Ali/Silva/Few: More or Less

More or Less
1973, Center of the World
Bobby Few-p Alan Silva-b Muhammad Ali-d

This record was of interest to me because these folks so often played with Frank Wright on some of the best record he (or anyone) released. I am a particular fan of Ali (Rashied's younger brother) whose records are largely out of print and unaffordable. Alan Silva's Celestrial Communication Orchestra is one of my favorites- I'm a sucker for big group improvs and Few's work on the classic Wright records is fantastic. I'll give you a track by track breakdown.

Track 1 - More or Less: There's a really nice head with a falling melody line that starts this piece. Ali is moving fast and providing plenty of crashing cymbals while Few is moving equally quick between runs and two-handed chords. The three players really work together to bring a swirling motion to the music as it gathers steam in the middle. They play the head again at the end for a tight finish.

Track 2- Few's Blues: The punchy head this starts with is repeated several times throughout the piano solo that follows the head. There's an out of time bass solo next with some quiet piano accompaniment and then they're back to the head to finish.

Track 3 - Simone: This piece has a lot of space in it so there's a nice contrast with the first two tracks. Also unlike the first two pieces there's no pulse and the bass is bowed to add to the out-of-time feel. Ali's drumming is dense and heavy with rolls and crashes that reveal his crisp playing. Again the piece ends with a restatement of the original theme.

Track 4 - I'll Never be the Same Again: This a unique piece has a sung melody, followed by Few repeating the melody on the piano followed by the sung melody again. The lyrics are about a guy smoking, drinking, singing and dancing. Again, a truly unique piece on this album and I suspect in the discographies of these players.

Track 5 - Chasing the Piano: This is an apt description for a piece with the piano dashing about while the bass & drums seem to be in hot pursuit. There's no real pulse, it's fast and furious and chaotic- a real burning improv. There's some yelling and then someone plays an organ (?) for a minute or two. Then the piece turns a sharp corner breaking down to a slower piece with spoken word. This is followed immediately by returning to the earlier furious pace and then a sparse and heavy drum solo. Back to the earlier fast improv feel again and ending with a more spaced out improv.

This is a fascinating record because it gives you some insight on a couple of players that, at least in my personal discography, played a mostly supporting role (Silva being the obvious exception). Ali's drumming is very clear so you can put a real close listen on it. No surprise that this is a real joy to do. Should you seek this one out? If you're a fan of these guys and you want to hear them in this context, it's worth finding someone who can help you out. I don't think it's worth your money to buy one unless it gets rereleased.

(Anybody have a picture of the cover of this one?)

Bill Dixon: Papyrus Vol. II

Papyrus Volume 2
Bill Dixon - trumpet
Tony Oxley - percussion
Soul Note, 1999

If it's possible to say so, then this is a "typical" Dixon record. Which is to say that it's impossibly slow and excruciatingly sparse- and I mean that as a compliment. His work presents a challenge in a way that few others do: rather than attack you with a barrage of sounds, Dixon has a real minimalist approach. It's so slow and sparse that I can't really tell if there are any "heads" present or if it's all improvised. And these pieces seem to all eschew the idea of creating a beginning, middle and end - something many improvisers work very hard to achieve. Instead, they're all middle. There's almost nothing to hook a listener- no melody, no pulsing rhythm, almost no sounds that typically come from a trumpet or drum set. So when I line this up next to, for instance, Brotzmann's Machine Gun, I have to say that Papyrus Vol. II is a far more challenging listen.

Tony Oxley is an excellent accompanist on this record employing a variety of scrapes and clashes that keep the overall sound fresh and interesting. How he knows what to do with what Dixon plays is beyond me. When he drops out, which is frequently, he leaves space for Dixon to take what must be the most strange and out trumpet solos in the history of music.

Dixon has mastered extended technique for his horn which is in evidence with fast little runs in the highest register followed by the lowest pedal tones - for which your mother would probably scold him for being obscene.

Dixon also overdubs trumpet and piano on a couple of tunes as well as bookends the record with solo piano pieces that seem to exactly translate his music to that instrument. As if this record needed to be any weirder.

Dixon is in a class by himself and personally I find his music fascinating. With that said, I don't know how strongly I can recommend this record. If you like really out music, music that makes Ascension and Free Jazz sound like Top 40 records, you should check this out. Perhaps this is musicians' music? I don't know. Like I said, I love this stuff but I can see how it would not be interesting to others.