Varner, Tom / Second Communion
Album: Second Communion   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Varner, Tom   Added:May 2002
Label:Omnitone  

Recent Airplay
1. Jul 12, 2002: Memory Select
Don's Hymn, Complete Communion [entire suite]
3. May 24, 2002: Memory Select
Complete Communion
2. Jun 21, 2002: Memory Select
Cherryco

Album Review
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2002-05-15
A tribute to Don Cherry, featuring a cover of his "Complete Communion" suite (tracks 2-6). This is fairly straightforward stuff with some interesting composing and the occasional spastic, outside passage, maybe a shade more conservative than what Cherry and Ornette Coleman preached. Varner leads the band on french horn (!). Tony Malaby does a good job on sax, playing more "out" than I've heard from him before (see #8, and #5 sort of)

1- Midtempo
2- Big grand sound, w/the slightly out-of-unison playing that Cherry & Ornette were big on. Gets speeder after the first minute or so.
3- Mid/fast, w/blazing guitar!
4- Mid/fast, Great bop/swing theme
5- Mostly slow; great, richly toned sax solo
6- Midtempo, lots of freedom, ends with fast reprise of #2
7- Mid/fast with some nice group passages
8- Varner's own suite, nice majestic mid/slow sound. Vicious guitar-steeped ending.
9- Slow, murky
10- Fast, march-like
11- Slow

Track Listing
1. Watts '56   6. Paris Ambulance Song/ ...
2. Complete Communion   7. Cherryco
3. And Now   8. Don's Big View
4. Golden Heart   9. Leaving Malaga
5. Remembrance (My Folks)   10. Elephantasy
  11. Don's Hymn