Sound Museum: Three Women (Harmolodic/Verve)
Sound Museum: Hidden Man (Harmolodic/Verve)
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legend, who has forged an indelible swath across the jazz landscape ever since
he brought his West Coast quartet to New York in 1959 and introduced the
stunned cognoscenti to the revolutionary music known then as Free Jazz, has
audaciously recorded different takes of the same tunes for these separate
releases. The concept is intriguing, to be sure, providing an all-too-rare
glimpse into the improvisational creation process. Admittedly, however,
Coleman’s music is not for everyone. His Free Jazz has long since evolved into
the more challenging music known as Harmolodics. Rather than try to describe
it, Coleman would prefer that you just listen to it.
This time out that often daunting task is a lot more listener-friendly. We are
still hearing basically the same music that Coleman plays with electric abandon
in his Prime Time band, but the piano-bass-drum accompaniment makes for a sound
that is acoustically warmer and far less busy and cluttered. Whereas Coleman’s
frenetic groups are usually bereft of piano, Geri Allen’s superb playing
throughout offers many of the sets’ highlights and provides a basic grounding
both for the listener and for Coleman’s swirling, penetrating alto. His
saxophone sound has always been steeped in the Texas blues/R&B tradition
and no matter how “outside” the music may get, his playing always reveals these
roots. This is most evident on the soulful and surprisingly swinging rendition
of “What A Friend We Have In Jesus (Variation).” For all the frenetic stridency
on “City Living” and “Macho Woman,” there are some downright tuneful and
playful moments on tracks like “European Echoes” and “Mob Job.” There is even
some Latin flavoring on “P.P. (Picolo Pesos).” Welcomed coloration is added to
the montage when Coleman dabbles on trumpet and violin. The tight yet flexible
underpinnings are ably provided by son Denardo Coleman on drums and fellow Fort
Worthian Charnett Moffett on bass.
As for the two releases, unless you’re a stone Coleman disciple who needs
both, either disc will meet with your satisfaction. Overall, the tracks on
Three Women stretch a bit longer, but my preference lies with Hidden
Man because of a superior take of the title track, “Sound Museum,” and for
the inclusion of the aforementioned “What A Friend……” which is my favorite
performance of the entire collection. Either set, however, will have you
dancing in your head.
(Both) (4.0 stars) — Jay Trachtenberg
This article appears in November 22 • 1996 and November 22 • 1996 (Cover).