Jan Garbarek/Bobo Stenson Quartet: Witchi-Tai-To – This LP was made only a week after Garbarek had been in the studio with Art Lande for another ECM date, and it shows him again as a rather indiscriminate imitator of other reedmen, with little individuality. The main style heard here, but not with Lande, is that of the high-intensity, but slowly and sentimentally gushing lyricist (such as Gato Barbieri in recent days). It’s a rather trite and unconvincing effect. Bobo Stenson seems less adventurous than on his own trio LP for ECM, but there are occasional nice Tynerish bitonal runs. Most of the solos are stultified by the monotonous rhythmic environment provided by Christensen, and by the limited material. Even Don Cherry’s theme Desireless is given an uninteresting rendering, though Danielsson, who plays quite forcefully throughout, contributes a useful theme, Kukka. A rather unsatisfying record.
Discography
Kukka; A.I.R.; Hasta Sempre; Witchi-Toi-To; Desireless (46 min)
Jan Garbarek (sop/ten); Bobo Stenson (pno); Palle Danielsson (bs); Jon Christensen (dm). Oslo 27-28/11/73.
(ECM 1041 £2.85)
Art Lande/Jan Garbarek: Red Lanta – Pleasant though this album is, it’s unfortunately totally derivative and unimaginative. Some accompanying blurb suggests that the American Lande ‘can bear comparison with Corea and Jarrett’, but, honestly, he’s a very pale shadow of either man, and he has little of his own. The chord sequences of his themes are very repetitive (a closely similar succession of major seventh chords occurs in three tunes), and after the superficial pleasure of the sentimental tunes, little of substance remains. Garbarek is a versatile performer, but he also lacks individuality – mostly he’s like Joe Farrell with the early Return to Forever, and even on bass-sax he sounds un-distinctive. I’m afraid this is one of the first disappointments from ECM. As always, beautifully recorded and produced.
Discography
Quintenaissance; Velvet; Waltz For A; Awakening-Midweek; Verdulac; Miss Fortune; Medley; Open Return-Canción del Momento; Meanwhile; Cherifen Dream of Renate (51 min)
Art Lande (pno); Jan Garbarek (flt/sop/bs-sax). Oslo 19-20/1 1/73.
(ECM 1038 £2.85)
