Impressions

Here's our rendition of John Coltrane's modal classic Impressions. 

Orlando Figueroa Guitar 
Jason Thomas Alto Saxophone 

https://soundcloud.com/orlando-figueroa-17/impressions-trane 

Coltrane on Alto Saxophone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mMS2jZTO0k
Here we hear Trane in the post-bop style strutting his stuff. I gotta say that he sounds the same on alto as he does on tenor, albeit just a different tonal range because of the high sound of the alto. He's playing very melodically so this has to be the late 50's, early 60's, a great time period for Trane and for Jazz. It sounds from the playing here that Trane is playing his own kind of stylized licks and patterns, stuff that he would go on to play even later in his career. I can recognize it because once you've heard Trane long enough you recognize alot of his harmonic material. He's one of the best and I would say that his alto playing here is even as good as Charlie Parker's. Enjoy the short audio. I don't think anyone else has audio of Trane playing alto saxophone. I was surprised I found this. But it sure sounds exactly like him. The rhythm, breathing, and spacing is especially Trane-esque. Talk about great stuff!

John Coltrane First Meditations

     John Coltrane's album First Meditations (for Quartet) is a studio album recorded in 1965 but not released until 1977. It's a Quartet version of a suite John Coltrane would record 2 months later with Rashied Ali (drums) and Pharoah Sanders (tenor sax). This is the last recording made by the classic Quartet of McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass), Elvin Jones (drums) and Coltrane ( tenor sax). I can't believe this was their last recording! I would've thought they made more but I guess this is last recording in terms of in the studio, not counting the countless live albums you can get of the classic Coltrane Quartet in 1965. The album was released on Impulse!, a great jazz label back in the day that had countless Coltrane recordings to their name.
     First, the album begins with a beautiful tune entitled 'Love'. I've heard a lot of Pharaoh Sanders stuff and it sounds like Sanders, but we all know he got it from Coltrane. But what I mean is that its a beautiful opening over lush piano chords, and the saxophone sometimes engages in over-blowing on the high notes, getting dramatic effect. Basically its a powerful emotional tune with a great saxophone introduction, leading into some great piano arpeggios by McCoy. Then the sax comes back in. I would say that on this Coltrane has a lighter, wispier tone. There's no real tune here but it does sound like a ballad. The music just flows effortlessly, like they just recorded it in one or two takes live in the studio without sheet music. The drums sound like timpani here. Instead of using drumsticks, Elvin Jones used mallets and it sounds great here, adding flair and effect to the atmosphere of the piece. This isn't really a song per se, than it is an attitude, an atmosphere.
     Next, is a tune called 'Compassion', another name with emotional ties. This one starts off with more of bluesy bebop feel, having more of a form than the first tune, but still sounding totally free at the same time. Coltrane makes use of over-blowing on the high notes, making the saxophone squeek and squck like nobody else, although there were other saxophonists doing this technique back then, most notably Sun Ra's sax player John Gilmore. But Gilmore used it more for effect. Coltrane uses the technique in the most musical way possible. The notes sound right even though over-blowing isn't proper saxophone technique. If I was a sax player I would definitely learn to do it. Anyways, in this piece Coltrane really extends himself playing a long solo, while the piano is comping in that standard McCoy Tyner comping way. By that I mean he's playing a steady rhythmic pulse with a strong hand, and soloing with the other hand. Once you hear McCoy Tyner you never forget his style and rhythmic touch. Again, like the first piece, this is more of an atmosphere than a song with structure. This is the beginnings of John Coltrane's free-jazz period and you can tell right away just by listening to this. It's interesting to see how Coltrane sounded before that period and how he developed into playing in such a free manner. You can't teach that at school. I don't even think they can teach you how to play bebop or straight-ahead at colleges. They can try but at best you'll only sound like a Charlie Parker clone. Basically these tunes so far have a darker mellow mood and the musicians play off each other, developing ideas.
