Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society: When Colors Play

229

Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society: When Colors Play

By

Sign in to view read count
Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society: When Colors Play
Prior to Knit Classics’ recent reissue deluge all of Ronald Shannon Jackson’s recordings as a leader were out of print. This may not seem like much of travesty to those unfamiliar with Jackson’s catalog but when you consider that he had over a dozen albums to his credit the reality of the rate of attrition begins to sink in. Fortunately for everyone involved the Knitting Factory’s new reissue imprint has chosen Jackson (along with Rashied Ali) as one of the hubs of it’s new wave of releases. Brought back into circulation are a host of Jackson’s sessions including this live set recorded at the Caravan of Dreams.

The Decoding Society was Jackson’s working group during the 1980s and it had a somewhat revolving lineup based both on the schedules of the players and the ever-present specter of economics. The roster on display here is particularly strong and features the solid horn pairing of Zane Massey and Eric Person prominently alongside the tandem guitar thrust of Masujaa and Denigris. As the instrumentation might tip-off this group dips heavily into a Fusion bag, but other dominant elements spring forth from African and High Life influences that Jackson absorbed during his travels across the Continent. “Dance of the Spirit Catcher” gathers the troop in a heavily amplified formation flanked by the shimmering guitars of Dengris and Masujaa. The blinding fretwork of both players together and separately provides the center on most of the tracks, but Jackson’s industrious drums and the horns also supply strong solos. There’s a heady urban flavor with a pinch of funk that informs many of the pieces too that mixes surprisingly well with the more bucolic elements of the leader’s arrangements. Jackson’s percussive style was and is one of the most forceful in the business, as evidenced by his stints with such heavy-hitters as Cecil Taylor and Peter Brötzmann (in Last Exit), notably informed by Rock, but never a slave to it. Though the rhythms sometimes wallow in orthodoxy of presentation, as on the title track, the forward momentum of the music never falters. With releases like this one those who missed Jackson’s prolific run the first time around now have a golden opportunity to catch up to where he left off.

Tracks:Dance of the Spirit Catcher/ Ella Mae/ When Colors Play/ Black Blues/ Sweet Orange/ Green Coronas/ Purple Tongues.

Players:Ronald Shannon Jackson- drums; Eric Person- soprano & alto saxophones; Zane Massey- tenor & soprano saxophones; John Moody- electric bass; Cary Dengris- electric guitar; Masujaa- electric guitar.

Knitting Factory on the web: http://www.knittingfactory.com

Personnel

Album information

Title: When Colors Play | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Knit Classics

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Fiesta at Caroga
Afro-Caribbean Jazz Collective
Fellowship
David Gibson
Immense Blue
Olie Brice / Rachel Musson / Mark Sanders

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.