Customer Reviews

Ear of the Behearer

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD is a testimony of the greatness of its leader - Dewey Redman. Rarely have I encountered such variety of imagination, such control of the tradition combined with all out explorations. Redman explores sounds, rhythms, structures - and gets perfect backing from the other musicians.
"Boody" is a 12 minute blues, played mostly "straight" - Redman has a huge soul. The tune reminds me of "Turn over Baby" which he recorded some years later (The Struggle Continues) - but "Boody" is much deeper.
"Imani" is a slow piece, played in melodic unison, and producing some far out sound textures.
"Image" is played on the Asiatic-North African musette, but the rhythms here are African. It is great !
There is a beatiful ballad "joie de vivre" and collective improvisation tracks (Sunlanding, Seeds and Deeds...) - all are bold innovations.
This CD is a gem - it is essential to anyone interested in the creative music of the 20th century.

Dewey Redman spent the early 70s working with both Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett, so it's interesting to hear him leading a date. The music on this CD (expanded to over one hour from the original seven tracks) has the same lively, slightly unhinged feel that I associate with Ornette's music, no doubt abetted by the fact that Dewey plays alto sax on five of the tracks. I personally prefer his playing on tenor, where he has the thick Texas sound and doesn't sound at all like the other avant-garde tenor titans.

"Interconnection", "Walls-Bridges", and "Sunlanding" scampering, knotty free-bop tunes with some of the recording's more energetic playing. "Sunlanding" is the most challenging of the three and packs a lot of frantic playing into 2 1/2 minutes. "Imani" is a ballad, sort-of, with Dewey doing some of his trademark singing-into-the-saxophone; pretty sinister sounds on this one courtesy of the bowed bass, assorted percussion and Jane Robertson's cello. And "Boody" is a deep, deep blues with an occasional rock backbeat; it features the best tenor playing of the album. My personal highlight is "Image (In Disguise)", where Dewey plays the musette and takes an insane unaccompanied cadenza. Bassist Sirone and drummer Eddie Moore due a great job at keeping the exploratory music from flying apart. The bonus tracks (8-11) include "QOW", a funky groove number, and the pretty ballad "Joie de Vivre". If you like this, be sure to pick up Keith Jarrett's Fort Yawuh, where Dewey is absolutely mindblowing (and plays some more musette). Anyway, Ear of the Behearer is a great slab of 70s avant-garde from a somewhat underrated saxophone giant.

"Ear of the Behearer" is a classic and magnificant recording. Much of Redman's output - particularly that produced in the late 1960s and 1970s - has remained shamefully obscure, making the re-release of "Ear" especially welcome. "Ear" is the most artistically varied, uniformly powerful and mature recording in Redman's body of work. Tracks such as 'interconnection' are as free as any fan of the genre could desire, while QOW and the almost-unbelievably brilliant 'Boody' are phenomenal, gut-bucket blues workouts. The record betrays the obvious benefits of long association with a working band. The rhythm section of Sirone (bass) and Eddie Moore (drums) is solid, flexible, nuanced and capable of surging swing. The addition of Jane Robertson and Leroy Jenkins on cello and violin provides welcome textural depth and variety, and Ted Daniel is more than equal to the task of standing in the front line with Redman, who is in very, very fine voice. Throughout Redman soars on tenor, but also takes a tune on both his familiar musette and his less familiar alto horn. Without a doubt, the highlight of the recording is the stupendous 'Boody.' It is no exaggeration to say that there is no other recording quite like this song in jazz. It takes the listener on a fabulous journey through rising and descending tempos, anchored throughout by a magnificent performance by Sirone, whose power on this track simply has to be heard to be believed. And Redman contributes one of his finest ever solos, using his famous technique of 'singing' through his horn and using strategic use of space to make his lines swing and sing with incredible power. Make no mistake, this is a special, special album, that should be listened straight through without interruption. Hopefully the release of 'Ear' will stimulate greater interest in this tremendous, unjustly neglected artist. Many other fine albums, notably 'Tarik' - a tremendous trio recording featuring Malachi Favors (best known for his bass work with the Art Ensemble of Chicago) and master drummer Ed Blackwell await release on CD. Unfortunately, they may never see the light of day again.

Praise to ABC Impulse's "New Thing Series". The re-release of Dewey's first recording as leader on Impulse gives listeners the chance to re-explore the work that Dewey had been doing outside the context of Ornette Coleman's band. Dewey, searching still for his identity as leader, comes up big on this recording. The inclusion of trumpet, cello, and violin in the band expanded the muscial palette of the composer. All tunes here are Dewey's, and they are wonderfully crafted.

The combination of Eddie Moore on drums and Sirone on bass suggests the sounds of the avant-trio, The Revolutionary Ensemble. Sirone lends a steady bottom and fleet finger work to the more outside compositions and swings heavy on the soulful blues scorcher "Boody". Dewey returns to Texas roots here and plays the blues like on nothing else he has recorded. The CD would be a must for that tune alone.

Ted Daniel provides an excellent couterpoint to Dewey's Tenor sound, much the same role as played by Don Cherry in Ornette's bands. The connections to that sound are unmistakable, but the recording would not be essential if it only copied those earlier works. The gong and tympani sounds, the inclusion of musical space, were never part of Ornette's world.

Dewey takes Webster's breathing through the horn technique into the next demension. This is not a new technique for him here but he fully intragrates it into his sound. His solos flow so very logically, more so than in prior recordings, and harken his more recent work.

Included too, are all four "tenor" tunes from his subsequent ABC Impulse recording, "Coincide" which was recorded with almost the same personel about a year later.

If I had to live with only one Dewey Redman recording, this would be the one. You too should be the "Ear of the Behearer".

is a real master at blending jazz styles.He's more widely recognized in the avant-garde but he is so gifted in all forms. The thing I notice most is how musical he is, whatever style. There is everything from a straight blues to some real out stuff on here. This is a great recording and I must agree with one of the other reviewers, this needs to be heard straight through. Redman is top form. There is a lot to absorb on this and the extra tracks(the last is my fave on the record) make it even more worthwhile. Great stuff...must buy.

First of all, let me just correct the editorial review on one important point. The musette is not related in any way to the bagpipes. It's a very old double-reed instrument (something like the oboe) that is found in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. That said, this is a very fine early effort from the great Dewey Redman. He never recorded with this kind of backing ever again, and the sound is refreshing. It's also nice to hear more of his alto, an instrument on which he has a very individual voice. Redman stood apart from free players of his day by his versatility, which is well-featured on the deep blues of "Boody," one of the album's highlights. The atmospheric "Imani" is also striking. Some of the instrumentation slightly recalls Ayler's later work, but Dewey's individuality as both a soloist and leader shines through.

mr. redman came on the scene through work with ornette coleman, and the relationship is certainly apparent on this disc. using the instrumentation of other free jazz sessions (eg. albert ayler's "live in greenwich village" and archie shepp's "mama's too tight"), mr. redman explores some fascinating areas in sound, but never losing touch with jazz's most basic component of swing. the album opens with the explosive "interconnection" full of the roar and fury of free jazz at its best, but with the next tune "imani," mr. redman becomes more introspective, following some of john coltrane's spiritual excursions. so goes the flow of the album providing a great taste of avant garde jazz, mixed enough to allow someone new to the genre a way in, yet "out" enough to satisfy the listener interested in boundary breaking. it is also interesting to compare the elder redman's style with his son, joshua, who is continuing his growth and development in a more mainsteam setting. overall, a satisfying session.