     Then, we have the song 'Joy'. This is more upbeat than the others so far and the drumming especially stands out. It's the great drumming of Elvin Jones. There's a lot of syncopation and emphasis on beats 2 and 4 (a staple of jazz), its so complex but sounds great with the whole Quartet. There's a lot of snare and cymbal hits as well. I would say this tune is modal, which I believe the other tunes are as well. Basically they're staying on certain chord changes and improvising on those alone, not changing it up. Coltrane's second sax solo here sounds amazing. He hits a lot of high over-blown notes, and mixes it up with his classic 'sheets of sound', a flurry of notes played in succession that sound very melodic and are phrased in that Coltrane-esque way. He has a certain way of phrasing where he stops and starts again playing groups of notes. It's very bop and straight-ahead, but it's also very free-jazz at the same time if you know what I mean.
      Next, is a tune entitled 'Consequences'. It starts out with some very free drumming before the sax comes in playing these short stabs of music, sounding like complete free-jazz that we would hear more of from Coltrane. The piano playing here is especially free. McCoy sounds like himself but he's playing in a more free way. There's so much going on sonically in this piece even I myself get dumbfounded that this was only 1965 and they were playing like that! They were absolutely killing it here, playing as a unit musically without getting in each others way. The piano solo here is absolutely slaying. After the piano solo, the sax comes back in playing those stabs of sound. I say stabs because that's what hes doing, playing a melody quickly and short. It's really a marvel to hear because with this tune you can really see and hear how he would later play music, in the final year of his life.
     Then, the last tune is 'Serenity'. This one starts off as kind of melancholy and haunting, but also beautiful at the same time. It almost sounds like a classical piece of music, especially because Jimmy Garrison is using a bow on his bass, adding this great orchestral ambiance to the piece. McCoy's piano playing here is very classical sounding too. It's like classical meets jazz, but it sounds like free-jazz. It's super cool. Coltrane's sax playing on this piece is the most far out on the whole album. There's melodic lines and moments but there are also chaotic and intense moments as well. This was probably my favorite piece on the whole album.
     Lastly, because this is a remastered CD and not a vinyl record there is an extra bonus track. The bonus track is another version of 'Joy'. The thing that really stands out about this alternate version is that there is a bass solo in the beginning of the track. Jimmy Garrison sounds bass-y and melodic but his bass has that woodiness sound to it, like it was recorded un-amplified and just maybe amplified by a mike or something. It's a great sound. He does some interesting things in his solo, like hitting harmonics and making the strings sound detuned, adding great effect. I would say Jimmy Garrison is a very characteristic bass player. All of these guys are. They sound like themselves, which is probably the hardest thing to do as a musician, especially as a jazz musician. I have to say that this is one of the best jazz albums I've heard in a while. It's my style of jazz. It's straight-ahead of the 1960's but it sounds modern to my young ears. I could hear people playing like this today in New York or Chicago. I hear Pharaoh Sanders playing like this today, although he's getting up there in age. This is an album that straight-ahead, blues, and bebop guys can like as well as fans of improvised music, avant-garde, and free-jazz. This is basically the beginnings of free-jazz and boy does it sound beautiful. You really can't beat this band. Everything they did together was great. For me, this band rivals Miles Davis's classic Quintet. Check this one out.

Coltrane's Sound

     

