JACK DEJOHNETTE – Made in Chicago
ECM 378 0935
Henry Threadgill (alto saxophone, bass flute); Roscoe Mitchell (sopranino, soprano and alto saxophones, baroque flute, bass recorder); Muhal Richard Abrams (piano); Larry Gray (double bass, violoncello); Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Recorded live August 29, 2013
This live recording from Millennium Park in Chicago documents the first time that this quintet played in public. Specially convened for the Chicago Jazz Festival by DeJohnette he assembled fellow classmates from Wilson Junior College in Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill and Muhal Richard Abrams, who had all attended the school together more than fifty years earlier.
The four musicians had played together extensively and were all active participants in the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, co-founded by Abrams in 1965. DeJohnette completed the quintet by adding relative ‘newcomer’ bassist/cellist, Larry Gray to complete the rhythm section, and the release of this album coincides with the 50th year anniversary of the AACM.
All the compositions spring from within the band and the concert concludes with a collective improvisation. It transpires that there was some pretty intense rehearsal time prior to the concert that yields music of remarkable empathy and creativity, despite the fact that the four core musicians had not played together for a number of years.
All the tracks with the exception of the closing title which is freely improvised, all run over the ten minute mark, giving ample time for the quintet to develop each of the compositions without the need to rush, although this does not mean that they do not turn up the heat. The opener, Roscoe Mitchell’s ‘Chant’ is a case in question with its repetitive melodic motif establishing the feel of the piece before Abrams’ piano solo which is then immediately followed by a drum and sopranino duet that boils along with a scalding intensity. In contrast, the pianist’s ‘Jack 5’ begins quietly with DeJohnette’s splashes of colour from cymbals and kit before the horns enter with the theme statement, with solos from both drummer and the alto saxophone of Henry Threadgill.
Once again, Muhal Richard Abrams catches the ear on ‘Museum Of Time’ by Jack DeJohnette, getting right to the heart of the composition. In fact the pianist is a constant source of delight and commands the attention throughout. The empathy with his old colleague DeJohnette is immediately audible despite not having played together for many years, but it is staggering to hear how quickly the relationship develops with bassist/cellist, Larry Gray, with the rhythm section morphing into a formidable unit.
And this for me is where the real meat and drink in this set is found. Such is the speed of the formation of the bond between piano, bass and drums as the set develops made me ponder how a trio set may sound between the participants, and if indeed the seeds have been planted to perhaps investigate this further.
In the meantime, it is great to have this set available, not as a reminder of the great past but more as testament as to how creative musicians will continue to grow.
ECM 378 0935
Henry Threadgill (alto saxophone, bass flute); Roscoe Mitchell (sopranino, soprano and alto saxophones, baroque flute, bass recorder); Muhal Richard Abrams (piano); Larry Gray (double bass, violoncello); Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Recorded live August 29, 2013
This live recording from Millennium Park in Chicago documents the first time that this quintet played in public. Specially convened for the Chicago Jazz Festival by DeJohnette he assembled fellow classmates from Wilson Junior College in Roscoe Mitchell, Henry Threadgill and Muhal Richard Abrams, who had all attended the school together more than fifty years earlier.
The four musicians had played together extensively and were all active participants in the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, co-founded by Abrams in 1965. DeJohnette completed the quintet by adding relative ‘newcomer’ bassist/cellist, Larry Gray to complete the rhythm section, and the release of this album coincides with the 50th year anniversary of the AACM.
All the compositions spring from within the band and the concert concludes with a collective improvisation. It transpires that there was some pretty intense rehearsal time prior to the concert that yields music of remarkable empathy and creativity, despite the fact that the four core musicians had not played together for a number of years.
All the tracks with the exception of the closing title which is freely improvised, all run over the ten minute mark, giving ample time for the quintet to develop each of the compositions without the need to rush, although this does not mean that they do not turn up the heat. The opener, Roscoe Mitchell’s ‘Chant’ is a case in question with its repetitive melodic motif establishing the feel of the piece before Abrams’ piano solo which is then immediately followed by a drum and sopranino duet that boils along with a scalding intensity. In contrast, the pianist’s ‘Jack 5’ begins quietly with DeJohnette’s splashes of colour from cymbals and kit before the horns enter with the theme statement, with solos from both drummer and the alto saxophone of Henry Threadgill.
Once again, Muhal Richard Abrams catches the ear on ‘Museum Of Time’ by Jack DeJohnette, getting right to the heart of the composition. In fact the pianist is a constant source of delight and commands the attention throughout. The empathy with his old colleague DeJohnette is immediately audible despite not having played together for many years, but it is staggering to hear how quickly the relationship develops with bassist/cellist, Larry Gray, with the rhythm section morphing into a formidable unit.
And this for me is where the real meat and drink in this set is found. Such is the speed of the formation of the bond between piano, bass and drums as the set develops made me ponder how a trio set may sound between the participants, and if indeed the seeds have been planted to perhaps investigate this further.
In the meantime, it is great to have this set available, not as a reminder of the great past but more as testament as to how creative musicians will continue to grow.
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Reviewed by Nick Lea
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