The first large-scale (well, at least medium-scale) release from this long-standing
free jazz
outfit,
Marriage of Heaven and Earth
displays
the Fully Celebrated Orchestra
exactly as they are: exciting and misunderstood. The recording was done live in a club. People talk and glasses move around while the quartet gives everything they have. There are flaws, but in general the energy of the performance covers up its shortcomings. Even though the group is led by alto saxophonist
Jim Hobbs
(he writes all the material),
Taylor Ho Bynum
, a young cornet player, steals the spotlight. At ease both in the
bop
and out-there vocabularies, he spits out lines that continually twist conventions (one is reminded of the young
Toshinori Kondo
). The pieces generally fall in the
category, the energetic
post-bop
heads opening up on freer accompanied solos. The influence of
Ornette Coleman
is obvious (
Hobbs
approaches melodies with the master's harmolodics technique). There are two exceptions though,
"Ol' Sow Rooted 'Em Up"
and
"Aware of Vacuity"
(this one with a percussion solo from
Django Corranza
), both much more danceable, swinging numbers.
"The Kelpi"
"Reconciliation of Heaven and Earth"
are the undisputable highlights, the latter displaying the kind of energy usually coming out of
Seth Misterka
's projects. By the time of that closer, the audience has shut up -- who wouldn't? ~ Francois Couture