Free Jazz Music

Joe Morris is always on, I can't wait to someday see him live.

I've never understood Steve Lacy's infatuation with Irène Abei's vocals. Until now. Of all things, I think he's after soul music. Admittedly, of a very strange kind. But nevertheless, soul music. A Soul Music that will resonate with all those who find themselves cut adrift from Tradition. Soul Music for the children of Rousseau.

The clincher is the title cut, "Anthem," a piece commissioned by the French Government's Ministry of Culture in honor of the 200th Anniversary of the French Revolution. This remarkable music, sounding almost exactly like the French National Anthem meets Charles Ives, the words a poem ("Twilight of Liberty") by Osip Mandelstam penned in 1918 immediately following the Russian Revolution, might be dubbed "Modernist Ironic Soul Music." It's Modernist because its methodology is juxtaposition. Ironic, because its attitude toward its materials is hardly straightforward. Instead, employing a very nuanced commentary on the Russian Revolution right around the time the Berlin Wall is coming down as a celebration of the French Revolution makes for multiple layers of irony. Soul Music, because it's so danged Franco-Americanly earnest. And it strikes me that Irène Abei is the perfect singer to perform this song that is more than a mere song: an Anthem, a tribute, a celebration--if a very nuanced and conflicted one.

But isn't that exactly where one finds oneself if one is a Modernist, as Steve Lacy most certainly and ardently is? One can scarcely celebrate the French Revolution straightforwardly, what with its end in chaos and random bloodshed, without nuance and confliction, let alone rejoice in its awkward, painful, and extremely bloody offspring, the Russian Revolution and the subsequent three-quarters of a century of Soviet terror. Yet, if one is a thoroughgoing Modernist, what else is there to celebrate? Certainly, there's no going back, either to the ancien régime, or to the Czarist Monarchy, or, most certainly not, to the Catholic Church. All the old certainties are dead, the old ways of living and being dissolved by the depredations of not only the French and Russian Revolutions, but also the Scientific, Industrial, Philosophic, Sexual, and Cultural Revolutions.

God is dead. The new gods are Darwin, Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, Foucault, and Derrida. We confront the void, admit that the hope of supernatural help is a chimera.

But wait. Some HAVE found their way back: Chesterton, Lonergan, Solzhenitsyn, Marion, Girard, Pärt, Tavener, Gorecki, and N. T. Wright. But not everyone can.

So let us delight in Steve Lacy's strange Soul Music. Let us praise him for the courage of his convictions. Let us realize that, if he can't find his way back, at least he can celebrate something like the French Revolution with a gimlet eye, unclouded by rank Romanticism, guided by probity.

So five stars for what this is: strange Soul Music at the twilight of the old century and dawn of the new. I acknowledge greatness, even when I can't wholeheartedly track with it aesthetically, morally, or intellectually. And Steve Lacy is a great artist. And this is a great record.

I've never understood Steve Lacy's infatuation with Irène Abei's vocals. Until now. Of all things, I think he's after soul music. Admittedly, of a very strange kind. But nevertheless, soul music. A Soul Music that will resonate with all those who find themselves cut adrift from Tradition. Soul Music for the children of Rousseau.

The clincher is the title cut, "Anthem," a piece commissioned by the French Government's Ministry of Culture in honor of the 200th Anniversary of the French Revolution. This remarkable music, sounding almost exactly like the French National Anthem meets Charles Ives, the words a poem ("Twilight of Liberty") by Osip Mandelstam penned in 1918 immediately following the Russian Revolution, might be dubbed "Modernist Ironic Soul Music." It's Modernist because its methodology is juxtaposition. Ironic, because its attitude toward its materials is hardly straightforward. Instead, employing a very nuanced commentary on the Russian Revolution right around the time the Berlin Wall is coming down as a celebration of the French Revolution makes for multiple layers of irony. Soul Music, because it's so danged Franco-Americanly earnest. And it strikes me that Irène Abei is the perfect singer to perform this song that is more than a mere song: an Anthem, a tribute, a celebration--if a very nuanced and conflicted one.

