All one has to do is look at the personnel on this trio project (tenor saxophonist
Dewey Redman, pianist
Cecil Taylor, and drummer
Elvin Jones) and it is obvious that the set is potentially special.
Taylor, still the most adventurous musician in jazz at that point after 45 years, does not get grouped into all-star settings very often. However, when he does (his earlier encounter with
the Art Ensemble of Chicago is an example), it is not a matter of the other musicians meeting
Taylor halfway; instead, they have to be creative in his idiom. Tenorman
Redman came to fame originally while playing with
Ornette Coleman in the late '60s, and for part of the time on
Coleman's recordings,
Jones was the drummer; however, neither
Redman nor
Jones had worked with
Taylor before. Not every selection on this disc includes all three musicians.
Jones takes a brief drum solo,
Taylor has a solo feature, and the final 49 seconds are taken up by the saxophonist alone. In addition, there is a duet without
Taylor that works quite well. The other strong selections are the two longest trio tracks: "Nine" and the over-20 minute "Is."
Redman and
Taylor contributed three originals apiece while
Jones was just responsible for his unaccompanied "Bekei." Although it is fun to hear
Elvin Jones playing behind
Cecil Taylor, and
Dewey Redman is open to this type of atonal setting, there are fewer sparks on this set than one might expect. The music is unpredictable yet not all that unique or colorful, and one's expectations for a truly classic affair are not quite reached. This is worth listening to, but is not essential except as a historical curiosity. ~ Scott Yanow