Search - John Coltrane, Don Cherry :: Avant-Garde (Dlx)

Important experiment; mixed results

Tyler Smith | Denver, CO United States | 11/02/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While the lineup is intriguing -- joining Trane with musicians associated with Ornette Coleman (Percy Heath also makes an appearance) -- and some of the music compelling, "The Avant-Garde" is, for me, the least successful release in the saxophonist's Atlantic discography. In fact, it's a rare example -- one of the few I can think of -- of a session that might have been strengthened had another saxophonist taken his place.That's not to say that "The Avant-Garde" is anywhere near being a bad album. On "Focus on Sanity," for example, Coltrane's tenor finds a groove with the bent lyricism of Cherry's horn and Ed Blackwell's remarkable juggling rhythms. Monk's "Bemsha Swing" is another highlight: a truly fresh treatment of one of the pianist's infrequently recorded tunes.But the recording, to these ears anyway, often exhibits a strained quality, most of which comes from Trane trying to adapt his sound to the jagged, angular rhythms that Cherry and company were more comfortable with from playing with Coleman. "The Blessing," for example, Coltrane's first recorded effort on soprano, suffers badly in comparison with the later "My Favorite Things" and "Ole Coltrane," to name two examples. On "The Blessing" he sounds, for one of the few times in his post-1958 career, uncertain. The result lacks the lyricism of "My Favorite Things" or the fury of "Ole." He seems to be fighting the tune rather than finding its contours, as Cherry does.An interesting comparison with this release is "Bags and Trane," recorded the same year, for the same label. In that effort, Coltrane, the "radical" often excoriated by the press of the day for his "undisciplined" and wild attacks, fits his sound with "mainstream" vibist Milt Jackson like a hand in a glove. Surprisingly, on the "The Avant-Garde," paired with other "radicals," Coltrane never quite finds his stride. It's another good reason, I suppose, to ignore conventional wisdom about musicians, ignore labels, and just listen for yourself.I'd actually recommend "The Avant-Garde" more to listeners who are after really good Don Cherry performances. This is one of Cherry's best efforts; his sound is commanding on every tune, and he clearly benefits from his familiarity with Blackwell and Charlie Haden."

The best of both worlds?

Funkmeister G | 01/11/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here we have perhaps the most respected saxophonist ever [there even exists a Church of Saint John Coltrane for his deeply spiritual liner notes to A Love Supreme] w/ all the other members of the most controversial & therefore underrated Ornette Coleman Quartet, Ed Blackwell on drums, Charlie Haden on bass [replaced by the slightly more starightforward Percy Heath of the Modern Jazz Quartet on tracks 2, 4 & 5], & trumpeter Don Cherry as co-leader. This is brilliant music that for some unexplained reason didn't get released in 1960 when it was recorded but lay in the vaults until 1966, just in time that Coltrane could see it out when he was alive. It opens w/ Don Cherry's compositon Cherryco, the main theme of which very much resembles a tune the OCQ were doing @ the time called Revolving Doors which I'm very fond of, & here it is a fair bit less frantic but certainly excellent still, obvious taken off in different directions [it's a good couple of minutes longer too], in the original liner notes it explains "Cherryco is one of Don's favourite tunes - he played it all through his recent sabbatical of Europe & North Africa, & had considerable success w/ it." The bulk of the album is taken up w/ 3 Ornette tunes, he himself not being present perhaps to give more space to John to do his thing. The 1st of these is Focus On Sanity [from the Shape of Jazz to Come] & it's a 12 minute version, taken further & given as much space as it needs, it fades out as if it could have gone on a lot longer. The Blessing is a charming tune, coming from Something Else!!!, Ornette's debut album from 1958, as does The Invisible which follows it, & the Blessing is apparently the 1st recording of JC on soprano sax, normally he was on tenor. The newer liner notes have this to say: "it offers a strong contrast between Cherry's solo, with its relaxed freedom from the song's chords, & Coltrane's anxious flights on soprano", there's also a noteworthy drum solo in there too. The Invisible is a fast, stomping, squawking kind of a tune, a lot of excitement there. Thelonious Monk's classic Bemsha Swing is the last song & it of course swings long graciously, as any good version of it would, of course Coltrane played in his group in 1957 so he should know it better than anyone. But the ending of it is rather subdued, basically saying this is a very good record but not as revolutionary as the title The Avant-Garde might suggest [although several of the Ornette album titles were bold statements that often held true], it is something that anyone w/ an ear for creative music should enjoy & generally it's not too brash or abrasive to prove a challenge, rather a pleasing listen. Unfortunately there was never again any recordings/performances of this supergroup."

Wakariyasui de yoi

Slaninka Frantisek | 12/20/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is, among Don Cherrys work, the easiest to follow I have encountered. Lacking the straight ahead wildness of much of his playing, and the constraints one feels on his work when he plays within set structures in a traditional way, its a good balance. Coltrane is nice on soprano sax, though I personally dont feel its up to the intensity of his best work. Basically a minor record for both performers, but in my opinion a very pleasant one. The bass work is melodic and though in some places unsubtle I find it sweet to the ear. Ed Blackwell is as always lovely on the drums and hits wit some intense solo work ...Songs include one by Cherry, 3 Coleman themes and Bemsha Swing from Monk, all of which are given the full treatment (?). I especially found the Focus on Sanity version interesting, as it steps far away from the original in the middle for 5 minutes or so and lets Cherry and Coltrane step far into a territory which sounds vaguely faux-Arabian. I liked it even though I found it a little irritating.all in all an interesting record I found pretty enlightening about at least the nature of Don Cherrys improvising structures, which I tend to be a little more interested in than the work of Coltrane, to be perfectly or unfortunately honest."