But isn't that exactly where one finds oneself if one is a Modernist, as Steve Lacy most certainly and ardently is? One can scarcely celebrate the French Revolution straightforwardly, what with its end in chaos and random bloodshed, without nuance and confliction, let alone rejoice in its awkward, painful, and extremely bloody offspring, the Russian Revolution and the subsequent three-quarters of a century of Soviet terror. Yet, if one is a thoroughgoing Modernist, what else is there to celebrate? Certainly, there's no going back, either to the ancien régime, or to the Czarist Monarchy, or, most certainly not, to the Catholic Church. All the old certainties are dead, the old ways of living and being dissolved by the depredations of not only the French and Russian Revolutions, but also the Scientific, Industrial, Philosophic, Sexual, and Cultural Revolutions.

God is dead. The new gods are Darwin, Marx, Freud, Nietzsche, Foucault, and Derrida. We confront the void, admit that the hope of supernatural help is a chimera.

But wait. Some HAVE found their way back: Chesterton, Lonergan, Solzhenitsyn, Marion, Girard, Pärt, Tavener, Gorecki, and N. T. Wright. But not everyone can.

So let us delight in Steve Lacy's strange Soul Music. Let us praise him for the courage of his convictions. Let us realize that, if he can't find his way back, at least he can celebrate something like the French Revolution with a gimlet eye, unclouded by rank Romanticism, guided by probity.

So five stars for what this is: strange Soul Music at the twilight of the old century and dawn of the new. I acknowledge greatness, even when I can't wholeheartedly track with it aesthetically, morally, or intellectually. And Steve Lacy is a great artist. And this is a great record.

Prior to purchasing this cd, the only Eddie Henderson album I was familiar with was Sunburst. That cd is decent but these Capricorn albums are superb! I find myself listening to these two great albums more and more. If you are a fan of Bitches Brew or Mwandishi, it's a no-brainer. Grab this one before it disappears.If these albums ever see the light of day again they'll probably be sold separately on some import label for more money.

Realization is one of the most important works from the fusion era, grand in scope and vision, and flawlessly executed. More melodic and ethereal than Miles Davis at his best, Eddie Henderson's Realization has a spiritual center that the Prince of Darkness never achieved (though he came close in Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way). The backup band, essentially the Herbie Hancock band at the time, goes off the charts, and Henderson is ahead of them all the way. Arguably the most beautiful jazz album recorded. Also worth buying is Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings. Same band. Same sound. Same quality.

Yea, baby this is the real stuff. Bless you Soul Brother
Records for re-issuing these long lost masterpieces on cd.
Dr. Eddie Henderson (he's a psychiatrist) is a BAAAAAAD
horn player. [...]. Most of
the Mwandishi band is here (minus Julian Priester on trom-
bone) along with Pat Gleeson twirling his electronic
knobs. It all meshes so well. So timeless and so forever,
it could have been recorded yesterday. Brilliant music
for open minds and ears. Pure perfection. You go Doc.

Because the two albums that are reissued here -- combined in their entirety onto one CD -- have been out-of-print for so long, REALIZATION and INSIDE OUT are relative unknowns in comparison to the most acclaimed fusion-jazz era CDs by the likes Of Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, and others. Yet after several listens to this collection I'm seriously pondering if trumpeter Eddie Henderson may have done the best job of them all in highlighting the strengths and creativity of the fusion era while avoiding its weaknesses and excesses. At the very least the albums collected here should be counted alongside the best 1970s efforts by those other artists I mentioned. It's great to have this music finally available in CD format.