     "Coltrane's Sound is an album credited to jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1964 on Atlantic Records, catalogue SD 1419. It was recorded at Atlantic Studios during the sessions for My Favorite Things, assembled after Coltrane had stopped recording for the label and was under contract to Impulse Records. Like Prestige and Blue Note Records before them, as Coltrane's fame grew during the 1960s Atlantic used unissued recordings and released them without either Coltrane's input or approval" (Wikipedia)
     The album was released in 1964, but it was recorded in 1960, during the My Favorite Things record era. One thing I can say about this album is that I initially first heard it online because I heard a 30 minute version of the song 'Liberia' on YouTube, then I noticed that there's an actual studio version of the song on this album with this kind of abstract painting of Coltrane, and I saw that it was called Coltrane's Sound. Sure enough, every track on the album was on YouTube, but today I actually saw it at this store called CD Trader nearby my house, and I decided to buy it. So be like me folks! Once you hear something great on the internet, make sure you go out and buy the record. Support your artists. Support your local music stores. Support Jazz. Anyways, let's talk about the actual music.
     The album starts with 'The Night Has a Thousand Eyes', a descriptive and kind of creepy (to me) title for a song. It has a strong opening theme that Trane keeps coming back to. It seems to be based off repetitive chord sequences, and then going back in and out to the main theme. Its very blues based and Trane's tone is very warm if you get what I mean. The piano is a little drowned out in the mix but you can hear the comping pretty well in the choruses than Trane takes with his saxophone solos. After the sax solos, there is a piano solo but I wish it was louder in the mix like Trane's sax. For some reason on these old recordings from the 50's and early 60's its sometimes very hard to hear the piano and bass. The bass playing here is very melodic and sounds great in the mix. Although this song is an old standard, it sounds almost modern by today's standards, like it could still be played today by straight-ahead artists.
     Next, is 'Central Park West', which I guess is a tune dedicated to Central Park. This one sounds like a ballad, and is in a minor key. It has a nice melody that you can sing easily and tap your toes to. This one, like the first song sounds like something old but could be played today and made modern by straight-ahead players. Again, here the bass sounds great and is very melodic and soulful. I think on this tune Trane is playing soprano saxophone, the tone sounds like more of a higher pitched instrument, almost like a clarinet, especially on the high notes. The drums play with brushes on this track. It's a beautiful track man.
     Moving on, 'Liberia' is the whole reason why I listened to this album. It starts off with a bluesy kind of riff, not unlike something Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers would do, then it goes into this kind of ethnic (but I'm not sure what kind of ethnicity) melody that kind of sounds flamenco inspired but still has blues roots. It's such a fantastic melody and theme! Trane and the gang kill it on this track! Once Trane gets going in his solo, he plays up and down the sax, playing bebop lines along the changes, sounding much like he did on the album Giant Steps, displaying what would become his classic trademark 'sheets of sound', a flurry of saxophone lines that are fast, technical yet soulful, and harmonically complex. This is the John Coltrane that every saxophone player dreams they can sound like. After the sax solo, the piano comes in with a solo over the changes. You can really notice the bass when the sax isn't playing. The bass plays some walking bass lines over part of the theme, and then plays some droning notes during the kind of flamenco type melody line. Then Trane comes back in with the main theme and they go through these interesting changes again. This one is a special tune for sure. Such interesting rhythms and changes. One for the history books for Jazz 101.
