Customer Reviews

Song X

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4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(12)

 

 

All the outrage and confusion engendered by this record could be alleviated by recognition of a simple fact -- this is an Ornette Coleman record, not a Pat Metheny record. It was a great gesture on Metheny's part to offer Ornette star billing on "his record" on Geffen, and he surprised us by playing quite well with the master, but it's not a balanced collaboration. Ornette is clearly the leader, and Metheny a sideman and arranger, in the sense of putting together the band. With a clear recognition of Metheny's contribution, we can only thank him immensely!

Since he put together his Prime Time band, Ornette has had an unfortunate tendency to play with younger musicians that offer him no challenge. (As opposed, say, to Cecil Taylor, who positively thrives on playing with the most advanced improvisers.) Here on SONG X, Ornette is pushed to some of his best and most inspired playing by Haden, DeJohnette, and yes, by Metheny, both on the wild side and on the lyrical side. I saw Ornette with Prime Time in 1982 and 1987, and I saw the SONG X tour in between. Interestingly, Prime Time sounded better live than the band with Metheny, but of studio documents, SONG X is far better than anything ever recorded by Prime Time. (I hope the live Prime Time recording, OPENING THE CARAVAN OF DREAMS, will be re-released soon, an outstanding document of the early-mid '80s band that I saw in Chicago in 1982.)

As for the outraged fans of the mellow, non-threatening Metheny, I suggest that you open your ears and give a good listen to Ornette's THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME. Its lyrical quality clearly reveals the later bridge to this music with Metheny. You can use that historic album's stylistic innovation (hey, the harmony, melody and rhythm are all mixed up!) as a bridge back to SONG X. You'll hear it as you've never heard it before once your ears have a chance to become attuned to the potentiality of music that is Free!

It always has been a hoot to see the befuddled reaction to this by some of Pat's fans. "Ornette is on the fringe of jazz" they say.

Sorry folks, in the history of jazz, Metheny is a paragraph. A good paragraph, to be sure. Ornette is a whole chapter.

That Pat can play Ornette's music is a testament to his ability. But Ornette is the master. Those who get it, get it. Those who don't are left behind.

Thank you for considering my words.

. . . after ten years. I don't know why it took me so long, but I'm finally enjoying this wonderful, if slightly off-kilter, session. I think this is at least the third disc of this music that I've bought--not all, thankfully, at full price. And I'm keeping this one.

Maybe it's just that my ears have, over the past decade, opened up a little. That's part of it, I think. And I do remember listening to it this time around with no particular expectations. A few observations. I'm entirely taken by Coleman's violin playing on "Mob Job," so much so that I'd like to have heard more of it represented here. I don't think I'd like a whole disc of it, and I know he doesn't play the violin "correctly," but he has a unique way of approaching it, achieves some delicious sonorities, and interacts with Metheny and bandmates very interestingly. I was also surprised by the quieter, more lyrical selection, "Kathelin Gray" (a mournful, elegiac ballad), and parts of "Mob Job."

I also think the inclusion of Denardo is more than nepotism. He adds a kind of percussive thrust and coloration--granted, a little dated--that Coleman pere and Metheny obviously wanted, and to these ears, at least, he admirably acquits himself. Haden and DeJohnette are at the absolute top of their game and come across as absolutely comfortable in this, for the most part, free-jazz setting.

There is much to recommend this music to anyone used to more outré jazz--the sly blues/field holler/gospel sensibility, the unique aural signature, snatches of beauty emerging from what initially sounds like aural chaos, the last half of "Endangered Species" with its train motif, weirdo Denardo contributions, and sheer high energy, and some of Coleman's most inspired playing. One should also acknowledge the adventurous spirit demonstrated by Metheny, who risked alienating his fan base (mission accomplished, if the reviews posted at this site are typical) by setting aside his hugely popular regular jazz gig to play with one of his heroes. And it's not as if Metheny has never done this kind of thing before; the title cut to Off Ramp shares a similar approach to what's going on here.

Certainly not for everybody, but he who has an ear, let him hear.

