Charles Gayle, William Parker & Rashied Ali "Touchin' On Trane" CD (1993, FMP)

Description: Here we have a stunning work of jazz exploration, performed by three giants of the genre as a tribute to one of the all-time greats: CHARLES GAYLE, WILLIAM PARKER and RASHIED ALI: Touchin' on Trane, a CD issued in 1993 by the mighty FMP label. If you are familiar with the work of these three players, you won't be surprised to know just how incredible it is... but if that doesn't convince you, read what music aficionado Phil Freeman had to say about this disc (thanks, Phil): "What separates Touchin’ On Trane from the pack is the mastery of the three players involved, and their ability to be taken out of themselves by the opportunity to work with the others. This was their first collective encounter, and it would remain such for over 15 years. Seemingly inspired by the uniqueness of the circumstance, each man plays at the highest possible level, driving the others forward even as he reaches deep within himself to bring out something ineffable and awe-inspiring. "Gayle in particular sounds totally different here than on any of his other recordings. The full-bore post-Ayler screams of albums like Repent and More Live are absent, replaced by mature, searching phrases, particularly on “Part B,” a ballad where Parker bows behind him and Ali works with brushes, slapping the drums with his customary force but less raw sound than usual. Hell, on “Part B,” it even sounds like the saxophonist throws in a quote from the spiritual “Lift High the Cross,” though I’d have to go back to church to be sure, and that ain’t happening. "Parker sounds like himself, as always; his ability to transform an upright bass into a talking drum has remained undiminished in the 30-plus years he’s been recording and performing, but his work with the bow on this disc is every bit as amazing, particularly when he yanks it from its quiver for a few evocative slides across the strings rather than getting lost in long passages of high-tension sawing, as he’s done on other occasions. "And Ali is simultaneously restrained and convulsively powerful. When I first heard this album, in my mid-twenties, part of me wished the drums were louder, more aggressive—I thought a rock/metal approach would have driven the other two players into even more of a frenzy. And maybe that would have been true. But a) that wouldn’t have served the music, wouldn’t have created the suspended-in-air feeling that so much of this album has, even at its most fervid; and b) what the hell was I thinking? The drum solo on “Part C” is like an avalanche wiping away a town. "Despite being firmly within the free jazz tradition, Touchin’ On Trane is very much its own thing. As I said above, it’s unique in Charles Gayle’s discography—though he’s had other moments of glory, none come close to this." This disc is near mint. Track list Part A Part B Part C Part D Part E

Price: 15 USD

Location: Brentwood, California

End Time: 2024-11-17T04:45:07.000Z

Shipping Cost: 5 USD