Much of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band -- including HH himself on keyboards -- are in on these sessions. Yet given that Henderson wrote most of the tunes and has his own distinct ideas on how to focus the diverse textures that comprise this electric-meets-acoustic jazz approach, it would be unfair to look at these cuts as Hancock sessions issued under Henderson's name (as sometimes might be the case due for contractual or other reasons). As for the music, you get consistently brilliant playing by Henderson, equally strong statements by reedman Bennie Maupin, Hancock, and others, timeless instrumental textures (where you might find a combination of acoustic bass, fender rhodes, and synth washes blending seamlessly together), and a bold mix of funk and straight-up jazz rhythms. Despite all that is going on, there is a uncluttered sense of wide-open space on these tracks. Also, while the musicians are in a progressive frame of mind, the results should be easy-to-grasp for anyone who doesn't have an anti-electric jazz bias.

This is a brilliant CD. You'll think you have died and gone to heaven. If you love electric era Miles or Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band you'll love this. (Actually this is the Mwandishi band!)

Prior to purchasing this cd, the only Eddie Henderson album I was familiar with was Sunburst. That cd is decent but these Capricorn albums are superb! I find myself listening to these two great albums more and more. If you are a fan of Bitches Brew or Mwandishi, it's a no-brainer. Grab this one before it disappears.If these albums ever see the light of day again they'll probably be sold separately on some import label for more money.

Realization is one of the most important works from the fusion era, grand in scope and vision, and flawlessly executed. More melodic and ethereal than Miles Davis at his best, Eddie Henderson's Realization has a spiritual center that the Prince of Darkness never achieved (though he came close in Bitches Brew and In a Silent Way). The backup band, essentially the Herbie Hancock band at the time, goes off the charts, and Henderson is ahead of them all the way. Arguably the most beautiful jazz album recorded. Also worth buying is Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings. Same band. Same sound. Same quality.

Yea, baby this is the real stuff. Bless you Soul Brother
Records for re-issuing these long lost masterpieces on cd.
Dr. Eddie Henderson (he's a psychiatrist) is a BAAAAAAD
horn player. [...]. Most of
the Mwandishi band is here (minus Julian Priester on trom-
bone) along with Pat Gleeson twirling his electronic
knobs. It all meshes so well. So timeless and so forever,
it could have been recorded yesterday. Brilliant music
for open minds and ears. Pure perfection. You go Doc.

Because the two albums that are reissued here -- combined in their entirety onto one CD -- have been out-of-print for so long, REALIZATION and INSIDE OUT are relative unknowns in comparison to the most acclaimed fusion-jazz era CDs by the likes Of Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock, and others. Yet after several listens to this collection I'm seriously pondering if trumpeter Eddie Henderson may have done the best job of them all in highlighting the strengths and creativity of the fusion era while avoiding its weaknesses and excesses. At the very least the albums collected here should be counted alongside the best 1970s efforts by those other artists I mentioned. It's great to have this music finally available in CD format.

Much of Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band -- including HH himself on keyboards -- are in on these sessions. Yet given that Henderson wrote most of the tunes and has his own distinct ideas on how to focus the diverse textures that comprise this electric-meets-acoustic jazz approach, it would be unfair to look at these cuts as Hancock sessions issued under Henderson's name (as sometimes might be the case due for contractual or other reasons). As for the music, you get consistently brilliant playing by Henderson, equally strong statements by reedman Bennie Maupin, Hancock, and others, timeless instrumental textures (where you might find a combination of acoustic bass, fender rhodes, and synth washes blending seamlessly together), and a bold mix of funk and straight-up jazz rhythms. Despite all that is going on, there is a uncluttered sense of wide-open space on these tracks. Also, while the musicians are in a progressive frame of mind, the results should be easy-to-grasp for anyone who doesn't have an anti-electric jazz bias.

This is a brilliant CD. You'll think you have died and gone to heaven. If you love electric era Miles or Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band you'll love this. (Actually this is the Mwandishi band!)

