By 1975, drummer Jack DeJohnette was merely a few years removed from his sideman stint alongside Miles Davis as well as was deeply immersed inwards his ain search as well as uncovering mission every bit a composer as well as bandleader inwards his ain right. Joining him on this Oct 10, 1975 functioning at the Great American Music Hall were kindred spirits John Abercrombie on guitar, Alex Foster on alto sax as well as Mike Richmond on bass (the same crew that had appeared on DeJohnette's Prestige album of that year, Cosmic Chicken). With a nod to both the burgeoning fusion drive as well as the hippie-jazz aesthetic that had been unleashed yesteryear saxophonist Charles Lloyd inwards 1967 alongside Love-In as well as his pop 1968 followup, Forest Flower (DeJohnette played on both of those breakthrough recordings), these forward-thinking colleagues kept things suitably energetic, spacey as well as oft wah-wah-fueled throughout their daring set.
With DeJohnette on keyboards, they opened upwards their GAMH prepare alongside a subtly playful piece, "One for Devadip as well as the Professor," which was written for guitarist Carlos Santana as well as DeJohnette's onetime mentor, saxophonist Charles Lloyd. The minimalist slice is marked yesteryear about probing Lloyd-inspired sax move from Alex Foster as well as pungent, distortion-laced guitar lines yesteryear Abercrombie, whose ain strong ECM issue that yr (Timeless alongside DeJohnette as well as keyboardist January Hammer) was a pregnant add-on to the fusion genre. Richmond, on big-toned upright bass, also feeds his signal through a wah-wah pedal for that quintessential '70s effect. Richmond as well as hence kicks off the championship rail of Cosmic Chicken alongside a wild Hendrix-inspired solo bass showcase that has him bowing his upright patch simultaneously activating his wah-wah pedal as well as flanger lawsuit for a startling array of tonal colors as well as textures. Following that extended bass intro, the band jumps inwards alongside slashing ability chords as well as slamming beats, clearly channeling the turbulent stone ability of Miles' well-nigh dynamic electrical catamenia before settling into a sort of slow-grooving, meditative ostinato that has Foster stretching heroically as well as provocatively on tenor sax. Abercrombie follows alongside a ferocious six-string onset over Richmond's bubbling wah-wah basslines that rivals John McLaughlin's raw, ripping, proto-punk stylings on Miles Davis' Jack Johnson or Tony Williams Lifetime's Emergency. Hardcore fusion aficionados volition autumn to their knees alongside their teeth chattering over the intense guitar solo. Next upwards is DeJohnette, who takes his fourth dimension developing his ain masterful solo, traversing the kit alongside quick hands, lightning instincts as well as signature aplomb to consummate the sequence of private showcases on this marathon 36-minute vehicle.
The quartet follows alongside "The Vikings Are Coming," which would afterwards appear on DeJohnette's 1976 ECM album, Untitled. This slice is noteworthy for the leader's appearance on tenor sax, shadowing Foster's ain tenor lines on the folkish subject that starts off the melody every bit Abercrombie as well as Richmond freelance behind them. Abercrombie as well as Foster afterwards engage inwards about heated exchanges close the cease of this swirling, atmospheric number. The multi-faceted, multi-directional DeJohnette opens the set-closer alongside a contemplative solo pianoforte piece, "Memories," that eventually heads into merely a deport upon of jaunty stride playing. By the fourth dimension the band enters, they are swinging inwards forthwith ahead fashion on "Eiderdown" (from Cosmic Chicken), alongside the drummer demonstrating remarkable facility as well as surging feel of swing indicating that he could cause got easily had a whole dissever career every bit a jazz pianist, if he had hence chosen. Midway through this extended jam, the leader returns to the drum prepare to beautifully underscore Foster's blistering alto sax solo as well as Abercrombie's probing guitar solo. Richmond as well as hence takes over alongside an unaccompanied bass solo that i time to a greater extent than has him exploring the purpose of effects pedals alongside his upright bass (this fourth dimension a book pedal). This extended jam closes alongside a kinetic, conversational twain betwixt guitarist Abercrombie as well as drummer DeJohnette that peaks when Abercrombie stomps on his distortion pedal as well as heads to the stratosphere alongside DeJohnette fueling his excursion…shades of John Coltrane as well as Elvin Jones inwards total stride. Abercrombie, DeJohnette as well as Foster as well as hence engage inwards a brisk exchanging of eights, inwards classic bebop tradition, before completing this real strong prepare inwards San Francisco.
