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Marc Ribot Trio: Live At The Village Vanguard
ByRibot's music, since its origins with John Lurie's Lounge Lizards, has utilized Alyer as a touchstone, covering his music as far back as Shrek (Avant, 1994) and the solo recordings Don't Blame Me (DIW, 1995) and Saints (Atlantic, 2001). He formed a quartet to recreate and re-imagine Ayler's music with Grimes, Taylor and trumpeter Roy Campbell, recording Spiritual Unity (Pi, 2005). After the death of Campbell (his Donald Ayler), the project continued as a trio.
This live date from June 12, 2012 is as much about Ayler's influence on the Downtown scene (whose rebirth came about in the 1980s) as it is his sway on the jazz icon John Coltrane. The trio covers two tracks from Coltrane's Sun Ship (Impulse!, 1971), the title track and "Dearly Beloved." Both tracks favor seething cauldrons of free jazz knitted together by the exquisite drumming of Taylor, whose is probably best known for his work in the Chicago Underground Duo with Rob Mazurek. Ribot's guitar plows a country/blues theme on the Ayler tune "The Wizard" that develops, like "Bells," into the Ayler archetypal march. Ribot is able to recreate, on guitar, that frenzy that Ayler could summon and turn into euphoria. The primitive sound that becomes profane.
It is easy to hear bassist William Parker's music in Grimes' bass solos, but of course it was Grimes' recordings with Ayler, Cecil Taylor, Pharoah Sanders, Don Cherry, and Sonny Rollins that influenced Parker's playing.
Besides scorching through the Coltrane and Ayler, they also mercifully surrender to the simple melodies of "Old Man River" and "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)." Ribot's guitar work is unapologetically unrefined and original. His passion, like Ayler's, is amplified by the raw-boned music.
Track Listing
Dearly Beloved; The Wizard; Old Man River; Bells; I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You); Sun Ship.
Personnel
Marc Ribot
guitarHenry Grimes: bass, violin; Marc Ribot: guitar; Chad Taylor: drums.
Album information
Title: Live At The Village Vanguard | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Pi Recordings
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