The Cosmosamatics - Live At Banlieues Blues

[JSngry]

Sonny Simmons (ignore him at your own risk!), Michael Marcus, Tarus Mateen, and "special guest" (special being one of the understatements of the still young century) ANDREW CYRILLE (HELL YEAH!). On the French Bleu-regard label. Somebody sent me a burn to audition, so I don't readily know where to get it, but when I find out, I will do so immediately. That's how much I'm digging it.

This is a representation of contemporary jazz in its finest, fullest flower if you ask me. No it ain't Hard Bop, or funky, or anything else. It's just four cats playing masterfully. Some might call it "free", but if that word conjures images of tortuous crash and burn squealfests, think again in this instance. This is how I like to hear modern music played - with references to and a full awareness of things like structures and time, but without any unnecessary (for these individuals, anyway) need to go over what everybody already knows is there, which in turn frees them up to, as Ornette said, "play the music, not the background".

It takes a really masterful, and above all, mature musician to work this territory and not have it turn into either a rambling rant or a seminar on advanced eccentricity, and this group is indeed masterful. There's total interplay, and a logical narrative flow to all the pieces, which is what I want out of ANY music. "Structure" certainly entails more than recurrent song forms of a set # of bars and preordained chord changes. It's all about how you get from Point A to Point Z, and the options are limitless. Simmons is a master at this - he uses elements of the entire spectrum of jazz, not to replicate or to signify, but simply to tell his own personal-yet-universal stories in that language. What he says is comprised of many familiar elements, but the way that he says it and puts it together is entirely his own. When he's in top form, which he seems to be quite a bit these days, he's one of the most coherent and compelling players there is. You can't help but follow him, that's how together he is.

Marcus & Mateen are excellent as well, but right now, how 'bout some LONG overdue props for Mr. Andrew Cyrille. Like Simmons, he's a player who plays "out" music using a great deal of "in" vocabulary (and I DO hate these arbitrary designations - you're either playing or you're not. "Styles" don't mean a DAMN thing as far as I'm concerned). This guy has total command of his instrument and his music. Simmons and him make for a perfect pairing. You can listen to them and clearly hear what's not being explicitly said because their roots run so deep that "the tradition" is not something they have to blatantly state for you to know it's there. Since Andrew Hill is getting such good play on this board these days (another HELL YEAH!), let me put it like this - imagine this music as 4 Andrew Hills playing together at once and as one, a 4-way Andrew Hill solo simultaneously played by two saxes, bass, and drums. You'd still get the deep feeling of "jazz" from it, and you'd still hear the logic and the development - even if it came and went at its own personal pace. In the end, you'd definitely know that you started at Point A, ended at Point Z, and had a helluva interesting ride getting there. That's the way this band goes about their business.

No need to go into the specifics of each piece, for this is one instance where the music really does speak for itself. If you prefer stuff that deals more overtly and literally in the beautiful traditional elements of jazz, then this one is probably not for you. But if you can dig a music that takes those specifics for granted (and includes them in its underlying essence) and goes from there, not to speak the words without the understanding but rather to speak the understanding without the words, then by all means check this puppy out. These are two masters in their prime and two damn fine players on the way to theirs at work in full glory here, and it is not to be missed by those who might be interested.

[Green Dolphin]

I've picked up Bleu Regard stuff in the past from Cadence(sounds like this one is worth checking out when I next order from them).

[Joe]

Andrew Cyrille pretty much salvaged the recent Shepp / Rudd / Moncur reunion disc on Verve for this listener. Not to mention the many fine dates his led under his own name...

The man needs a thread (but not necessarily some threads) of his own!