Phil Ranelin: The Time Is Now!

The early '70s were difficult times in the United States, not least for the jazz community. The optimism of the flower-power and peace movements had given way to political radicalism, conflict and paranoia, and the excitement of the initial free jazz and jazz-fusion eras had begun to wane. John Coltrane and Albert Ayler were dead. Miles Davis was playing thick, unrelenting funk. Important record labels such as Columbia and Atlantic were largely pursuing multiplatinum rock acts rather than jazz. Some musicians moved to Europe, where audiences were more receptive and where (at least some of the time) Black artists were treated with more respect.

Other artists stayed put, embracing a spirit of self-determination, and building their own community structures. Tribe—a Detroit collective led by trombonist Phil Ranelin, trumpet and flugelhorn player Marcus Belgrave, and tenor saxophonist Wendell Harrison—is a fascinating case in point: it encompassed a record label, a magazine, event promotion, and a community center. Now-Again Records recently put out 7 classic Tribe Records LPs in all-analog vinyl pressings cut by master engineer Bernie Grundman, with a 20-page booklet, including photos and other ephemera, detailing Tribe history. Ranelin's The Time Is Now!, released in 1974, features an extended group (horns, piano/electric piano, two drummers, two bassists, and much percussion) and offers a beguiling variety of jazz approaches which are of their time and yet resonate fully today.

Ranelin's brief liner notes state that, "It is my hope that in some way, the music on this recording will not only inspire, or create moments of happiness, but also help cure or heal. . .(t)his is an honest effort to communicate with and raise the awareness level of all the people." That is a heady remit but it emphasizes the good intentions and optimism of Tribe at its peak level of activity. Side A of the record begins with the 14-minute "The Time is Now for Change," which is high on atmospherics but, ironically, light on "changes." Over groaning bass ostinatos and repeated piano vamps, the large group explores the kind of spooky, static weightlessness found in early Weather Report. Without any swing or harmonic movement, interest is maintained by solos from Ranelin, Harrison, and Belgrave, and exciting ping-pong drum patterns by Turner and Davidson, who are panned left and right, respectively. The much briefer "Time is Running Out" has a dire-sounding title, but the music is not aggressive; again, a bass vamps while Vreeland plays beautiful electric piano runs and clusters underneath sax solos and collective horn improvisations.

Side B shifts to much more upbeat jazz, with swinging beats and beguiling, memorable melodic material from Ranelin. "Of Times Gone By" is particularly great, sounding like the kind of thing one might have found on the Impulse! label five to ten years earlier. "Black Destiny" is rooted in a rolling Latin-tinged dual-drum beat over which the horns collectively improvise; the communication between the players is particularly heightened here. "13th and Senate" is a blues featuring a loping bass pattern and well-integrated horn playing, particularly by Belgrave. The very brief album closer is yet another memorable, swinging jazz groove over which Ranelin solos effectively and the drummers dance and spar with each other. The entire Side B is outstanding, and, while the atmospherics of Side A are also enjoyable, another 20 minutes of music like this might have made for a more cohesive statement from this talented group.

Along with the informative booklet, this welcome reissue of The Time Is Now! provides an excellent introduction to Phil Ranelin, an under-appreciated musician and bandleader, to the Tribe legacy, and to a complex but fascinating time in the history of jazz.

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