barbara Streisand, Warne Marsh, Maynard Ferguson, and more—so you know the chops are there. Second, the four share an egoless commitment to the music and an easygoing collaboration, relaxed, comfortable, focused, and fun. (After Murzyn played flute on one of the tunes, Acosta cracked them up, saying, “You practice that thing, don’t you.”)

The four chose to play without a chordal instrument, which presents improvisational oppportunities and a challenge. “The biggest thing to note about it is it thins out the orchestration texture,” says Parlato. “So now there’s all kinds of space, so everybody’s really playing lines. Basically, it opens it up for an intersection of lines. The harmony’s there, but it’s just implied, rather than hard and fast every chorus.”

That brings a certain freedom that each member of the quartet enjoys. “Harmonically it’s great because I can play whatever I want, and harmonically it will work out. I don’t have to worry whether the piano player will catch it or not,” say Murzyn, who’s quick to make it clear that he holds nothing against pianists.

“Yeah, and Dave and I will follow you wherever you go,” says Haines.

Murzyn also appreciates being able to play in his instrument’s low register without having to blast it out to be heard above the piano, and being able to easily hear Acosta’s lower register. The piano’s 88 keys cover a wide range of frequencies, and its absence gives the horns the opportunity to roam in places they might otherwise not venture into.

Acosta notes that the main challenge is knowing where you are. “I’m used to hearing chords, so I have to really be responsible for staying with the form and not relying on the rhythm section for showing where we are,” he says. “I have to be awake at the wheel.”

With a relaxed responsibility for landmarking the form, the rhythm section enjoys the elbow room that the nonchordal approach offers. “For me, there’s more space in there,” says Haines. “You can crawl around inside the form and inside the solos. The rhythm section is a more mobile thing, rather than following the script.” The subtleties of Haines’ work can be heard more clearly in this setup, and he can color moments with more sonic freedom.

The concert is a celebration of Haines’ return from an unwanted hiatus, and the Outpost is a splendid venue for sharing the quartet’s camaraderie and musicality. They’ll be featuring jazz standards and a couple of Murzyn originals.

Welcome back, Cal. You’ve been missed. Great to see and hear you again.

P.S. David Parlato will be a guest on Patti Littlefield’s All That Jazz show this Wednesday, 11/30, 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. on KUNM (89.9 FM, kunm.org).

Cal Haines Quartet
Thursday, December 1, 7:30 p.m.
Weil Hall at the Outpost Performance Space
210 Yale SE, Albuquerque
Tickets: $20 (member/student); $25 (general)
For tickets or more information, go here.

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© 2022 Mel Minter