Exclusive Review from
REVIEWS
CMJ New Music Report
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery in some
fields, but certainly not in jazz.
Tenor saxist Ellery Eskelin, doyen of New York City's downtown
avant scene, appears
adamant in his refusal to allow his inspirations to degenerate
into simple re-creation,
however well intentioned. Case in point is this high-energy,
no-holds-barred tribute to
the blisteringly soulful, modern tenorist Gene "Jug" Ammons.
Never, at least to these
ears, has Ammons music been so thoroughly transmogrified.
Guitarist Marc Ribot and
drummer Kenny Wollesen join Eskelin in deconstructing a
program of songs written by
and/or recorded by Ammons. These intrepid improvisers refuse
to succumb to the
easy, given groove. Had Eskelin added a Hammond B-3 organist
to the session
(indeed, his mother plays the B-3), he could have upped
its commercial appeal
considerably. But that, bless his heart, ain't Eskelin's
style. As it is, The Sun Died is
recommended only for wayfaring stations amenable to avant-garde
jazz and disdainful
of mersh. For an indication of just how jarringly stripped-down
The Sun Died is, check
out tenorist Turk Mauro's pretty decent but conventional
go-with-the groove homage to Ammons, Hittin The Jug (Milestone).
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