The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers... [11:26];
Cat and Mouse [2:22];
Entranced Androids [7:24];
The Garden of Chew-Man-Chew [4:06];
Otherworldly Dervishes [8:36];
Through the Warphole [2:25];
Storm Clouds and Mist [5:04];
Cartune Riots [1:21];
Ode to South Africa [10:18];
One Tooth Shuffle [1:18];
After the Rain [7:13].
tracks 2,3,4,6,7,8,10 written by Jack DeJohnette
and Bill Frizell
tracks 1,5,9 by Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frizell
and Ben Surman,
track 11 by John Coltrane.
Jack DeJohnette (drums, percussion, vocals,
piano);
Bill Frizell (guitar, banjo);
Ben Surman (additional production)
rec. live, Earshot Festival, Seattle, Washington,
USA, 31 October 2001
This disc documents the collaboration
in a time-out session, during a tour Jack
DeJohnette made with Keith Jarrett, and the
great jazz guitarist Bill Frizell. Mind you,
though I use the word ‘collaboration’, the
front of the disc’s liner-notes states "featuring
Bill Frizell" when it is clearly a disc
of the performances of a duo with each having
an evenly weighted share of what’s going on.
What is ‘going on’ is a spontaneous
improvisation session in which each of these
two jazz greats enmesh in an exciting way
though they had only ever played alongside
each other once before on a disc with Don
Byron: "Romance with the Unseen"
(Blue Note 1999).
Listeners need to be aware
that they will not be hearing either musician
in ways they are used to. The results are
more often akin to jazz-rock and free jazz
than the straight no-chaser modern jazz with
which each are more closely associated. The
disc will appeal to those who like their music
more off the wall than on. I found that listening
to the whole disc in one go was a bit jangling
on the nerves; it’s better heard in small
bursts. The title track "The Elephant
Sleeps but still Remembers", "Otherworldly
Dervishes" and "Ode to South Africa"
with its recognizable township jazz roots
well to the fore are the highlights in an
otherwise somewhat uneven but nevertheless
interesting disc.
Steve Arloff
CD Reviews
GOLDEN BEAMS PRODUCTIONS GBP-CD-1116 [61:37]
