Although this album has only one soloist and was all recorded on the same day, there is such a difference between the two sides that they could almost come from two different people. The first side, backed only by bass and phone directory (played with brushes, before you start getting any silly ideas) finds Marsh at his driest and most exploratory. The phrases are not necessarily complex in themselves, but their contact with the underlying structures (all identified on the sleeve) is sometimes extremely tenuous, and they sound even more detached emotionally than they are musically.
The inspiring comping of Ronnie Ball on side two transforms the mood completely. Here is the Marsh who is not only one of the most difficult but also one of the most thrilling improvisers in jazz history, especially on 223 East 2nd Street and August In New York. Always light on his feet, he switches unpredictably from lyricism to intricacy, serenity to drive, instead of limiting himself to one quality at a time like the average jazz musician. Nothing here quite equals I Remember You on Warne’s other Wave LP – one of the great jazz solos – but even so the best tracks are almost bursting with feeling, invention and rhythmic life. Personally I would have liked to hear some Ronnie Ball solos too, but on balance I must agree with producer Peter Ind that it is best to hear Warne without other people getting in the way.
Discography
Summer Session; Easy Beat; Sunshine; East Side Swing (17.20) – 223 East 2nd Street; August In New York; Change Around; Get Together; Tracery (18.30)
Warne Marsh (ts); Ronnie Ball |p); Eddie de Haas/Peter Ind (b); Bob Minnicucci (telephone book). NYC, 9.8.60.
(Wave LP 10)
