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By Kelly Anders
Suff Reporter
When it comes to jazz, there's
nothing quite like the pre-techno
stuff, the real stuff. The following
three albums fit into the ‘‘real’’
category quite nicely. Not like
David Sanborn's or Keraiy O.’s
"jazz" by any means, these works
are classic (often a bit avant-garde)
and well-executed.
John Coltrane - “On” (1965)
Coltrane’s music is a true ex
tension of this fascinating fellow.
One has to wonder what was going
on in ins mind when he made this
one. Completely avant-garde, the
sound is a mix of 1960s main
stream and sounds with an East
Indian flavor.
Especially odd is the desperate
droning that starts and finishes the
album. Hie moans are religious
and frightening. Then the music
starts (if it should be so called).
Coltrane’s tenor sax is lost
among the Hindu background
most of the time, but resurfaces
every now and again for a breath of
fresh air. Noteworthy is the great
Pharoah Sanders’ tenor sax solo on
side two.
Coltrane was into “free jazz,’’
which means he would get a group
of people together for a jam ses
sion and they would sit around and
play anything with no set tempo or
key. Needless to say, the stuff is
not always the most calm and
pleasant listening material. Total
chaos.
But, as is common knowledge,
the Vietnam War and the civil
rights movement caused deep ef
fects, which sensitive artists like
Coltrane feltand reacted to in their
works. “Free jazz” was his way of
expressing the turbulence of the
times and trying to further widen
the realm of his craft
He expands it, all right ~ to
places where one must be in a
certain frame of consciousness to
travel. Yet it remains worthwhile
listening; one could listen to the
album hundreds of times and still
hear different nuances. So with
“Om,’’ Coltrane seems to have
reached his goal: limitless miuic.
Charlie Mingus - “Mingus”
(1963)
The music of Mingus is expres
sive and aesthetic. There’s no
avant-garde to be found on this LP;
i^s ’6& mainstream all the way.
Mingus once said it's a musi
cian's job to report what he (or she)
has "seen and lived” in his or her
music. Perhaps this belief explains
the emotional quality to his tunes.
His love for the big band sound
also is reflected in the pieces. He
leads the ensemble of ten with
rarely tiring control.
Although the entire album is
pleasurable, several songs are ex
ceptional sore thumbs.
"Theme for Lester Young” isa
slow, sexy piece. Also known as
"Goodbye PoA Pie Hat,” this
mellow tune is full of moody horns
and bass.
"Better Get Hit in Yo’Soul” is
just the opposite. Despite its title,
this sassy song has no religious
undertones. Rather, it’s up-tempo
controlled, with Mingus strong on
bass and has a slightly unusual
flavor. The background clapping
was a refreshing touch.
"Hora Decubitus” (At Bed
time) is another quick-tempo cut.
The sax makes a great backdrop
for the light percussion and finger
tapping horns.
All this praise must be getting
tiring, so let’s move on to the next
album.
Sam Rivers - "Streams: Re
corded in Performance at the
Montreux Jazz Festival” (1973)
The French/English introduc
tion is pretty hot, as is the feeling of
being in Switzerland for a spell.
Everything is within earshot: the
instruments, announcer and loud
applause.
This is an interesting listening
experience. There are no pauses
between tunes; sounds and tempos
change within a single beat.
The “experience*’ commences
with an intense exchange between
Rivers’ tenor sax and Norman
Connor’s percussion. Thinking
music at its best
The enjoyment lapses here.
With all of the drastic changes in
tune and tempo smashing into each
other, the peaceful jazz turns
downright noisy. How unfortu
nate.
Side two is a slight improve
ment. Rivers’ blend of flute and
voice is pretty original; the transi
tion is uncharacteristically smooth
and gradual.
As the trio continues to jam.
Rivers starts banging on the piano
in a rather chaouc and tunnelodic
fashion. How annoying. Then he
blows a few nice notes out of the
soprano sax, but ruins U with seem
ingly endless monotony.
The audience’s ear-shattering
claps, screams and whistles at the
LP s end either shows pleasure or
politeness.
Reviewer rates classic,
avant-garde jazz albums
