For some,
Interstellar Space was the end of John Coltrane—and
for others, just the beginning. As many people dislike
Rashied Ali for
being Trane's last drummer as like him for that same reason.
Indisputable though is that
Interstellar Space began the
examination of new possibilities for the duet format, apart from the
typical piano/bass example. Ali continued to explore this arrangement
after the death of his mentor on albums like
Duo Exchange with
late saxophonist Frank Lowe and in his current duo with altoist Sonny
Fortune (in residency at Sweet Rhythm this month). Ayler Records,
continuing a spate of exciting archival live albums, has released
another chapter in Ali's saxophone duet history, this time as a double
disc set with, sadly, another late player, tenor
Arthur Rhames.
The
performance was recorded in 1981 at the Willisau Jazz Festival. Given
Rhames' relative obscurity, the first disc begins with Rashied Ali
narrating liner notes over a 17-minute exposition by himself and Rhames.
The rest of the set consists of material by Coltrane including "Mr.
PC," "Giant Steps," "Impressions" and even a brief reading of most of A
Love Supreme (all interesting choices as they all predate Ali joining
Coltrane's group). The Eckstine standard "I Want to Talk About You,"
Miles' "Tune Up" and four pieces ostensibly improvised by Rhames and Ali
are thrown in for good measure.
Recorded live at Willisau Jazz Festival, Switzerland, on August 29, 1981.
- Rashied Ali - dr, vo
- Arthur Rhames - ts, p