     Then, we have a great jazz standard that pretty much everyone knows, 'Body and Soul'. I really dig Trane's take on it. He plays it a little bit faster than most jazz musicians do it. Usually, because its a ballad, people play it at a slower tempo than this kind of upbeat version. Everyone knows this melody and the changes, it's a great old jazz standard. But what really stands out here is the piano playing by McCoy Tyner. The piano is really clear, and the comping hand with the chords is very strong! They always say McCoy has a strong right hand, well hear you can hear how hard he's hitting the keys. I really like how he colours the changes in his solo with his chord-solo. This tune shows how versatile Trane was. He could do anything; ballads, standards, as well as great original tunes with the influence of bebop.
     Next, is another tune that has become famous with Coltrane's name and stature, 'Equinox'. This one has a bluesy theme that is simple and repeats, but it is soulful and hits you hard after hearing all this fast technical stuff from the beginning cuts. It's slow and brooding, just like how a blues should be. Hear you can also hear how Trane really has his own style. He's playing a blues but he has such a unique style and original licks, that it sounds like something more complicated than just a blues vamp. This is one of those songs that makes you think about how great Coltrane was during this period, this intense musical period for him, probably the point where he reached critical fame as a band leader and recording artist. The critics practically loved him, compared to his later period before his death when he started playing free-jazz, which is almost the opposite of this music, based on melodies and changes. I would say this song is legendary because everyone that knows Coltrane's music knows it, but perhaps that would be going too far. It's just another great straight-ahead song that is still played to this day.
     Lastly, the last song on the album is a tune entitled 'Satellite'. This song starts and sounds like a tune that could have been on the album Giant Steps, which I believe was recorded in 1960 as well. There's no real opening theme or head or anything, it just kind of starts, and doesn't stop. The sax just goes off, playing lots of lines that sound inspired by Charlie Parker, but with the strength and gravitas of John Coltrane. This is where modern bebop was at its peak in my humble opinion. At some point in the song, there's a break that sounds exactly like the melody from 'Giant Steps', I swear he's using the same changes and everything! But it sounds great, and it sounds refreshing that he was using the template for Giant Steps for other tunes as well. He created a series of chord changes in Giant Steps that became known as the Coltrane Matrix, which is really just a fancy term for changes that are a little bit more complicated than the standard jazz II-V's. Anyways, on my remastered CD version there's two extra tunes. One is called '26-2', and the other is another version of Body and Soul. 26-2 takes off from where Satellite left, a kind of bebop piece that lacks a melody and theme, but has lots and lots of variations of many themes. It features a nice piano solo that doesn't sound anything like McCoy, I think its this other guy credited on the album named Steve Davis. After the piano solo, there's more sax stuff but this time on a soprano. Trane loved soprano sax. And the other version of Body and Soul is more relaxed, a kind of slower tempo, and has less melody, more notes if you will. Good version but I liked the other version better. This one is more of a live in the club feel though.
     Anyways, this album is really great! I would recommend this album to anyone who wants to get more into the world of straight-ahead jazz, the old school cutting edge stuff after Miles' Kind of Blue, Dizzy and Charlie Parker, and Monk. Also, listening to this jazz will prepare you for the avant-garde. In my case it did. But I've seen on other occasions where they're people who love this era of John Coltrane but can't stand listening to his free-jazz stuff in like 1964-1965. There are some people who say that jazz ends with this kind of stuff. But for me jazz continued evolving and this was one of the most important developments, especially in John Coltrane's career. The guy was a helluva sax player. And his band (McCoy Tyners, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones) were probably the best Quartet in modern jazz.

