Dave Liebman – Lookout Farm (ECM, 1974)

Dave Liebman (ss, ts, alto fl); John Abercrombie (g); Richie Beirach (p, el p); Frank Tusa (b); Jeff Williams (d); Armen Halburian (perc); Don Alias (cga, bgo); Badal Roy (tabla); Steve Sattan (perc); Eleana Sternberg (vo) 

Recorded on October 10-11, 1973


As for the title of the album, "Lookout Farm" is the name of painter Eugene Gregan's home in Napanoch, New York.  In the early 1970s, Gregan served as a sort of artistic mentor to David Liebman and Richie Beirach.  Several of their subsequent albums feature Gregan's paintings on the cover, including Liebman's Drum Ode (ECM, 1974) and Pendulum (Artists House, 1979), as well as Beirach's Eon (ECM, 1975) and Kahuna (with Masahiko Togashi, Trio, 1978).

Returning to the LP at hand, Liebman also took Lookout Farm as the name of his working group.  Along with the Liebman and Beirach, the quintet featured Frank Tusa, Jeff Williams, and Badal Roy.  For their debut recording, guitarist John Abercrombie and three percussionists were added.  Eleana Sternberg also contributed wordless vocals.

Despite the fact that this was Liebman's first album to receive widespread issue (an earlier LP had been released in Japan only), the music is remarkably assured.  Liebman's strengths as a composer and instrumentalist are already on full display.  The band is also a remarkable unit, and Liebman's seemingly telepathic connection with Richie Beirach is already evident.

[Like many ECM releases, no videos from this album are available on the internet.]

For many years, it seemed like Liebman and his music were unfairly overlooked.   However, the tide seems to have turned in recent years.  In 2011, Liebman was honored as a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.   Liebman's remarkable consistency and commitment to the music is evident every time he picks up his horn. 

More from David Liebman
Liebman's second LP for ECM, Drum Ode (1975), was also his last for the label.  The music is a remarkable tribute to drums and drumming.  Sadly, Liebman had a falling out with producer Manfred Eicher during the recording session.  They've never collaborated again.  Pendulum (Artists House, 1979) is another high point in Lieb's 1970s discography.  (In 2008, Mosaic reissued this music in one of their limited-edition "Select" sets.)  Shortly afterwards, Liebman formed an excellent and little-remembered quintet with an all-star line-up consisting of trumpeter Terumasa Hino, guitarist John Scofield, bassist Ron McClure, and drummer Adam Nussbaum.  Recorded in 1979, their album Doin' It Again (Timeless, 1980) is well worth investigating.

Later in the survey, I'll explore one of Liebman's sublime duo collaborations with Richie Beirach.