All About Jazz

Sunny Murray/John Edwards/Tony Bevan: Home Cooking in the UK

By GERMEIN LINARES
April 20, 2005
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The overall loose and disjointed rhythms of free jazz can, at least in part, be traced back to Sunny Murray's innovations of the late '50s and early '60s. Having worked with men like Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and Albert Ayler, Murray found a cadence to match the wide, wild, and multi-dimensional aspects of these free-jazzers. Of course, imitators and copycats being who they are, Murray's techniques are often borrowed and duplicated, some better than others. As heard on Home Cooking in the UK, the original remains littered with subtleties and details most miss.

Joining Murray on this live, three-song set are the British duo of saxophonist Tony Bevan and bassist John Edwards. The three tunes appear as spontaneous creations, with an overall mood and tone towards the mysterious and the unknown. In creating these settings, the music at times floats and soars with remarkable ease, assured by Murray's support and Bevan's hefty tone. Just as Murray can provide rhythm and flair as he engages and disengages the group, so does bassist Edwards, a pleasant surprise on Home Cooking in the UK. Often finding his own melody while maintaining the overall trajectory of the group, Edwards excels in these improvised scenes.

Though only comprising three tunes, the overall album is actually 42 minutes in length, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of Sunny Murray and connoisseurs of fine freedoms.