John Coltrane, Giant Steps

     This is one of the best records I've ever heard in my life. Ain't that the truth. This was my first real jazz album that I bought when I was about 18, 19. Before that, all the jazz records I had were 70's jazz-rock fusion like Bitches Brew era Miles Davis, Weather Report, Return to Forever, and Mahavishnu Orchestra. All great stuff but not really jazz in the classical sense. So after I heard this album, I was basically opened to the great music of John Coltrane and straight-ahead jazz, and it really changed my life. I realized that music could go beyond notes and into the spiritual realm of the listener. I could compare Coltrane to say the greats of the classical world in terms of the passion of the music. I also learned a lot about phrasing from Trane, especially from hearing his classic 'sheets of sound'. This was Trane's 5th album as a leader and I think its one of his best works, displaying the great sound of the bebop era. The album makes use of many musicians: Tommy Flangan, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Art Taylor, Jimmy Cobb, Cedar Walton, Lex Humphries, and Neshui Ertegun as producer. In addition, this album has gotten rave reviews from just about

	every famous jazz publication in its time.

     What really stands out on this album is the first track 'Giant Steps', which every saxophonist will play today, probably every jazz musician ever will play this tune. It features a chromatic melody and a system of chord changes that Coltrane had worked out for many months in practice. Finally realized on record, we can see that these aren't simply regular changes. The chords are going by so fast, chords change twice, three, or four times in a single bar and it's challenge to improvise over. Coltrane seems to make easy work of making melody out of the changes, not simply playing licks. It's also important to note that Trane's saxophone tone here is the classic sound that all the saxophonists of today strive for. It is natural and smooth, but not smooth like smooth jazz, more like a round sound. I find this song to have the best saxophone tone. On the other tracks I find the saxophone to be a bit quite to stay steady in the mix with the other instruments. Probably just how they produced back then. I've played this song from the Real Book a couple times, just the head, and tried improvising over the chords on my own. It is not easy work! I have to practice more, lets just say that. I should learn Trane's solo note for note, that's for sure.
     The next tune is another famous jazz standard that everyone knows today called 'Cousin Mary'. This is more of whats called straight-ahead jazz. It's blues based and there's a walking bassline, and a bluesy head opening and closing the tune.This is like the classic straight-ahead music that we have today in New York. People like Kurt Rosenwinkel and Mike Moreno. Just straight-ahead guys really, but can play more avant-garde stuff when it is called upon them. This song really shows Trane's blues influence because he used to play blues growing up and playing in bands in the South.
     Another great tune that later became a standard is 'Mr. P.C.', which is dedicated to pianist Paul Chambers. This is another tune I've played before and its a great song to play. It starts with a simple theme and then you just go off improvising on the changes. It's another straight-ahead piece with a walking bass line and the classic cymbal and snare hits that are famous in jazz in this time. They're swinging so hard on this tune its just unbelievable how much they're killing here. At the end there's this great interplay between the sax playing lines and the drums going off on a solo, before the head comes back in, signaling the end of the tune.
     Another song that later became a standard is 'Countdown', not really a song but it opens up with a great drum solo. This shows the pure virtuosity of Trane, and playing with just the sax and drums is something he would later do in his free-jazz period. Doing this frees him from the restraints of harmony and chord changes. Musically you could say all it is is two simple II V I's in 6 keys. But the melody played at the end is so beautiful and smooth.
     Next, 'Spiral' isn't that famous of a song, but another great tune none the less. This song kind of takes off where 'Giant Steps' left off. There's all these chromatic chord changes, I'm not really sure what they are harmonically but they sound like a bunch of II V's. The piano solo here by Tommy Flanagan sounds a bit old school, like he's not really on the same page as Coltrane musically. Like Coltrane is playing in a more fresh with a ph style. And Flanagan is playing like guys back in the day, even before his day. Like I said, this is where Coltrane made use of his classic 'sheets of sound' on a studio recording. Trane was really pulling out all the stops, swinging super hard, and still playing musically and beautifully harmonically.
     'Syeeda's Flute Song' has a kind of Monkish type melody. Mainly the rhythm of the melody is what sounds like Thelionious Monk. After the Monkish head, Coltrane rips some soulful yet technical lines on the sax over the changes. The piano solo is very tasteful but I wouldn't say that he takes any chances or risks, very safe but very good if you know what I mean. This song also has a bass solo, one of the only ones on the album. It's a melodious bass solo and the bass's tone sounded great, no doubt being amp-flied by a microphone.
     Lastly, the ballad on the album is a song dedicated to Trane's first wife, entitled 'Naima'. It's another super famous tune that every jazz muso knows. It just has the most soulful melody as the opening and closing part of the song. This is the only ballad on the album. This is one of those songs that once you hear it, you'll remember it for the rest of your life. I have since heard many versions of it, one my favorites being big band arrangements of it. However, this plain original version with just a simple saxophone and piano solo is just great. Like I said, this album really changed my life and opened my ears to the music of jazz. Later on, I would listen to things like Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Archie Shepp, and Albert Ayler but it all started with this album. Before you take on the jazz avant-garde, you have to listen to John Coltrane. He's simply one of the greatest jazz musicians ever. His search for spiritual guidance has inspired many other musicians to do the same. To think that John Coltrane was playing 'Giant Steps' and would later be playing 'free-jazz' a few years later is simply astounding. Critics didn't like his change, they wanted him to stay like this. But he didn't. Instead he forged a new path with the likes of Ornette Coleman, playing different styles of jazz that would later signify the end of jazz, before jazz-rock fusion and smooth jazz took over. His influence on just about every jazz musician is huge and can't be denied. To hear this again makes me realize what makes jazz great. Long live Giant Steps. Viva John Coltrane.
    