This CD is very musically artistic. There are three different compositions on this CD and each composition is a different approach to music. It is incredibly interesting. Anthony Braxton is an amazing sax player. Every jazz listener should own a great avent guarde record like this!

Watch Out! Don't be fooled by the claim of "Audiofile Remastering". This record has obviously been transferred and remastered from a vinyl record. You can hear low level lp surface noise within the first few notes and there are various peak distortions and pops on certain notes. This CD does not sound good-get it?

Now, if you love Braxton, as I do-buy it! Or, hold on to your vinyl copy.

This music, which I'm sure will appeal to some, left me disappointed. I can only speak for myself, but this collection strikes me as dissonant and disjointed. I love movie scores which generally serve to inspire and/or promote emotion. But, if that's what you are looking for, I do not believe you will find those qualities in this CD. I'm sure Mr. Zorn is a gifted composer...but his work is not a style which I would embrace.

Over the past twenty years or so, John Zorn has built up an enormous library of composition for film, released on sixteen CDs (cleverly titled "Filmworks I", "Filmworks II", and so on...) on his Tzadik record label. For a neophyte, this can be a bit much to tackle, as such, this album, "Filmworks Anthology: 20 Years of Soundtrack Music" has been released to provide an overview of Zorn's soundtrack composition.

As an overview of Zorn's work, this succeeds well. It also appears that another goal was to represent every volume, as at least one piece is drawn from each (volumes VI and VIII get two cuts, I and XII get three, and III and VII get four). Just about everything in Zorn's diverse catalog of film soundtracks is covered-- movies, documentaries, pornography, cartoons and commercials (certainly none I've seen!) are all represented with a suitably diverse array of pieces, from gamelan to string trios to surf rock, Zorn pretty much covers a wide array of sounds and moods-- if nothing else, the diversity of these 28 tracks is a testament to his vast skills to compose in virtually any environment. I could make a few arguments about what cuts I would have picked, but by-and-large, the compilation is a rather good and thorough overview, and the cast of performers is immense, with virtually all key players in the downtown scene involved to some extent or another.

Another notable point about this release is the artwork-- packed in a digipack with a pair of photos of Zorn (one from '86, one from '05) and stills from the various pieces littered throughout the liner notes, it certainly looks great. And speaking of the liner notes, Zorn offers a superb essay on film soundtrack composition and appreciations by musicians Marc Ribot, Anthony Coleman, Jamie Saft and Cyro Baptista (all of whom appear to some extent or another on the music) are included.

I've got currently about half of the filmworks series and I found value in this overview. Several of the individual pieces hold together far better than this recording does, but it certainly does a great job providing an impression of Zorn's diverse film scoring career.

Considering myself a casual fan of John Zorn I have been at times either annoyingly put off or enthusiastically engaged with the diversity of his music. Admittedly, It can be daunting for a Zorn novice to find a suitable entry point in which to begin navigating through the extremities of his musical output. This new collection, which pulls material from the sixteen releases (thus far) of his FILMWORKS series, is everything the curious could want in a well-rounded introduction.

The selections chosen for this disc make for an exhilarating listening experience from start to finish as the focus jumps from one musical genre to the next, from cartoon scores to punk rock to jazz and surf music. Most selections early on clock in at under 4 minutes, with many others zipping by under just one. All these various styles meld together so effortlessly that it's impressive it all comes from a single creative mind.

The packaging is also deserving of mention, as the CD is housed in a fold-out digipack case with two booklets attached inside. In one of these booklets Zorn describes his methods and self-imposed rules in creating music for film (as well as for dealing with snoopy film directors). The other booklet features short essays by a few of Zorn's collaborators on what the creative sessions were like. There are also many photos from the films the music accompanies. (So far the only films I've seen with Zorn's scores are "Trembling Before G-D" and "Protocols of Zion".)

Favorite tracks: "Surfing Samba", "Arsenal Dance Mix", "Shanghai", "Main Title (Invitation to a Suicide)"
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5.