Customer Reviews

Homage to Charlie Parker

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

 

 

Truly, I can't come to terms with how an album can be so mis-appreciated by customers. The praise "Five stars" literally gets toss around like a can of worms intended for rabid dogs that should be held in line to be shot.
This album, however rabitic, enters that qualitative realm of furious improvisation on its own aesthetic terms, like the Ornette Coleman of old. Yet, Lewis approaches with an emotional legato reminiscent of Lester Young's tonal sincerities, layering profound lines with a quickness and prescient jive that recalls Coltrane's sheets of sound too. That is why critics have hailed this work, not only an essential modern record, but one of the top jazz/improvised records created since the 1960's. Please refute the lacklustrous rating given by others who can't tell the difference between 4/4 time and 5/8ths.
A Monument in its own right, as well as a brilliant spangle to Parker, Lewis, here, makes the mortal-gone appeal, and breathes tonant clarionisms the likes of several heavens

There are very few albums that can totally rearrange your ideas about music. This album along with Highway 61 Revisited, Pet Sounds, Swordfishtrombones, In a Silent Way, and East of the River Nile totally changed how I perceive music. A landmark album and easily one of the greatest instrumental albums ever recorded!

free form jazz released in 1979, happily to say, this sounds a bit dated, proof that free form jazz evolves and progresses and hasn't become a timepiece.

only two selections, blues and, the second, homage to charles parker. blues begins as a slow blues, a kind of leaning against the outside wall of some building looking on to a field with smokestacks far in the distance. the blues fall apart into slow solo stretches. homage to charles is a long muted groan by horns picked up the synthesizers until the solo horns return.

a lot of space the players cover, slow and sparse. anthony davis's piano is spare, and ideas here he incorporates on his own recordings with piano and moogs and synthesizers.

the synthesizers fill in for lack of drums and bass. the decision of instruments is the selling point of this album. in the order listed: anthony davis, piano; douglas ewart, bass clarinet; george lewis, tenor trombone; richard teitelbaum, polymoog, multimoog and micromoog synthesizers.

you might want to include a listen of the george lewis's cd between ornette coleman's free jazz and muhal richard abrams' streaming, as three separate periods of a genre.

This album is, quite unfortunately, a mixed bag. The album is only two cuts.

First is "Blues", which is very much in the style of "free jazz". There are some good moments, but overall the piece is just average. Highlights are limited to the quite amazing sounds Lewis is able to generate from his tenor trombone.

Second is "Homage to Charles Parker." This piece is worth five stars on its own -- it's beautiful. The piece is mostly Anthony Davis on piano and Lewis on tenor trombone. Its far more "conventional" than "Blues," and much more accessible. See if you can hear the ever-so-subtle nods to Parker's music.

If you don't mind spending the money for one long, landmark composition/improvisation, get this album.