There is absolutely no limit on the colors, timbres and moods that Joe McPhee can pour through whatever instrument he happens to be playing. His solo material from the middle 1970s is simply magical; just listen to "Beanstalk," the tenor improvisation that opens this reissue, to hear McPhee go through his changes, from nearly silent mouth sounds and percussives that prefigure elements of Onkyo to full-force "new thing" honks and blasts and vibrato-drenched moanings that would make Albert Ayler proud. His dynamic range is astonishing; without warning, he'll switch from a full-throated roar to the most velvety pianissimo imaginable, jumping back into squall and scree after a few gorgeously timed melody notes. He can accomplish similar feats of melodic and timbral prowess on soprano while employing a language unique to the instrument. "Motian Studies" finds him anticipating John Butcher with a series of beautifully executed multiphonics, but he then flies headlong into a whirlwind of runs, swings and roundabouts, all with that buttery soprano tone that is uniquely his.
Despite innovation, there is always a measure of introspective retrospection in McPhee's work. "Beanst"lk" is, after all, a tribute to a tenor innovator from another generation, Coleman Hawkins, and the disc also contains a version, on tenor, of Monk's "Round Midnight" that is moving beyond description. The track opens with trilled hints at the harmonies that demonstrate the multivalent way McPhee engages with the ballad. When he begins the melody, he loosens the tempo of this perennial favorite, elongating each phrase, each note, to fit his expressive purposes. Monk would become a favorite point of reference for Trio X, a McPhee concern since the late 1990s and a group that loves to present history in contexts that play with the very notion of "free jazz".
Though taken from vinyl, the recorded sound is just fine, with no shortage of space around the phrases and resolutions. This is an extremely important reissue for anyone wishing to understand this multi-instrumentalist's development. Corbett Vs. Dempsey are to be commended for bringing this and other seminal McPhee releases back into circulation.
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