Tony L
Administrator
An Ornette-wise confession: To be honest, I can't stand Free Jazz, preferring his tune-based works.
It took me ages to even get further than five minutes into it, which is a shame really as it does get rather more accessible the further into it you venture. It starts frantically with everyone free-blowing, then goes into a structure of an individual member taking a solo, bit more free-blowing, next person taking their solo etc. The pattern becomes a lot clearer, and by the time it gets to the bass and drum solos it's calmed down quite substantially. It's actually not that 'free' at all, certainly not compared to where Coltrane took things later (Ascension, Interstellar Space etc). This is stuff I have to be in the right mood for, and I find it makes the most sense in near-field and lights out in the dark, i.e. no distractions and very clear sound so you can follow every line with ease. I've got a beautiful US mono original, but that's really not the way to hear it IMO, this one needs good stereo separation to pick the bones out of. It's an important record in the grand scheme of things, so worth preserving with.
PS I've just stuck it on now and I'm surprised how sensible and tonal it all sounds - I must have been listening to too much Coltrane of late! There's a fair bit of Dixieland jazz going on in there!