By Derek Taylor
The decade of the 1970s was a turbulent time for jazz music though the uncertainty that accompanied its passage is sometimes underplayed. The revolutionary fervor for political and musical freedom which mapped much of the jazz discourse of the 60s had in many circles subsided and been supplanted by an indecision on the part of creative musicians as to where to go next. In addition, Rock music had risen to the unsurpassable position of popularity that it still maintains today and along the way it left an indelible stamp on Jazz with the arrival of Fusion. The jazz mainstream was for the most part on the commercial outs and the marketability of the music as a whole took a heavy blow with Rocks meteoric ascendancy. Creative fires where still burning, but now along a stratified continuum that created the illusion of polarized camps, that of free jazz and Fusion.
One of the most galvanizing and important movements birthed in the 60s to successfully bridge the decade gap was the New York Loft jazz scene. Musicians and organizers operating out of the myriad of loft spaces that dotted Manhattan put the ideals of artistic independence that had been the credo of a collective consciousness during the previous decade into practice and turned their attentions inward to their own communities. In the process they created an intensely supportive environment for their craft that communicated and sustained their art through the tough times ahead. The lofts werent just musical venues. They quickly became vital community centers and grass roots activist enclaves as well. Musicians, dancers, visual artists and a constantly diversifying and fluctuating audience all shared in the fruits of their unifying vision.
The Wildflowers series, originally released on the Douglas label in the 1970s, is widely regarded as the seminal document of the teeming microcosm of creative energy that was a daily harvest of the lofts and it has been out of print virtually since its initial release. Long considered by collectors as one of the most valuable finds in the free jazz cosmology the set has finally returned to widespread circulation through Knit Classics, the new Knitting Factory reissue imprint. Virtually everything about this set from its historical significance to the stunning collection of performances it contains ensures its place as one of the most valuable reissues of the year. One glance at the lineups of many of these groups should set many creative music fans mouths to watering.
The five original albums have been transferred onto three generously packed discs and each of the 22 tracks is carefully annotated in the accompanying liner booklet. Also included is an insightful and illuminating essay by New York-based jazz journalist Howard Mandel, but all of the packaging is in a larger sense peripheral- what matters most is the music. As the outcome of producer Alan Douglas two-week recording stint at Studio Rivbea (a co-operative space on Bond Street managed by Sam Rivers and his wife Bea) the discs deliver a well-rounded gallery of some of the most renowned players in free jazz and creative improvised music. Throughout the performances musicians who made their mark in the 60s stand alongside their younger protégé, who have in the intervening decades since the set was first spawned become legendary figures themselves. While still others, like guitarist Michael Jackson dropped off the scene entirely. The intergenerational nature of many of the groups points again to the strong sense of community essential to the music.
One of the most unexpected aspects of the performances is the Fusion influence on several of the groups instrumentation and sound. Electric bass and amplified guitars (and even the stray synthesizer, on Braxtons 73° Kelvin) regularly crop up in the ensembles. Kalaparusha McIntyres turgid tenor solos atop a funky vamp supplied by supple electric bass and subtle backbeat traps on the set opening Jays. Ken McInytres New Times starts with the portentous creak of an opening door followed by opening salvos from the ensemble instruments and a rising collective theme. Rivers own Rainbows is a tour de force for his Bedouin soprano supported by the bustling rhythms of Hunter and Griffin. Hopkins heavily amplified double bass holds the anchor on Threadgills USO Dance cleaving off thick slabs of viscous rhythmic energy before the saxophonists slightly off mike entrance. These sonic imperfections are rare, but even when they surface they add further to the feeling of being there in the moment when these sounds were first created. Marion Browns And Then They Danced is another saxophone spectacle guaranteed to cause jaws to drop. Brown takes the track almost completely solo save a short closing refrain by bowed bass and conga and explores the melodic possibilities of his alto in all registers.
Discs two and three contain an equal number of memorable moments. From the unexpected appearance of Randy Weston backed by his son (?) Azzedins percolating conga rhythms on the beautifully conceived Portrait of Frank Edward Weston, which with the tunes title brings three generations of Westons into the musical melange. To the Ahmed Abdullahs guitar-driven jam Blue Phase that sounds constantly on the verge of exploding in a confetti of African-infused voices. To the brief, but beautiful contribution from Jimmy Lyons quartet featuring his wife Karen Borca on unwieldy bassoon, an instrument that becomes a genuine jazz voice in her capable hands. These are all offerings to treasure and return to time and again. There are a fair share of ecstatic energy blowouts like Oliver Lakes Zaki, but also an equal number of groove-driven numbers that dip judiciously into the peripheral styles of funk, soul and even on occasion give a nod to the so-called specter of Rock. Taking the field recording esthetic to heart there are a handful of tracks that arent completely successful musically, but interesting experiments nonetheless. Mitchells Chant a piece that stretches on for nearly a half hour and includes an opening section where the saxophonist retreads a tightly scripted figure on alto, before moving into more expansive blowing toward the close is one such example. All of the tracks offer something special and significant and the wealth inherent in this set cannot be overstated. On a myriad of levels it is a capsule of a time now past, but with strong and invaluable ties to the present and future and anyone with an interest in creative music should make it a point to check it out.
