Search - Art Ensemble of Chicago :: Dreaming of the Masters Suite

The Art Ensemble of Chicago's multi-CD Dreaming of the Masters series took them far and wide, and reached its apex with this set of tunes composed or inspired by the great John Coltrane. Recorded in early 1990, Dreaming opens with the Joseph Jarman riff that plays like an invocation (as on their Dreaming volume with pianist Cecil Taylor) before dissipating into a free-form improvisation for a couple minutes and then one of the finest reads of Coltrane's "Impressions" on record. The late Lester Bowie's brass work is divine, full of breath, and still urgent. The quintet then interpolates another lengthy, freestyle piece before another pair of flawless 'Trane classics, "Naima" and "Spiritual," and then they're off for 20-plus minutes of their own invention, clearly indebted to the exploratory legacy Coltrane left. Jarman's poetic "Ohndaruth" blasts at the beginning and then reveals a melody not unlike "Impressions" in its contours. "Go Head," on the other hand, is an electronics-infused rambler that sounds exemplary among the Art Ensemble's most overtly theatrical instrumentals. The rhythms are fragmented, the horns chattery, and the fabric dizzying. "Song for Atala" heads toward a closing reprise of "Dreaming," with a dancing melody that tips up and lightly swoops down, held at a tempo that urges the horns to shine. And shine they do; this is surely among the Art Ensemble's half-dozen best recordings. --Andrew Bartlett