CD1
1. If
2. As One
3. Allah Be Praised
4. Saudades
5. Pee Wee
6. Spectrum
CD2
1. Seven Steps to Heaven
2. I Fall in Love Too Easily
3. Love in Blues
4. Big Nick
5. Emergency
John Scofield – Guitar
Larry Goldings – Hammond organ, electric piano
Jack DeJohnette - Drums
Tony
Williams was a phenomenal drummer – good enough
to join the Miles Davis Quintet at the age
of 17. When he left Davis in 1969, he formed
his own group, Lifetime, with guitarist John
McLaughlin and organist Larry Young. Lifetime
was influential in the world of jazz-rock,
although I found some of its recordings hard
to bear because of the prevailing noise level
– especially from Larry Young’s abrasive Hammond
organ.
Drummer
Jack DeJohnette and guitarist John Scofield
were both influenced by Lifetime and decided
to form a trio with organist Larry Goldings,
paying tribute to Tony Williams. As they played
together, they realised that they should perform
more than Lifetime’s repertoire, so they called
themselves Trio Beyond.
This
double CD catches them in concert at London’s
Queen Elizabeth Hall in November 2004, playing
to an enthusiastic audience. The music is
certainly striking: the first track hits the
ear like an extrovert drum solo with accompaniment
– or more like a nighttime bombing raid, sufficient
to flatten a whole city. Jack DeJohnette is
a drummer who can emulate the technical wizardry
of Tony Williams, but his attack often seems
relentless.
Things
calm down somewhat for As One, where
Larry Goldings’ Hammond organ takes on a churchy
ambience, but the barrage resumes with the
full force of jazz fusion in Allah be Praised
(a Larry Young composition). John Scofield’s
electric guitar wails piteously and snaps
spikily. The title-track is a more endearing
piece, with a shuffling rhythm – although
the jagged guitar again makes one think that
John Scofield should erect a sign saying "Ear-piercing
while you wait".
Pee
Wee is the first Tony Williams composition
in the concert – a number that Miles Davis
recorded on his album ESP – a surprisingl;y
gentle jazz waltz, opening with pensive guitar
from Scofield, and later adding delicate brushwork
by DeJohnette and churchy organ from Goldings.
Spectrum reverts to full-frontal attack
which develops into an up-tempo swinger that
eventually becomes anarchic noise, ending
with an explosive but frankly messy drum solo
from DeJohnette.
The
second CD begins with Seven Steps to Heaven,
a satisfying swinger dominated by Jack’s busy
drumming, with a groovy solo from Goldings,
who switches to electric piano to introduce
I Fall in Love Too Easily, which starts
thoughtfully but gets wilder with the addition
of guitar and drums.
Love
in Blues sways seductively, with Scofield
bending notes like crazy and DeJohnette trying
to demolish the drum kit. John Coltrane’s
composition Big Nick is given a 17-minute
workout, starting with an enterprising solo
from Goldings, who makes the Hammond organ
more attractive and less painful than Larry
Young used to. Scofield’s solo is comparatively
restrained – and all the better for it. After
about eight minutes, Goldings lays out so
that the guitar is effectively backed only
by DeJohnette, who then offers a well-shaped
drum solo which even descends to an unaccustomed
pianissimo.
The
concert ends with Emergency (only the
second Tony Williams composition on the album)
– a raucous performance which, like many other
tracks, displays the group’s expertise while
veering too closely towards heavy metal to
make for comfortable listening. If you have
ears, prepare to shed them now!
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
ECM 1972/73
