The first release on the Incus label was recorded in 1970 by Evan Parker, Han Bennink and Derek Bailey. Track one: 'Titan Moon.' Hard scrabbling. Bangs and crashes from Bennink. Cymbals like dustbin lids. Parker rawly granular and Bailey administering scratching scraping guitar, not too far away from Sonny Sharrock's sound. Although this is a noisy squawling rattling bugger, the jazz influence is still there – it's the techniques involved, the reflexive speed of thought– far too diagonal and polyrhythmic for rock, say. Surging pulses and lightning strikes across the drums to move the music relentlessly forwards... Parker matching Bailey in harsh texture, power and speed... At times the saxophonist seems a little back in the mix – but he manages to cut through with hard blowing. Parker a man, after all, who more than held his own with Cecil Taylor in years to come... A couple of duo sections – Bailey and Parker, briefly, then later Bennink and Bailey. This was an important document of transition, out of print for many years and only re-issued since the death of Bailey. The musicians' styles are still in flux – but stamped already with individuality and indications of what was to come. Three future leaders...
The Canadian Paul Bley has, famously, been around. He has played with a range of musicians across the music and been a radical force since he first encountered Ornette Coleman on the West Coast in the fifties. Another improviser with a restless streak, still fired by curiosity after these many years in the business. Parker and the bass player Barre Phillips recorded with him for the first time in 1995. The first track on the album is 'Poetic Justice.' Piano, saxophone and bass tread carefully around each other, beginning the dance. This is, ironically, more jazz-textured than the Incus track with Bailey and Bennink, even though that was recorded at a time when they were all closer to their musical influences. Thoughtful, almost bluesy, as motifs are tossed across, caught and thrown onwards. Parker adheres more closely than usual to the orthodox idiomatic resonances of the tenor... Bley is tinkling treble runs, a bass rumble, sporadic chords... sparse, spartan playing of great rigour. Underpinned by the majestic bass of Phillips. Parker briefly drops out for a section of bass and piano. Returning, there is now a restless, forward motion – three longer lines now running in counterpoint. A fresh section – suddenly more abstract – inside piano rattles, scraggling arco bass and Parker almost slap-tonguing, popping out spats of notes. More textural than melodic development now, that hints back to those early Incus days before running to the end and the final long-decaying notes into silence... future and past inverted...
In the Videodrome today...
...here's a short clip of Derek Bailey and John Stevens ...
and Bailey with Min Tanaka in Japan
... and a short clip of Han Bennink which gives a flavour of his unique style of performance...
and another...
Evan Parker/Derek Bailey/Han Bennink
Download
Titan Moon (Edited)
Buy (Scroll down)
Evan Parker/Paul Bley/Barre Phillips
Download
Poetic Justice
Buy
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Exellent posts as usual!!
Post a Comment