John Coltrane Infinity

    

     I bought this album at the local record shop for $7.99 thinking it would be some great late period John Coltrane album. Little did I know, because I didn't check, the music was supervised and inspired by Alice Coltrane. This isn't bad but this is kind of not really a full Coltrane album. First of all this is a remix album, featuring overdubs with strings of Coltrane's pieces recorded in 1965 and 1966. This album was released on Impulse! Records in 1972. Her controversial "re-imagining" of her husband's late works was criticized by both fans and critics, as she took his original performances and superimposed them over lush orchestral backgrounds and re-dubbed rhythm section parts, as well as recording new solos on piano, organ, harp and timpani.(Wiki)
     The most Coltrane-like thing other than the saxophone playing is a short piece Coltrane wrote: To perceive again and this time it must be said, for all who read to know that no matter what, it is all with God. He is gracious and merciful. His way is in Love, through which we all are. Wherever and whoever you are, always strive to follow and walk in the right Path and ask for aid and assistance.....herein lies the ultimate and eternal happiness in which is ours through His grace. I could say that I disliked this album but really the only thing I don't like about it is the fact that there are goddamn strings and harps all over the place. A string section is not jazz! I don't like it. Even Charlie Parker with strings to me is really lame jazz. Also, the fact that Alice Coltrane, (John's wife who performed with him on piano during his last years) overdubbed strings and added piano solos and harps doesn't bother me. Frank Zappa would later do this, often mixing live concert performance with studio performances. In addition, Miles Davis would make a career out of just looping music and overdubbing solos and stuff, during his fusion period, which was just coming up because this album was released in 1966.
     The names of the tunes are really John Coltrane. The tunes are as listed: 'Peace on Earth', 'Living Space', 'Joy', and 'Leo'. These were all Coltrane cuts that he performed late in his career and are featured on other albums as just plain Coltrane tunes. It should also be known that this period so close to Coltrane's death was his free-jazz period, where he reached beyond the harmonic restraints of blues, bebop, and the straight-ahead music of his time. It should also be known that tracks 2 and 3 were recorded by the original Coltrane Quartet (Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Jimmy Garrison), while tracks 1 and 4 were recorded by Coltrane's later ensemble (Coltrane, Alice Coltrane, Rashied Ali, Pharoah Sanders). I would say that the classic Quartet plays the music in a more straightforward bebop straight-ahead direction, but Coltrane was still pushing the envelop with his iconic and distinctive 'sheets of sound'. In addition, the classic Quartet is more of an equal unit where everyone gets a say, especially in terms of solos. You can always tell on which song is the classic Quartet and which is the later period with Alice Coltrane simply because of the piano playing. Alice Coltrane plays with a lighter touch and plays with more simpler harmonic vocabulary than McCoy Tyner. Also, her right hand doesn't hit the keys as hard! The best thing about this album are the classic Quartet cuts in my opinion.
     What else can I say of the music? Well, because there's a string section there seems to always have and opening and closing theme, played by the string section. And then there's Coltrane's saxophone playing, which is just phenomenal. The last track, 'Leo' has Pharaoh Sanders on tenor sax and flute. This one was a Coltrane favorite that he played on a lot of other albums. It's as wild and crazy as free-jazz gets without yelling and screaming into the microphone. This tune is a great one because it sounds fresh and exciting, almost as if it could have come out today. Even Alice Coltrane's piano playing comes across great here, managing to bridge the gap between harmonic and free playing.
     Lastly, I can't help but say I was a bit disappointed in the album because I thought it was a late period Coltrane album. But I gotta say that the actual music ain't bad. I hate the strings and the harps and stuff, but Alice Coltrane did what she thought was a great homage to her late husband. Some would say this is a disgrace and that it sucks, but I think it's actually quite good. Not quite Coltrane. But not bad.

