Gary Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 The royal poster kindly tapped my shoulder to choose the next AOTW. I've chosen Ascension in the hope that there will be a lot a different opinions of it & that it may be a CD owned by people that wouldn't normally purchase this type of music. If you have any sort of opinion please post it. I'll be posting mine soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Fitzgerald Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 OK - so which version is the album of the week? Edition I or Edition II? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted October 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 Both are on my CD so shall we go with both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 good choice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Д.Д. Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 Good choice, Gary! But a mediocre album, as far as I remember. Haven't listened to it for a couple of years now (I listen to ROVA version pretty often, though ). Will relisten to it when I get home, and will post my thoughts here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 Good choice, Gary! But a mediocre album, as far as I remember. Blasphemy!!!!!! Actually, I have never enjoyed listening to Ascension all that much (nor Free Jazz, for that matter) but have a lot of respect for both of them as historically essential documents. I'll take this opportunity to relisten to Ascension and see if my opnion of it as music has changed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted October 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 (edited) But a mediocre album, as far as I remember. I was expecting a range of views but mediocre was one I never imagined would pop up! Edited October 6, 2004 by Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 Unlistenable ... ... will try tp prove the opposite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcoliv Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 i wouldn't say mediocre but i´m still trying to digest this particular album Marcus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 As the guy who discovered the 2 versions, and big having opinions about the 2, I need to go back and listen again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave9199 Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 I loved this album from the first listen all the way through. It's got a simple structure & the solos can go anywhere around, inside, outside or any direction. It's just so damn FULL! I think I like it better than Ornette's Free Jazz because it's fuller sounding. And I like both versions equally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Moments Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 geez dave, were we separated at birth? i felt the same way! loved it the first time i heard it! B-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave9199 Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 geez dave, were we separated at birth? i felt the same way! loved it the first time i heard it! Don't know. Do you look my my mother's tv repair man? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bright Moments Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 geez dave, were we separated at birth? i felt the same way! loved it the first time i heard it! Don't know. Do you look my my mother's tv repair man? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 Okay - I'm going to make me a verystrong capuccino and start the day with this album ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 I've had version one since it's first release. It was a tough listen then and after listening to both versions it's still tough. The big problem for me is the free for all ensembles, some structure would have improved things and might have set the solos off to better effect. As for the solos, Hubbard doesn't fit too well and I find myself liking John Tchicai's and Marion Brown's more thoughtful efforts the most. Elvin is great throughout. Perhaps because of familiarity I prefer version 1. A valiant failure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 My personal Alternate Album of the Week: Brubeck---Jazz Impressions of Eurasia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Posted October 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 I love this CD, it did take a lot of listening to get my ears used to it, I find the ensemble playing more enjoyable with each listen & each notch up on the volume. The outstanding solos for me are Trane’s /John Tchicai ‘s & Pharoah Saunder’s (sounding a bit like Ayler). Hubbard does sound a bit out of place on Take 1 (edition II), but more at home on take 2 (edition I) . Archie Shepp’s solo on take 2 is superb. I agree with John that Elvin plays like a true master throughout maybe Rashid Ali wasn’t needed anyway. What was the reaction of Trane fans when this was first released? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 I think most trane fans snapped it up pretty quick. I certainly did. I think that opinions were just as mixed then as they are now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 (edited) I used to listen at Ascension and Free Jazz (and Ayler, AEOC, etc.) when I was preparing my examination at the end of Art School. Because it was pure avantgarde, we were pure avantgarde at Art School, and my parents hated that music B-) . At that time I snobbed "mainstream" music, that in my judgement included Ellington, Pink Floyd, Dylan and Art Blakey, (the only admitted rock group were the Clash). Now I am older, bought a little Ellington, more Dylan and Floyd, a lot of Blakey, but I still love Ascension PS, I have an old italian Lp, wich version do you think I knew? Edited October 14, 2004 by porcy62 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alon Marcus Posted October 15, 2004 Report Share Posted October 15, 2004 Till now it was unlistenable for me too. Though I like Ornette Coleman's small groups (especially the Atlantic years) and Coltrane's "Meditations" I couldn't survive till the end of neither "Free Jazz" nor "Ascension". It's just too intense and too long. I prefer more "organized" groups like Wayne Shorter's "The all seeing eye" and I like combinations of free improvisations with structured compositions (like on Dave Liebman's "Conversations"). I'll give Ascension a few more tries; it's been more than two years since I've heard it. Another record, for that matter, with a similar concept is Alan Silva's "Alan Silva & the celestial communication orchestra – Seasons". Is there anybody familiar with that one? A few of the participators in that musical orgy are: Silva, Steve Lacy, Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Robin Kenyatta, Michel Portal, and Joachim Kuhn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alon Marcus Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 A few observations after listening to the record once again: 1. It sounds much better to me now than two years before. The ideas are clearer. Still I think it was much more fun for the musicians to make the album than for me listening to it. 2. I like the diversity of the album, this time I survived with no special problems the two editions (both clock at about 40 minutes) mainly because of the interesting solos. Each player's personality shines through these solos. 3. My favorite solos are by Shepp and Tyner. 4. The piece has an obvious tonal center and the improvisations are being launched from there. In that sense it is not a totally free of harmony. It is also based on a melodic motif similar to "Love Supreme". 5. A quick research that anyone can do on the web shows that there are pre planned modes on the tutti parts: B flat natural minor, D Phrygian, G flat Lydian and F Phrygian (actually the three modes except for D Phrygian are the same series of notes just being started from a different tonic). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Goren. Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 I loved this album from the first listen all the way through. It's got a simple structure & the solos can go anywhere around, inside, outside or any direction. It's just so damn FULL! I think I like it better than Ornette's Free Jazz because it's fuller sounding. And I like both versions equally. geez dave, were we separated at birth? i felt the same way! loved it the first time i heard it! I absolutely agree with you, Dave & BM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Weil Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 Gary asked me to contribute to this thread, so.... I haven't been around for a while because I've got back/RSI problems which prevent me posting in an ongoing way. But I've got an article about late Coltrane which may be can be of interest: Circling Om This is a kind of wound-up (which doesn't help my back), intellectual article. Hope that's OK. Simon Weil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 Great to have you back Simon. I look forward to reading this after lunch. Good luck with the health issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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