This is Pat Metheney's greatest work. Yes, in his pre-sell-out era, he was quite a musician; on the Avant Garde, no less. Many of the musicians from Prime Time appear on this album, including Ornette's son, Denardo. I just purchased this album a week or two ago, and when it arrived I listened to it three times straight through, and then listened to the track "Video Games" twice again. Ornette once said "I never thought about playing music of my time. I'm always trying to outdate myself." The musical significance of this album reaches into the depths of other albums like A Love Supreme. And while I wouldn't call his older works outdated, this is definately a standout in the evolution of his philosophy of music and life: Harmolodics. If you'd like to learn more about Harmolodics, or spend the better half of your lifetime trying to understand it, check out Ornette's web site and join their newsletter. If you're a musician (be it Classical, Jazz, or any other form) you may be interested in the Harmolodic Music Theory subscription. Harmolodic theory is considered to be purely within jazz, but with my limited understanding of it, I see no reason it should stay there. If you are a classical musician, and disagree, check out Skies of America -- another landmark in Ornette's discography -- and tell me I'm nuts. Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent here, so I'll just stop now.

But this album.

Ok, seriously -- I'm done.

There are no "hooks" in this music. It is not pedestrian! You must listen to it attentively and be prepared to experience something out of the ordinary--which is always true of Ornette Coleman.

Pat Metheny is one of the few jazz musicians who can play and compose melodic and almost orchestral work (with the later Pat Metheny Groups) as well as playing "outside" jazz as well. This work is much more approachable than Pat's work "Sign of Four" (what wouldn't be?). It features the relentlessly creative drum work of Jack Dejohnette, a modern jazz giant, and the superlative bass work of another superstar Charlie Haden (who played with Coleman back in the fifties and sixties). Denardo Coleman chimes in on percussion and drums and is the least noteworthy of the bunch. His electronic percussion is somewhat annoying--as it always is in my book. Give me that old unwired drum set! Ornette also plays some violin, strangely..., of course.

If you have only heard the more recent Pat Metheny Group recordings, and are not familiar with the outside edge of jazz, you may find this work somewhat jarring and/or puzzling. It can be quite frenetic, and is probably not the best choice of music to listen to before retiring for the evening. Nevertheless, it is serious and challenging material. Why stick with the ordinary? Jazz is "the music of surprise"!

Douglas Groothuis

If memory serves, the 1986 vinyl version of "Song X" was a digital recording. I remember hearing stories of audiophiles who purchased this title on the basis of a little familiarity with Metheny (the White Album, etc), dropped the needle on the record, and entered a state of shock! An urban legend, I suppose.

Pat Metheny has paid tribute to Ornette Coleman throughout his recording career: as early as 1976 on his trio album, "Bright Size Life" and again on his 1983 trio performance "Rejoicing". So, "Song X" is hardly unprecedented.

Metheny & Coleman make wildly energetic music together -- this record will blow the cobwebs out of your head in no time flat. "Song X" is not for everyone but then, what is? And hey, if you enjoyed this, try John Zorn's "Spy vs. Spy: The Music of Ornette Coleman" and get into some harmolodic thrash!

I bought Song X on vinyl, nearly twelve years ago. I couldn't stand it. For a while I have wondered if perhaps I would feel differently now. I certainly did. I find it intense, spectral, and, as a matter of fact, rockin. If you need to relax, though, certainly DON'T PLAY THIS!!! It (almost) never stops driving and driving hard. I think the term 'free jazz' would be appropriate. A large percentage of the non-jazz listening public would, I imagine, find much Jazz, Coltrane doing 'My Favorite Things', or 'Ole' performed by Pharaoh Sanders, to be complete and utter noise and chaos. It's all a matter of degree. I love it. If you found that you enjoyed losing your mind while listening to Song X, may I recommend Gong's 'Camembert Electrique', Jamaladeen Tacuma ('Rennesaince Man' if you can find it!) or, for the faint of heart, some nice, calm Alan Holdsworth.

