Scott Hesse Trio - Intention (Live) (2023) Hi-Res

"Hesse is terrific: great ears and crazy chops. Comping, he's inventive, offering suggestive and unexpected colors, sometimes spidery, fingered chords; when he cuts loose, his lines can be thrilling." - John Corbett, Downbeat Magazine

Intention showcases guitarist and composer Scott Hesse’s working trio with bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall blazing through his originals and pieces by John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, and Ornette Coleman. Captured live in concert by audiophile engineer Ken Christianson, Intention is the Chicago-based guitarist’s first outing as a leader since 2015.

Born in Carroll, Iowa, and raised in Sioux City, Hesse began playing guitar at fourteen. He was soon out on the road with his singer-songwriter father Alan Hesse with an 11-piece territory dance band, playing everything from polkas to the Andrews Sisters. Of his early influences, Hesse notes that “two guitarists were important: Jim Hall for harmony and Grant Green for feel. But I’m more influenced by Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Joe Henderson.” Studies under mentors Henry Butler and Rodney Jones were followed by a ten-year stint in the crucible of New York City. Moving to Chicago in 2004, Hesse quickly became a fixture on the South Side with Fred Anderson, Greg Ward and Vincent Davis at Anderson’s Velvet Lounge and elsewhere.

Hesse is an avid and gifted photographer as well as musician. The trio with Hall and Sommers first connected at the Fulton Street Collective art gallery, joined by saxophonist Geof Bradfield to perform Hesse’s music alongside an exhibit of his photographs. “We had an immediate hookup; it was apparent that we were on the same wavelength right away,” says Hesse. “We all spent time in New York, and we approach the music like our lives depend on it.” The three continued to cultivate their personal and musical chemistry on a steady trio gig at Parker’s in Downers Grove for the next couple of years. “We’ve become good friends off the bandstand as well,” comments Hesse. “Spending time on the road together, especially a two-week residency in Portugal with Geof’s quintet, really helped to bring everything together.”

The fruits of their mutual investment on and off the bandstand are evident from the first notes of “Wise One.” Supported ably by Sommers’ arco bass and Hall’s mallets and shimmering cymbals, Hesse harmonizes the rubato melody, and the trio breathes as one in their patient exposition of Coltrane’s theme before easing into the laid-back intensity of the groove. Hesse’s single-note lines and rhythmic flexibility reflect the influence not only of John Coltrane, but also of Joe Henderson. “Joe’s rhythmic sense was incredible. He could be ahead of the time, behind the time, or playing free time, and still be in control, come out exactly in the right place… it’s like watching a gymnast stick the landing.”

Hesse originally wrote “Intention” for a gig with alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella at Elastic Arts, a vital venue for experimental music on the North Side Chicago scene. “Playing in avant-garde settings in Chicago helped me to access the music in a way that is very intuitive, very free,” says Hesse. The free-bop tune shows off the trio’s dynamic rhythmic interaction as well as Hesse’s incredible intervallic facility and motivic development. “I want to make sure each phrase connects to the last,” states Hesse. “This is the Jim Hall and Sonny Rollins influence.”

Hesse’s other two originals offer different facets of his aesthetic. “From the Inside,” a harmonically sophisticated waltz written for the Fulton Street exhibit, mirrors Hesse’s intention that his photographs "show the neighborhoods, an insider’s view of Chicago. The tourist attractions don’t interest me in photography or music.” The guitarist, an inveterate insomniac, jokes that “ ‘The Night Owl’ is dedicated to me.” The trio delivers some serious late-night vibes at an adult swim tempo - no mean feat to sustain for nine minutes, and the audience is rapturous.

“Rejoicing” closes the night on a relaxed, swinging note. The trio adheres fairly closely to Ornette’s original arrangement but brings the tempo down to explore the tune on their own terms. “Dana and Clark’s trading here is quintessentially them, they’re so in tune with each other,” comments Hesse. Speaking again to Joe Henderson’s impact, Hesse reflects that “he has so much control and yet he can let go and sound like he’s coming completely from the intuitive side of things.” The same could be said for Scott Hesse and company on Intention.