Musicians: Jim Ryan - alto & tenor sax, flute, voice, recitation; Eddie Gale - trumpet; Alicia Morgan - tenor sax; Scott R. Looney - piano; Kristjan Bondesson - bass; Marshall Tramell - drums
Review: This recording is "dedicated to those destroyed daily by the US war of greed." Fair enough. There is a strong tradition of political commentary associated with jazz music, particularly from the sixties, when it was often directed against racial discrimination. Archie Shepp's Malcolm and Sonny Rollins' Freedom Now! Suite come to mind, and I am sure there are many others. A little of that goes a long way for me, however. I have no objection in principle, as long as the music itself has some redeeming value. This recording does not fall into that category.
Jim Ryan is billed as "one of the last living poet/musicians of the beat generation." Based on this outing, if the tradition is dying out I will be happy to see it go. There is more to poetry than invective, more to free music than shapeless scribbling. Whatever your politics, and I am no fan of the "power-hungry fiends" of which Ryan speaks, I can think of a lot better ways to express my opposition to them. This is a matter of opinion, of course, but the problem I have with Ryan's poetry is, why would anyone want to listen to it more than once? It's the same thing with the music. I have way too much respect for "free" music to recommend the scratching and bleating that often passes for it. I have worked in this field myself and I can pick up a saxophone any time and play honks, and chromatic swirls and the rest. There is something more than this to playing free. If you want to hear free music, try Paul Bley, Evan Parker, and Barre Phillips (ECM 1609), or the early Spontaneous Music Ensemble with Evan, Derek Bailey, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Holland and John Stevens. That music has real integrity. By comparison, this is nothing.
Tracks: Where Are They?, Lovely Desert (w/Thorns), Looney's Lead, Jim's Trio, Ballad, HumVee, Evolution
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