David S. Ware Quartet, Wisdom of Uncertainty

Before I write my own impressions of this album, I'll write out the liner notes as written by Matt Galloway in May of 1997. This is the Quartet's most thrilling session to date as well as its most focused. The ensemble continues to use Shipp's melodic deconstructions as a pivot point for elastic launches, anchoring its improvisations with simple, catchy themes. Wisdom of Uncertainty builds on the heated intensity of the Japan Godspelized sessions, finding the Quartet pulling back from the precipice ever so slightly and harnessing that redoubtable energy without losing a shred of passion.
     The striking opening track, 'Acclimation,' begins with Ware eestablishing the theme in a blistering tone before launching into a fenetic run through the range of his horn. Shipp immediately begins to flay the melody, peeling it away layer by layer, only to offer it back in jagged shards. Parker takes the riff even farther, shearing part the theme in an expansive, constantly evolving arco bass solo. Recent precussion addition Ibarra brings graceful texture to this heady mix. A former student of rythmic pioneer Milford Graves, Ibarra works her kit from all angles, creating a paplabnle sense of space within the composition with an array of bells, tiny cymbals and non-linear rhthmic digressions.
     Book ended by complex, stumbling refrains and condensed solos, the feverish 'Antidromic' and 'Alignment' are perhaps the compositions most determined by form. Says Ware,"I've always been very aware of form. People sometimes say that this type of music is just random notes, that anything goes. That's just not the case at all. There's so much information being passed through this music-musical, philosophical, and metaphysical- and the motifs and melodies have their own direction about them. We've been playing together for so many years that our internal musical apparatus is able to just hone right in on these natural plateaus."
      The sprawling 'Utopic' is Wisdom of Uncertainty's unquestionable centerpiece. Beginning serenely with the trio of Shipp, Parker and Ibarra. Shipp chips out the subtle, moving refrain while Parker bows out a stunning counterpoint over Ibarra's delicate shell of bells and chimes. Beyond their lengthy tenure in the Ware Quartet, Shipp and Parker remain rhythmic partners in Shipp's own trio and quartet, their own duo and in 1996, added their indelible stamp to Brazilian saxophonist Ivo Perelman's Cama de Terra disc (check their jaw-dropping duet on the title track for details). Over the years, the two have achieved an unspoken, highly developed language that here allows them to shadow each other almost unconsciously. Ware's lyrical entry begins on a grand note and soon gives way to an expansive, at times combustible solo that unlocks a range of emotions. An immense, wildly spiritual track, it's classic jazz in every sense of the term, and the David S. Ware Quartet has rarely sounded this beautiful or majestic.
     'Utopic' speaks of people who are willing to explore the outer reaches of human experience and not be so willing to readily accept what the past has been and what society dictates that the human experience should be," Ware offers. "It's a dedication to those souls who are willing to take a risk and discover something fresh and something splendid-people who are willing to search themselves."
      'Continuum' brings the album to a close and full circle., with the saxophonist stating the melody and then quickly giving it up to Shipp, Parker, and Ibarra to reconfigure, only to reclaim it with a forceful solo of his own. Like Wisdom of Uncertainty itself, it's the real deal-turbulent without being overwhelming, directed yet hardly restrained, and another high point in the constantly evolving scope of the David S. Ware Quartet. Grab hold while you can. -Matt Galloway, Toronto, May 1997 
    First, I got this album on a whim. I randomly got it because it was the first album by David S. Ware that I saw on amazon. I skimmed the tracks and read the reviews and they were all good so I decided to buy it. The David S. Ware Quartet is  David S. Ware on saxophone, Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass, and Susie Ibarra on drums. This is my first real modern free-jazz studio recording. All the other free-jazz recordings I have are live performances. I can get a real sense of what they're reaching and trying to do here. For the most part, the tunes have a line, maybe two or three, then they kind of go off into what most people would say is 'random notes and playing', but we free-jazz fans wouldn't put it that way. The first two tracks are like that, they have an opening motif and then they kind of just go off into the outer limits of free-jazz saxophone, like a modern version of the late John Coltrane. But the third song in the middle of the album, 'Utopic' begins with a profound piano statement, then a bass thing, then the drums. Then Ware comes in with his saxophone, blaring and bracing us for the rest of the tune. There's lots of chimes and bells and stuff on the percussion side of things. It's a bold statement that enters into the spiritual realm, if one would ever go there with describing music. That first half of the album is spectacular.
