It appears that Steve Tintweiss might be sitting on a treasure trove of historical free jazz recordings from the late 1960s. The bassist, who appeared on albums by ESP-Disk' artists Patty Waters, Burton Greene and Frank Wright, has started releasing some of these tapes on his Inky Dot imprint which began with a live performance of his group Purple Why, from two 1968 concerts. Now he has unearthed a 79-minute free blowing session recorded in a Lower East Side apartment. One can only imagine what the neighbors thought of this uninhibited wailing that emanated from the room.
The group assembled on that day included Tintweiss, drummer Lawrence Cook (also a Purple Why member), trumpeters Jacques Coursil (who played with Sunny Murray and Bill Dixon) and Warren Gale (fresh from an ESP session with Zitro, later to do a 360 and join Stan Kenton) and clarinetist Perry Robinson, the latter playing bass clarinet rather than his usual B-flat licorice stick.
The music is banded into 21 untitled tracks, with breaks coming somewhat arbitrarily at sonic shifts, which was done for the convenience for radio or playlist construction. During track 10, the sound cuts off, presumably at the moment when the tape on Tintweiss' Tandberg deck ran out, and a similar break comes towards the end of the program. But for the most part, the album features a continuous performance.
Fans of New York Eye & Ear Control, the film soundtrack of free blowing recorded the Albert Ayler Quartet and a few friends in 1964, might find some similarities with Ave B Free Jam. Like that session, ideas flow freely and themes are eschewed in favor of constant group improvisation. But unlike that ESP release, this album features much better sound quality. Granted Tintweiss gets a little buried in the left channel and Robinson's bass clarinet is no match for the trumpets. But things sound extremely crisp for a home recording.
While NYE&EC feels pretty chaotic, the five musicians on this disc still play together rather than simply playing at the same time, even at its wildest. They don't really give each other breakout points, although the sixth track does feature one of the trumpeters alone, laying down some fast, inventive lines. Both Coursil and Gale stick to a melodic context rather than fast peels of notes that go for quick energy. A few moments occur when the group feels a little more subdued or - after the break in the recording - they explore something akin to counterpoint. Robinson sounds as if he's still getting acquainted with the new instrument, wailing and growling behind the brass.
The session could be faulted for a lack of tension and release. (Right before that tape cut-off, drummer Cook is working towards a climax with some machine gun snare fills). At the same time, this music wasn't being recorded for release. It simply captures a group of friends interacting and discovering the possibilities of where this kind of music could go. That is the best way to appreciate it all these years later.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment