Steve Swell’s Fire Into Music: For Jemeel: Fire From The Road

If listeners only had the one recording, Swimming In A Galaxy Of Goodwill And Sorrow (Rogueart, 2007) from Steve Swell's Fire Into Music, and did not have the pleasure of hearing the quartet live in person, there certainly would be a large blank spot in their metaphorical dance card. The trombonist Swell, bassist William Parker, and drummer Hamid Drake must also mourn the loss of the fourth member of the quartet, alto saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc (1946-2021). Much like Ornette Coleman, he was an original voice on the saxophone, yet was woefully unheralded. Fortunately, these three live dates from two separate tours, in 2004 and 2005, both with excellent sound, have been discovered and released in this collection.

The three hours of music combine a totally improvised first hour of music with compositions by Swell and Moondoc. Moondoc's loping "Junka New" is performed both in Texas and Canada, and Swell's "Swimming In A Galaxy Of Goodwill And Sorrow" is revisited from the band's 2007 release. What is evident here is that the quartet has a natural conversance with each other and with this music. Moondoc and Parker's relationship dates back to the '70s loft scene in New York with Moondoc's Muntu, his sextet, and New World Pygmies, plus Parker's large ensembles. Likewise, Swell played in Moondoc's 'Jus Grew Orchestra and with Drake, having regularly contributed to Parker's projects. These four musicians refute the oft quoted expression "familiarity breeds contempt."

These discs are both sprawling and tantalizingly crisp. Even with lengthy soloing by every member, there is no redundancy or excess fat to be trimmed here. "Junka Nu" stretches out to the twenty minute mark in both performances, but maintains a tight groove. The same is true of Swell's "Space Cowboys" which accelerates to warp speed, only stopping when they have burned all their fuel. These discs are a fitting tribute to the memory of Jemeel Moondoc.