This is G o o g l e's cache of http://www.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0803_088.htm. G o o g l e's cache is the snapshot that we took of the page as we crawled the web. The page may have changed since that time. Click here for the current page without highlighting. To link to or bookmark this page, use the following url: `http://www.google.com/search?q=cache%3AiAk06DmjVlYJ%3Awww.allaboutjazz.com/reviews/r0803_088.htm&hl=en&ie=UTF-8` Google is not affiliated with the authors of this page nor responsible for its content.

SEARCH |  |  |
| .. |
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER |  |
| ..

Bookmark Us! - Contact Us - Comments - Help Wanted - Advertise - Media Awards - Submit Your Link - Tell A Friend - For Contributors
MONTHLY GREETING Pack Light GETTING STARTED Welcome to AAJ! New to Jazz? Building a Jazz Library History of Jazz Jazz Humor
Show All Titles About AAJ Showcase Live In Europe Sunna Gunnlaugs A Little Moonlight Dianne Reeves The Bandwagon Jason Moran Word of Mouth Revisited Jaco Pastorius Big Band Live! Lynette Washington & Dennis Bell Paesanos on the New B3 Tony Monaco Smoky Dawn Lynette Washington
Jon Mayer
| . |
Companions Raphe Malik | Eremite
It's hard to imagine 45 years, hence that one of the things that was so controversial about Ornette Coleman's emergence was that he gave up on employing a pianist. The sax/trumpet/bass/drum quartet has become commonplace in the modern jazz world since that time (Other Dimensions in Music and Masada leap to mind as two of today's standard bearers), and the lineup freed of the tonal anchors of the piano has become central to the growth of the free improvisation language. Most jazz groups rely on a strong rhythm section, but the pianoless quartet needs a strong simpatico in the front line as well. Trumpeter Raphe Malik shared such a relationship with the late saxophonist Glenn Spearman, who died from cancer in 1998 at the age of 51. This remarkable set was recorded at the Vision Festival five months before his death, with William Parker on bass and Paul Murphy behind the drums. It's surprising that Companions hasn't come out sooner, if not immediately after the set then at least sooner in the wake of his death, with the inevitable post-mortem interest in his playing. The four tracks here (all composed by the leader) are, in short, as good as it gets. Spearman's solos are energetic and propelling. Parker rumbles, keeping a locomotive bottom and is matched well by Murphy. But the real star here is the leader. Malik's playing is crystalline and uplifting. For 40 minutes, they create a celebration, a fast-pitched rollick of uplifting music. That Spearman was in his final days doesn't weigh the set down. This is life lived fast and pure. This review originally appeared in All About Jazz-New York. ~ Kurt Gottschalk
| Track Listing: 1. Lyon's Jump 2:46 2. Emblematic 0:45 3. Health Food 2:34 4. Bend 7:19 Personnel: William Parker - bass, Raphe Malik - trumpet, Paul Murphy - drums, Glenn Spearman - tenor saxophone.
Search For Another CD Review... Search by Artist Name, Record Label or Review Author
Contact Us - Help Wanted - Suggestion Box - Advertise - Submit Your Link - For Contributors

All material copyright © 1996-2003 All About Jazz and contributing writers. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy