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The shadow of late Coltrane also hangs pretty heavily over the monster
trio which calls itself By Any Means. The double CD recording on Live at Crescendo captures a full night, with both sets from the Crescendo Club in Norway, so it is as much an impressive document as anything.
Rashied Ali, of course, has the direct roots to ‘Trane, since he was
there at the creation. But in Charles Gayle and William Parker, Ali has
able and individual assistance. The opening set begins, fittingly, with a
Blues that wanders in and out, gradually progressing in its intensity
and energy. Yet for all of the burning atonality of both these sets, the
trio is clearly working with compositions as a launching pad. It is
often overlooked how Gayle can play with amazing prettiness, not just
the fire and fury he is known for, and on alto (which he plays
exclusively here) he reminds me often of Dolphy in the vocalizations of
his work. On tracks like “Straight Ahead Steps” and “Cry Nu” he seems
almost to play Dolphy to William Parker’s Mingus. As is often the case,
the second set is stronger, the one I find I return to for its concision
and purposeful direction. But the whole document is a delight to have,
akin to hearing the Armstrong All Stars in the ‘50s. The tradition of
playing on Live at Crescendo may seem radically different than
what Armstrong and Teagarden and Co. were producing, but it is indeed
now a tradition, and Gayle, Parker, and Ali are among the finest
exponents we have of it today.
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