In 1975, DeJohnette also formed the highly interactive Gateway trio alongside Abercrombie as well as bassist Dave Holland, as well as the iii colleagues continued to tape together off as well as over the adjacent iii decades. DeJohnette was a telephone commutation fellow member of Pat Metheny's 80/81 band (which also featured tenor saxophonists Michael Brecker as well as Dewey Redman as well as bassist Charlie Haden) as well as inwards 1985 appeared on Metheny's landmark collaboration alongside Ornette Coleman on the provocative Song X. The drummer-composer-bandleader continued to tape prolifically through the '70s as well as '80s for ECM alongside his Special Edition, Directions as well as New Directions bands. For the yesteryear 25 years he has been a fellow member of the Keith Jarrett Trio (with bassist Gary Peacock). In 2003, he recorded the Tony Williams Lifetime tribute album Suadades alongside Trio Beyond (guitarist John Scofield as well as organist Larry Goldings) as well as inwards 2005 he formed his ain Kindred Rhythm/Golden Beams label, which has hence far released such various offerings every bit the footing music recording Music from the Hearts of the Masters, the relaxation disc Music inwards the Key of Om, a provocative twain alongside Bill Frisell entitled The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers, the Grammy Award-winning New Age album Peace Time as well as the trio recording Music We Are alongside bassist John Patitucci as well as pianist Danilo Perez. DeJohnette's well-nigh recent projects include The Intercontinentals, featuring South African vocalizer Sibongile Khumalo, as well as his electrical flow working quartet featuring guitarist Dave "Fuze" Fiuczynski, bassist Jerome Harris as well as alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa.
For 1975 this album was agency ahead of its time. This is real spacey jazz alongside bully interplay, interesting compositions, as well as amazing playing. This is a bully illustration of DeJohnette's "tonal"drumming. It's non merely beats, he's playing notes. His organ playing (a pleasant surprise) on "Shades of the Phantom" conjured upwards the tunes namesake real well. I don't know what planet Alex Foster (sax) comes from, but he plays similar a human being on fire. Hearing Peter Warren's loopy stage shifted upright bass bowing on the championship rail let's you lot know you've merely entered a dissimilar place. John Abercrombie (guitar) is the best of the Berklee guitarists (sorry Pat Metheney),and improve known for his move alongside Billy Cobham, but his before move hither is stellar too. "Stratocruiser" is a fast as well as furious ride that leaves you lot gasping for air. The "Last Chance Stomp" (An abridged history of jazz inwards v movements), is a virtual fourth dimension machine. It starts off sounding similar early on 1920's jazz from a 78 record. The melody as well as the audio lineament morph from a unproblematic riff to about super fast jazz, every bit if it was existence played yesteryear successive generations of musicians.
This album begs to endure re-released on CD, but if you lot are lucky plenty to ain it on vinyl, treasure it. If you lot are looking for about mellow shine jazz, RUN for the nearest exit. You won't detect it here.
Track listing
All compositions yesteryear Jack DeJohnette except every bit indicated
"Cosmic Chicken" - 4:53
"One for Devadip as well as the Professor" - 3:35
"Memories" - 5:58
"Stratocruiser" - 7:28
"Shades of the Phantom" - 6:13
"Eiderdown" (Steve Swallow) - 5:35
"Sweet as well as Pungent" - 3:32
"Last Chance Stomp" - 7:07
Recorded at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA on Apr 24–26, 1975
Personnel
Jack DeJohnette – drums, piano, keyboards
Alex Foster – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
John Abercrombie – electrical guitar
Peter Warren – electrical bass
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