John Coltrane - Interstellar Space
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Free Music Notes for Interstellar Space
Free Music Review: The master bows out
Hit: 5 Stars
This disc was recorded only a few months before Coltrane's death; though there are a few later discs, this one remains the great man's most satisfying farewell, & it's one of the few "late Coltrane" albums (read: radically avantgarde music) that has appeal for the less intrepid listener too. Sonically, it's quite gorgeous: Coltrane's tenor (only tenor--no multi-instrumentalism here) is now quite different from when he was playing with Tyner, Garrison & Jones: it's warmer & thicker in sound, with much more vibrato. (I would imagine that Albert Ayler's sound was a major influence here.) The only other player is Rashied Ali, who contributes highly coloured drum parts, whether on sticks or brushes. Each track opens & closes almost ceremonially, with Coltrane ringing bells before turning to the saxophone. The absence of a bassist opens the music up texturally; there's little need for one, anyhow, given Coltrane's iron harmonic & thematic grip on his material: you'll never hear a more lucid demonstration on how to construct long improvisations out of the simplest materials. This rarely steps out into atonal territory, but Coltrane does tend to build his solos around explorations of "ugly" or "freak" notes on the horn, most memorably on "Venus", which begins as almost a hymn, before building into a series of increasingly elaborate runs at ever-higher "false" notes on the scale.This is radiant, profound music that, unlike much late Coltrane, is eminently approachable. Those who enjoy it should seek out Evan Parker & Eddie Prevost's _Most Materiall_ (Matchless), a 2-CD set of duets in the same sax/drums format; Parker is like the moon to Coltrane's sun, but it's clear that disc 2 was recorded with _Interstellar Space_ very much in mind.
Free Music Review: enlightening free jazz from the master.
Hit: 5 Stars
This disc is 60 minutes of some of the most impassioned free jazz you will hear from an innovating giant in the field. Of the myriad posthumously released recordings of John Coltrane, _Interstellar Space_ is certainly one of the most profound. Part of what makes the album intriguing is that the lineup is unlike anything else Coltrane did. Jazz duos became more common later. The entire album is improvised in duo format with Rasheid Ali on drums. Coltrane could have found no drummer more empathetic than Ali, who is a very different beast than the mighty Elvin Jones. Ali abandons the role of rhythmic anchor and follows Coltrane directly into the free vortex, and the two play against one another in a dazzling swirl of spattering cymbals, clattering rolls, tonally-straining honks and sqruawks, and spitfire runs of 16th notes. The sparse texture purifies the focus on the rich dynamics, intensity, and magical interplay. Meter exists in this music only by implication. The music is played around time signatures, but only rarely do they overtly appear. It's brutally passionate ("Mars"), shockingly beautiful and emotional, (the final third of "Venus"), and wickedly swingin' (for about 15 glorious seconds near the end of "Saturn"). And it's all dangerously jazzy and movingly spiritual.
If you want another masterpiece of monstrous duo free jazz, hunt down _Spots, Circles, and Fantasy_, Cecil Taylor on piano and Han Bennink on drums.
Free Music Review: Coltrane's final gift: an infinite exploration
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is as deep as the ocean. If I could take one c.d. with me on a desert island, this is it. For me, listening to this album has turned out to be an extremely worthwile exploration. I've never heard Coltrane so free, so unrestricted; and as a byproduct of this freedom, you can literally hear him thinking, as he seems to pull countless innovative, fresh, and pure genius improvisations out of thin air, time after time. It's almost as if he knew his time left on this earth was very limited, and he wanted to let all those ideas out that he was holding back for another day. Emotionally, it spans the entire spectrum. I tend to hear expressions of Joy and Eternity quite a bit. In one particular instance, I hear an expression of sheer anger or terror, and it really scares the hell out of me every time I hear it; it is so expressive. I think the abscence of the piano was a great idea, as I feel it can sometimes set limitations. It truly seems that I could listen to this album 1000 times in a row and I would hear something new and innovative every time..I could best sum it up as a complete explosion of ideas, hitting you from all sides.Free Music Review: We Travel the Spaceways
Hit: 5 Stars
As if on the trail of unraveling the truth behind the short-lived Atenist revolution of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, the set of duets by John Coltrane (tenor sax/bells) and drummer Rashied Ali boldly challenge the listener to cast aside convention for a very special and spiritual journey.
Recorded in February 1967 at the Van Gelder Recording Studio, the original four album tracks - Mars (10:41), Venus (8:28), Jupiter (5:22), Saturn (11:33) - are bolstered by a pair of bonus tracks that previously appeared on the anthology "Jupiter Variation" - Leo (10:53), Jupiter Variation (6:44) - and rehearsal fragments. Mars is incredibly powerful, though each track seems to announce that Coltrane - within the studio - has found a perfect venue to fully express himself at this point in his artistic maturation. That "Trane" passed away five months later at the age of 40 makes his vision incomplete, but clearly shows that a creative fire was building in this unique lineup which would have been unleashed on audiences at some point in the near future.
Set the controls for the heart of the sun, indeed.
Free Music Review: Incredible!
Hit: 5 Stars
Instellar space is another brilliant album by one of the most important figures in jazz and music history. The influence of John Coltrane cannot be overstated. There is something very different about Interstellar Space then any other of Coltrane's albums. This album was his last album. It was recorded in 1967, but not released right away. There are only two musicians on the entire album. Rashied Ali, the brilliant drummer and a perfect counterpart to John Coltrane's incredible saxophone playing. The album is a very avant garde album and may not be understood by everyone. The original album has four songs, Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Each song is like a jazz suite to the planet. Mars is adventurous and often quiet. venus is warm and beautiful. Jupiter is explosive and intense. Saturn is rhythmic and soft. This CD also hads the great Leo and another take of Jupiter called Jupiter variation. It is really hard to pick which of these songs is the best, but I think that Mars may be my personal favorite. Overall, this is a brilliant album by a brilliant person.