      The next half of the album opens with a tune called 'Alignment'. This starts with a rhythmic motif and then they stretch out on the theme, playing variations of it as the saxophone goes into the outer limits. The next tune, 'Sunbows Rainsets Blue' is a more somber and mellow tune that starts with a melody on the piano and has beautiful piano arpeggios. Then the saxophone comes in does its thang, so to speak. The melody is both beautiful and haunting at the same time in this piece, evoking many different emotions from the players. The drumming is especially interesting on this piece, all the cymbal flourishes are noticeable and add much to the piece. The last tune is called 'Continuum' and brings the album full circle. It was a chromatic kind of melody going up a scale, playing variations on that in the opening motif, before the saxophone comes in for extended improvisation. Later, the piano has its turn playing a solo. At the end of the tune, the drummer takes a solo. It's a tasteful, volley of snare and cymbal hits that sound great. Then they end it by repeating the chromatic theme of the piece.
     I gotta say that buying this album was definitely worth it, buying it on a whim was risky but I love the album. I like how the drummer is a woman, she play's so amazingly! The drums on this album is almost like a painter, not so much just a time keeper, but someone who is adding colour to the the songs. I could have bought something more recent but realistically its interesting hearing how David S. Ware sounded when he was in the beginning phase of this Quartet. This is one of the better free-jazz experiences I've had, the others being Jack Dejohnette's Made in Chicago, Ornette Coleman's Hamburg concert in 1987, and the new lineup of the Art Ensemble of Chicago sometime in the 200s. Out of all of those, I would say this album is more rewarding, although Ornette Coleman live in 1987 was amazing too because the lineup consisted of Coleman, Don Cherry, Billy Higgins, and Charlie Haden. A lot of what this Quartet did back in the 90s, (this album was made in 1997) reminds me of what The Bad Plus does today. Sure, The Bad Plus isn't as free-jazz as this Quartet was but I feel like the material and the spirit of the music is similar.
      Also, Matthew Shipp's piano playing is similar to Ethan Iverson's (pianist for the Bad Plus). This album makes me definitely want to check out more. I've heard a lot of Ware's more recent stuff but I'll have to go back and listen to his earlier work. It's too bad that Ware died in 2012 of a blood infection. He was a great musician on the free-jazz scene, working as far back as the 1960's, with Cecil Taylor. Go buy this album. It was pretty cheap. This is basically my gateway into the free-jazz studio album world. I've heard Ornette Coleman's free-jazz album and John Coltrane's free-jazz stuff, but this is the first real modern free-jazz album I've got my hands on and I'm sure glad I got it. Great stuff man! This music inspires me to practice more on the guitar.
    

John Coltrane: Offering, live at Temple University Thoughts

     This is one of those albums that is just a pleasure to hear. Every song takes the listener through great variations of themes. This is also the only time John Coltrane was heard singing during a concert as well. When he started singing during the song Leo I wasn't sure if I was listening to the right album on my Itunes, for a second I thought something was wrong. I was taken aback totally. The songs themselves are nothing like the original album versions and although you can hear some bebop licks here and there this is what is called free-jazz, a break away of the norms of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis. This is more akin to what Ornette Coleman was doing during this same time, although one could say Coltrane and Coleman were doing free-jazz in their own distinctive ways. To know that the guy blowing the saxophone here is the same guy who made Giant Steps in 1959 is mind blowing! 8 months after this concert Coltrane would be dead and jazz would go onto more free-jazz forms and then into the jazz-fusion of Miles Davis. I would say the greatest thing about this album is the atmosphere that is created by the musicians here. The solos themselves don't speak to me as standing out. Actually what I find that stands out are the rhythms themselves. The drums, in particular really stand out. But when Coltrane blows the horn its with an intensity that goes beyond just hearing it. It really hits home. This was one of the best albums I've ever heard in my life.