It always amazes me that even now, forty-some years after Ornette's breakthrough gig at the Five Spot in New York, his music still gets people's dander up. I don't get it truly. Ornette, in any context, always sounds to me like the musician he is, gifted, lyrical, and deeply embedded in the blues. No matter how wild his accompanying groups may get, Ornette's playing is alway stellar. He is blessed with a unique, instantly recognizable tone and ideas that just flow effortlessly from his alto, in the manner of Parker's ideas. When people liken him to a screaming cat, I just don't get it. If they feel that way about Ornette, imagine what they would feel about Albert Ayler...or Ken Vandermark!

I don't want to insult fans of Metheny's more mainstream fusion. I like that music too...it's some of the best crafted pop-jazz on record. But as one of the other reviewers stated, much of the Metheny group fans disappointment with this album could be alleviated by realizing that this is Ornette's gig. There's no question who is the dominant voice here. And the band itself combines the cacaphonous fire of the Prime Time ensembles with the musicianship of Ornette's earlier groups...thanks especially to the presence of Charlie Haden, who is a wonder. The cuts on the album range from the free swinging of Song X to a marvelous sax and guitar ballad. This is music that is challenging, yes...but unlistenable? I can't imagine it.

Now to the problems...Denardo Coleman is a big one. Denardo has marred more than one Ornette album, starting with his debut at age 12 on one of Ornette's late 60s albums. And the use of synth drums in this context is really jarring. Rather than adding anything, it really detracts...gets in the way of Jack DeJohnette's marvelous polyrhythms. The other problem with the CD is Metheny's guitar synthesizer...at least on some tracks. Rather than using it to create unique electronic sounds, which would fit the context, he uses sampled sounds...a sampled sax just doesn't sound well when juxtaposed with a tonal genius like Ornette. And on during Ornette's solos on some cuts, the guitar synth gets so loud that you can't hear the sax anymore. I can't believe that this was let out of the engineering booth.

Still, this album is unique and worth a listen. Both Coleman and Metheny play beautiful solos and the energy is intense. All I can say to the naysayers is...get the wax out of your ears!

The only thing that blew me away more than this album was seeing the songs performed live on the short tour that followed it's release. I can remember the '87 Cornell show as almost a spiritural experience. After the show ended we stumbled down to college town to share our experience over a pint. A local record shop owner (back when you could still buy LPs) opened his doors and those who attended the concert cleaned him out of his Song X stock. I highly reccommend this album especially to those younger record buyers who are moved by trance and electronica. The pace and the speed of this album will blow your mind.

Pat Metheny is an unfortunate position. He is a richly gifted musician and a guitarist of formidable skills who has chosen to spend much of his career recording light and inoffensive music that wouldn't be out of place on the soundtrack of a yoga CD, earning himself in the process an army of dedicated fans, many of whom are under the delusion that his blandest recordings are the very pinnacle of modern jazz.

It took him several years to break cover, but he did so on this fabulously disorienting and hectic session with one of his great heroes, Ornette Coleman. It may have helped that Coleman hadn't made a classic record in quite a while, but something about Metheny must have galvanised him - just as something about Coleman's steely integrity and determination to go his own way must have prompted Metheny to up his game. With a rhythm section consisting of longtime Coleman bass player Charlie Haden plus the great Jack DeJohnette and the somewhat less celebrated Denardo Coleman (Ornette's son) on drums, all five players kick up a rare old storm.

Some of the compositions have already become classics - the title track and 'Mob Job', for example. The extended version of this album contains some even more deranged cuts that were left off the original.

I started listening to jazz as a teenager in the mid-1980s, and this was the only contemporary record I heard that had anything of the fire and invention of the jazz I really loved, which was bebop. It still sounds fresh, blazing out of the stereo with punkish energy. I particularly like the fact that a large proportion of Metheny's fans can't listen to this thing at all. It just goes to show that not everyone who loves jazz loves genuinely creative and searching music.

Metheny would go on to do two things very dear to my heart: in the early 90s he recorded a solo album of manic noise guitar, 'zero tolerance for silence', which even fans of the genre don't like (although Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and I are at least two big fans), and then at the end of the century he publicly tore a furious strip off Kenny G for defacing Louis Armstrong's 'What A Wonderful World' with his nightmarish caterwauling. Rock on, Pat - the more restless you get, the better we like you.