Customer Reviews

Oneness

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

 

 

Lots of space, and wonderful improvisation make this a very good CD. After many listenings it has really sunk in. At first I found it a little disconcerting, but after some late night driving with this in the CD player - I think I finally have comne to understand what's going on.

My only regret is this CD could have been a 5 star for me. But it's not. Why? Because I wish Paul Bley had been on piano. He really knows how to use space. Mike Cain is good, but Bley would really have elevated this to superb. Still, A wonderful effort!

When I came to this page to put in my thoughts I discovered that several others have had the same experience of this disk as I. A good sign. At the risk of repetition and even saying the same thing over, I'll share my thoughts anyhow.

This is, at first listen, a strange outing for a guy who is unquestionably one of the premier jazz drummers of his generation. As so many others, I was disappointed at first hearing (see the Jazz Times review on this page for a typical response). But there was substance here to tell me to wait and come back. Which I did after several years.

If Jack DeJohnette puts out a solo CD at the height of his career, (yes, there are side men, and they share credit for some tunes, but make no mistake, this is a Jack De'J CD from the firt bar) the music will say something more personal than , for example the shared-credit and rather poppish Parallel Realities or his work with Keith Jarrett's standards group from around this time.

This music is dark, densely textured percussion with distant, heat-lightening flashes in strange keys. If you've heard it and you think of this disk, I'll bet the first thing you think of is the sound of his cymbals. Yes? When have you heard anyghing like it? And probably something of the strange, off-kilter piano that breaks through. (I was not surprised to see another review wish for Paul Bley on this recording. This is very much in his arena, but I am glad he is not here. Bley is a presence to be accounted for and there is not much room for another god in this universe. Cain and Harris are restrained, almost timid as they step into DeJohnette's dark, murky waters. In fact, Cain's little patches of light in the upper register set against Jack's deep background have haunted me for years.

The tune "Jack in" is an interesting point on the CD. It is a tune he has recorded before and gives you a point of reference for what he (and Don Alias, to be fair) is doing here: letting the percussion define the tune, give it a depth a group effort can't approach. Twist it, vary the time, let a few notes remind you of where you are.

The music is all Jack but I suspect much of the credit for the sound of this recording must go to engineer Tom Mark, who has engineered some very good recordings for ECM over the years. Getting the drums and cymbals as he has here is an underappreciated art in itself.

Actually, this is one of the few of the latter day ECM CDs where the cover art gives a strong hint of the music contained. The raked and scratched, black and white impasto where light and space gather to form familiar objects. I'd venture to say if you like the art, you'll like the music, or you will come to like it, as others have.


By the way, Jack has a tune called "Oneness" that appears on the Gateway CD Homecoming (trio with Holland and Abercrombie). That song does not appear here but is has some of the same spirit. It also features Jack on piano.

Free wheeling spiritual improvisatorial jazz that doesn't conform to the standard rules. Great drums and percussion (Jack and Don Alias) plus piano playing that uses space well and is angular and thought provoking. I loved this CD and love re-listening to it. The theory behind "Oneness" is that the band improvises as a unit, not as individuals, and that concept works.

Blaine Fallis modern jazz guide the mining co.

I listened to this CD several times when I first purchased it and nothing moved me. After a few years I have just revisited this very understated and controlled series of mood pieces and now things are jelling and the total package is sinking in. For me the CD begins at "Priestesses Of The Mist" - a contemplative and atmospheric piece that slowly builds, then subsides. "Jack In" shows DeJohnette's skills to the max; this is the fastest paced and most syncopated cut; the use of space to shape the lines by Michael Cain can sometimes be frustrating. "From the Heart" shows the group improvising through many melodies and working over several themes, again without "raising its voice." This CD takes time to get used to; I would advise you stick with it and it will grow on you. One has to accept this for what it is --- a compiliation of improv works, very exacting and deep in mood, but nonetheless rewarding for those who play it more than once or twice.

Good shop, good price, fast delivery (just one week to Germany). I can only recommend to buy here.
DvF

Back in the `80s, drummer Jack DeJohnnette led two exciting bands that were recorded by ECM, New Directions (with Lester Bowie on trumpet, John Abercrombie on guitar, and Eddie Gomez on bass) and Special Edition (with a variety of sax players, usually two at a time, including Arthur Blythe, Greg Osby, and David Murray), both groups full of energy and inspiration, and he has also been the drummer for Keith Jarrett's "Standards" trio. The musicians that DeJohnette has chosen to work with him on Oneness include pianist Michael Cain, veteran percussionist Don Alias, and electric guitarist/bassist Jerome Harris. This lineup is particularly unusual in that 1) DeJohnette often plays keyboards in his solo outings, but here he has chosen to bring a young pianist on board, and 2) even though he is restricting himself to drums and percussion, DeJohnette has brought on another percussionist.

In any event, this is a fascinating recording, introspective yet energetic, and sounding at once improvisational yet very carefully composed. Although the word "oneness" used as a title can sound as if it is just another cliche, in this case the word seems quite apt, as the musicians really do seem to have a shared vision and a oneness of musical intent. Wonderful, wonderful music, truly excellent recording quality, my favorite jazz CD of 1997. Now it is out of print, alas.

I didn't understand this CD when I first bought it, in fact thought I wasted my money. After the passage of a few years, and better listening skills, I realize its significance in the realm of free improvisational jazz. Apart from "Jack-in" which does develop into a nice groove, this art form does not guarantee to evoke emotions brought on by standard compositional methods, so we listen with a different ear; indeed there are many who play this style with mediocrity. The apparent "vagueness" of the other tunes paint interesting soundscapes, as depicted by the album cover. The instruments do complement each other well, without overlap in whatever message they are trying to convey. The varied conversations in "Heart/CMA" transform into multiple feels with seamless transitions and there are sections where Dejohnette demonstrates his fluidity in fast "bop" sequences. I do look forward to listening to this work in the future to see what else I can discover. Given this art form lends itself to being executed with little meaning and disorganization, this is one exceptional work that withstands the passage of time.

 

 

Jack deJohnette- Oneness (ECM 1637)

The things I like most about this record are the percussion playing of Don Alias, plus the minimalist piano tinkerings of Michael Caine. DeJohnette himself is a great drummer, and so he should be. He has done the rounds of super groups many times over by now, and on this release explores textural possibilities aplenty. Everything sounds crisp and pristine. That's ECM for you. I believe that the group itself is fairly new, this being their second release on ECM, but between they have played with anyone who is anyone. But is this jazz? It all comes across as fairly down tempo and introspective, almost late night . Listening to some of this material reminds me of some of the excursions into musical spirituality that someone like Charles Lloyd has explored on previous ECM releases. That same sense of introspection, quietness though it's not as affective as Charles Lloyd would have it. Admittedly DeJohnette covers different territories as well. A track like Priestess Of The MInd with its windy atmospherics and mandala like opening, never really gets off the ground for me.This could have been an interesting track but in the end goes nowhere.