Morphogenesis

Jazz | Jul 2017

Reviews

Be Sharp
Reviewed 2017-08-21
AVANT-GARDE JAZZ

Alto sax master (and MacArthur Fellow) Steve Coleman leads a new, mid-sized combo called Natal Eclipse. Jonathan Finlayson is here from the Five Elements, as are several folks from Coleman’s big band, Council of Balance. This lineup is alto & tenor saxes, trumpet, clarinet, violin, voice, and piano. There’s no traditional drum kit, but some percussion on tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9. The sounds of violin & clarinet mixed with those of sax & trumpet produce a hybrid of avant-garde classical and jazz.

No FCC issues.

1 Mid-slow. Jagged melody line, first on alto then trumpet. Loose, casual interaction. (9:35)
2 * Mid-tempo. Bouncy melody mostly on alto. Dissonant insertions by others. (5:18)
3 Mid-slow. Bursts of interrupted melody. Wordless female vox. Eerie but pleasant. (4:31)
4 Very slow. Percussion starts, then long mournful notes. Background vox & sounds. (4:39)
5 ** Mid-tempo. Intricate counterpoint with all reeds & pizzicato bass. Vox joins. Solos by alto sax, piano, violin. Seems composed, not improved, not dissonant. Interesting. (14:08)
6 ** Mid-slow. Gentle & melodic interplay between all the instruments. Bass solo. (5:10)
7 * Slow. Short honks on sax. Adagio voice & trumpet. Eerie & mesmerizing. (3:45)
8 * Mid-slow. Melodic, but everyone is independent. Bass & piano accompany. (6:58)
9 Mid-fast. Anxious & tense. Mostly ensemble playing; trumpet has a solo. (6:30)

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Charting

2017-08-26 — 2017-10-28 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Oct 15 2
Sep 24 1
Sep 17 1
Sep 10 1
Sep 3 1

Track listing

1. Inside Game
2. Pull Counter
3. Roll Under And Angles
4. Noh
5. Morphing
6. Shoulder Roll
7. Span
8. Dancing And Jabbing
9. Horda