Free Jazz, in this case, is not the classic Ornette Coleman album or the style pioneered in the 60s. I wanted to blog about the jazz that was free, as in no cost. Specifically, podcasts.
This month’s issue of Jazz Times has a cover story on Rahsaan Roland Kirk with the title shown above. ‘Cult’ has such a negative connotation that I’m surprised with that choice. How about ‘Legacy’? But otherwise, it’s a nice article that helps perpetuate his memory. Another thing that helps is more available video of his performances; today’s audiences are much more visually oriented. Fortunately, Jazz Icons has a release planned for September!
write about it at the time, but the January 2008 issue of Down Beat magazine featured a transcription of Rahsaan’s dual horn improvisation on Moon Ray. (It’s from Roy Haynes’ Out of the Afternoon album.) The transcription was done by yours truly. There was an error in the chord progression that was caught by no less than the author of Yardbird Suite: A Compendium of the Music and Life of Charlie Parker, Lawrence Koch: "The basic progression in the A-section should be: Em C#m7b5 / F#m7b5 B7b9 /. Leaving out the b5 designation completely destroys the minortonality and confuses anyone trying to study the transcription analytically. Further, the bridge prorgession moves basically like this: Bm7b5 / Bm7b5/ E7 / E7 / C#m7b5 / F#7 / B7b9 / B7b9 /. Again, forgetting the b5chords obliterates the minor key." Oops!!
On a jazz note, it saw the birth of two giants who are still very much with us and very active - Gerald Wilson and Hank Jones. They're celebrating together at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday, July 30th.
On the personal side, on this date 90 years ago, John Weary and Beulah Buckhalter Weary gave birth to their third child, a daughter they named Amanda Artilean. That's her on her mother's lap and also pictured as a young woman. She's my grandmother. Happy 90th! (The party's on Saturday!)
Tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton's new release is entitled Across the Tracks. His Ellingtonian connection on this disk is "Cop Out", a minor-keyed theme that featured the great Paul Gonsalves. The remainder of the program consists of Hamilton's mainstream stylings on standards like "Memories of You," "Intermission Riff," and "Blue Turning Grey Over You." Swinging stuff!
French multi-reedist Frederic Couderc is inspired by Duke and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. On his latest album, Kirkophonie, he plays "Black and Tan Fantasy" as a simultaneous reed duet. He also plays the rarely covered "Oclupaca" (from the "Latin American Suite") on the rarely used bass sax.
Ornette Coleman continues to enjoy many honors. It's all well deserved and overdue, especially considering all the scorn he suffered during the early years of his career. Who would have thought the he would have recieved a lifetime achievement award from the Grammys?
