With volume one this completes a session recorded during the trio’s current European tour. Again Coleman is seen in many guises – from the ferocious swinger of The Riddle to the producer of delicate traceries on Morning. He plays beautifully in any role and again turns up enough eloquent fragments to suggest countless themes in their own right.
If this album falls behind its predecessor it is because of Snowflakes, a feature for violin and trumpet. The lack of creation in his playing on these instruments is difficult to reconcile with his inventive work on alto. One poor track on an album is not a phenomenon, however, and the quality of the remainder more than atones for its shortcomings.
Moffett is Coleman’s aide-de-camp and he makes a considerable contribution to the trio. The Riddle is a dynamic performance and he generates an intense swing which is a vital factor in Coleman’s headlong flight. His brush work on Morning is, in contrast, extremely delicate and on slow items such as this he exposes Izenzon’s faintly stiff timing. The bassist is at his best on faster material and when playing pizzicato cannot be faulted. He produces melodic lines that form a counterpoint with the leader and on Antiques, in particular, shows great imagination. Very little need be said about a record such as this. Coleman is one of the great jazz musicians; his tone is one of the most beautiful in jazz history and his powers of invention are at times overwhelming. Free-form followers with budget problems will probably buy only volume one but both should be heard. A final decision might depend on which of Coleman’s excellent themes appeals the most.
Discography
Snowflakes And Sunshine; Morning Song (21 min) – The Riddle; Antiques (21½ min)
Ornette Coleman (alt/tpt/vln); David Izenzon (bs); Charles Moffett (d). November, 1965.
(Blue Note 4225 45s. 3d.)