Tracks/Players:
Disc One: 1) Jays: Kalaparusha McIntyre- tenor saxophone; Chris White- bass & electric bass; Jumma Santos- drums; 2) New Times: Ken McIntyre- alto saxophone; Richard Harper- piano; Andrei Strobert- multiple percussion; Andy Vega- conga; 3) Over the Rainbow: Sunny Murray- drums; Byard Lancaster- alto saxophone; David Murray- tenor saxophone; Khan Jamal- vibes; Fred Hopkins- bass; 4) Rainbows: Sam Rivers- soprano saxophone; Jerome Hunter- bass; Jerry Griffin- drums; 5) USO Dance: Henry Threadgill- alto saxophone; Fred Hopkins- bass; Steve McCall- drums, percussion; 6) The Need to Smile: Harlod Smith- drums; Byard Lancaster- tenor saxophone; Art Bennett- soprano saxophone; Olu Dara- trumpet; Sonelius Smith- piano; Benny Wilson- bass; Don Moye- conga; 7) Naomi: Ken McIntyre- flute; Richard Harper- piano; Andy Vega- conga & percussion; Andrei Strobert- multiple percussion; 8) 73° Kelvin: Anthony Braxton- alto & contrabass saxophones, clarinet; George Lewis- trombone; Michael Jackson- guitar; Fred Hopkins- bass; Barry Alstchul- drums; Phillip Wilson- percussion; 9) And Then They Danced: Marion Brown- alto saxophone; Jack Gregg- bass; Jumma Santos- conga.
Disc Two: 1) Locomotif No. 6: Leo Smith- trumpet; Oliver Lake- alto saxophone; Anthony Davis- piano; Wes Brown- bass; Paul Maddox- drums; Stanley Crouch-drums; 2) Portrait of Frank Edward Weston: Randy Weston- piano; Alex Blake- bass; Azzedin Weston- conga; 3) Clarity 2: Michael Jackson- acoustic guitar; Oliver Lake- soprano saxophone & flute; Fred Hopkins- bass; Phillip Wilson- drums; 4) Black Robert: David Burrel- piano; Stafford James- bass; Harold White- drums; 5) Blue Phase: Ahmed Abdullah- trumpet; Charles Brackeen- tenor & soprano saxophones; Masujaa- guitar; Leroy Seals- electric bass; Rickie Evans- acoustic bass; Rashied Sinan- drums; 6) Short Short: Andrew Cyrille- drums; Ted Daniel- trumpet; David S. Ware- tenor saxophone; Lyle Atkinson- bass; 7) Tranquil Beauty: Hamiet Bluiett- clarinet & baritone saxophone; Olu Dara- trumpet; Butch Campell- guitar; Billy Pastterson-guitar; Juney Booth- bass; Charles Bobo Shaw- drums; Don Moye- drums; 8) Pensive: Julius Hemphill- alto saxophone; Abdul Wadud- cello; Bern Nix- guitar; Phillip Wilson- drums; Don Moye- percussion.
Disc Three: 1) Push Pull: Jimmy Lyons- alto saxophone; Karen Borca- bassoon; Hayes Burnett- bass; Henry Maxwell Letcher- drums; 2) Zaki: Oliver Lake: alto saxophone; Michael Jackson- electric guitar; Fred Hopkins- bass; Phillip Wilson- drums; 3) Shout Song: David Murray- tenor saxophone; Olu Dara- trumpet & flugelhorn; Fred Hopkins- bass; Stanley Crouch- drums; 4) Somethings Cookin: Sunny Murray- drums; David Murray- tenor saxophone; Byard Lancaster- alto saxophone & flute; Khan Jamal- vibes; Fred Hopkins- bass; 5) Chant: Roscoe Mitchell- alto saxophone; Jerome Cooper- percussion, saw & drums; Don Moye- drums.
Recorded: May 14-23, 1976, New York, NY.
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