It’s chaotic and intense but also mixed with beautiful and serene passages. It’s interesting and thought provoking. I can actually meditate to this stuff. You get the classical quartet together with Pharoah Sanders and Rashied Ali who both would continue to work with Coltrane after this album, which is the last recording to feature McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones playing together with Coltrane and Jimmy Garrison. I love this album. I’ve come to a point now where I truly appreciate a lot of the avant-garde and post-bop. Not everything, but Coltranes stuff on Impulse! and the work of Ornette Coleman for example. A little bit of Albert Ayler and some other stuff as well. It really complements the traditional bebop, hard bop and cool jazz which I’ve been listening to for a long time almost exclusively. It’s so dramatically different and it is very welcome sounds to mix it up. To get a broader and more complete experience when it comes to the world of jazz.
I very much like how the whirlwind “The Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost” slides into the more calm “Compassion” which features a great McCoy Tyner solo. The second side starts off with “Love” which begins with a great, calm and collected bass solo by Jimmy Garrison. I think he is a wonderful bassist and I enjoy his style a lot. When Coltrane comes in it really hits the spot with some wonderful notes. And Elvin with some great sounding, organic drums. And then McCoy Tyner. They are building it up in a beautiful and relaxing way. After that it propels into the harsh but superb “Consequences” where the amazing saxophone sounds thrown at me makes my mind wander and actually find peace in all the chaos. Then comes a welcome, more relaxing piece called “Serenity” which concludes the album.
Highly recommended if you appreciated the avant-garde and are looking for something to really sink your teeth in and get a different perspective on jazz.
What’s your take on this album I wonder? Are you into the avant-garde? If you are or not, what is it that makes you appreciate it or not appreciate it? Favorite free-jazz albums?
I will go on a short vacation on Wednesday to Mexico, just me and my wife to get some sun and relax a bit. I’m really looking forward to that. It never happens, just me and her without the kids. So, I’m ready for some Caribbean winds…
Have a great week and stay tuned for more wonderful vintage albums from the collection coming up.
Cheers!