1. Comet Ride
2. Tenor Ballet
3. I'm Misunderstood
4. Three Generations
5. Leprechaun's Dance
6. Changes of Heart
7. Freedom Suite: a. Freedom Jazz Dance; b.
Gingerbread Boy; c. C.T.A; d. Freedom Jazz
Dance Reprise
8. Mo' Grits
9. Philly Syndrome
10. Caravan.
Willie Williams - Tenor sax, soprano sax
Gary Wang - Bass
Rudy Walker - Drums
This
album starts not with a whimper but a bang,
as Willie Williams kicks the title-track into
action with some hair-raisingly fast runs
on tenor sax. Williams's dexterity is matched
by his two-man rhythm section, which somehow
manages to keep up with his headlong pace
and energetic delivery. Willie often swerves
near to the avant-garde in the liberties he
takes but he is still easy to follow, especially
as the tune seems to be based on the chords
of Lover. The mood changes dramatically
for Tenor Ballet and I'm Misunderstood
- both sombre pieces whose darkness is
increased by Gary Wang's bowed bass and the
deep, penetrating tone of Williams's tenor
sax.
Three
Generations moves the trio into free jazz
- a completely improvised piece that at least
has more integrity than many examples of the
genre and illustrates the empathy of the three
musicians, who recorded this album when they
had just returned from a European tour. Williams
includes some Coltranesque shrieking, which
may not be to everyone's taste, but there's
not too much of it. The mood lightens for
Leprechaun's Dance, a lightly-tripping
piece on which Williams's soprano sax dances
all over the place. Rudy Walker and Gary Wang
contribute good solos. Changes of Heart
seems to have a deliberately capricious chord
structure but Williams takes us with him on
the complicated journey, which is made easier
to follow by Gary Wang's sturdy double bass.
Although
Willie wrote most of the tunes on the CD,
Freedom Suite is actually an amalgam of
three numbers by two other composers: Eddie
Harris's Freedom Jazz Dance and Jimmy
Heath's Gingerbread Boy and CTA.
This shows us the funky side of the trio,
with Williams starting off by playing soprano
and tenor together as a homage to Roland Kirk,
then taking off with some lengthy blowing.
Mo' Grits continues the funkiness,
with a New Orleans feel supplied by marching
drums. Philly Syndrome first appeared
on Williams's debut album as a leader, House
Calls, and it gives rise to some impassioned
tenor sax. The album ends with the Ellingtonian
tune Caravan, complete with its vocal
bridge. It starts with a compelling tenor
solo from Williams but it is also a well-deserved
feature for drummer Rudy Walker.
Willie
Williams has appeared on many albums as part
of other bands but this is only his fifth
album as a leader. It makes one long for more.
Tony
Augarde
CD Reviews
Miles
High Productions MHP 8602
