Newst release from Charles Gayle - almost 70-year-old legend of free jazz. He spent almost 20 years playing on the streets of New York City. Gayle begun his professional career in mid 80s performing in clubs...
Charles Gayle Trio
Forgiveness
Label: NotTwo (2010)
Catalogue No: MW 805
Format: CD
Tracks:
1. Living Waters (Charles Gayle) 9:02
2. Glory, Glory, Glory (Charles Gayle) 7:51
3. Holy Birth (Charles Gayle) 16:41
4. Confess (Charles Gayle) 12:33
5. Song To Thee (Charles Gayle) 7:51
6. Giant Steps (John Coltrane) 6:29
7. Forgiveness (Traditional) 8:33
Line-up:
Charles Gayle - sax
Hillard Greene - bass
Klaus Kugel - drums
Recorded:
at Jazzga Club, Lódz, Poland on April 25, 2007
About:
Charles Gayle (born February 28, 1939) is a free jazz saxophonist, pianist,
bass clarinetist, and percussionist.
Some of Gayle's history is unclear. He was apparently homeless for approximately
twenty years, playing saxophone on street corners and subway platforms around
New York City. In 1988, he gained fame through a trio of albums recorded by a
Swedish label, Silkheart Records. Since then he has become a major figure in
free jazz, recording for labels including Black Saint, Knitting Factory Records,
FMP , and Clean Feed. He has also taught music at Bennington College.
Gayle's music is spiritual, and heavily inspired by the Old and New Testaments.
He has explicitly dedicated several albums to God. His childhood was influenced
by religion, and his musical roots trace to black gospel music. After his church
experiences, Gayle credits among his influences Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane,
Albert Ayler, Thelonious Monk, and Art Tatum. He has performed and recorded with
Cecil Taylor, William Parker, and Rashied Ali.
Gayle's most celebrated work to date remains the album Touchin' on Trane (FMP)
with Parker and Ali. Though he established his reputation primarily as a tenor
saxophonist, he has increasingly turned to other instruments, notably the piano
(which was, in fact, his original instrument) and alto saxophone. More
controversially, he has sometimes included lengthy spoken-word addresses to the
audience in his concerts touching on his political and religious beliefs; for a
period he was even largely performing as a mime, "Streets the Clown".
In 2001, Gayle recorded an album titled Jazz Solo Piano. This disc consisted
mostly of straightforward jazz standards, and is a response to critics who
charge that free jazz musicians cannot play bebop. In 2006, Gayle followed up
with a second album of solo piano, this time featuring original material, titled
Time Zones. He has also recently released several albums on Clean Feed and Ayler
Records that include traditional jazz standards.
In 2006, poet Steve Dalachinsky published a book of poems written while watching
Gayle play entitled The Final Nite & Other Poems: Complete Notes from a Charles
Gayle Notebook 1987-2006.
Review:
His story is familiar to many. Charles Gayle, the many
times homeless saxophonist, plays his signature firebrand music and testifies to
his religious faith in equal measure. Known for his tenor, he also plays the
piano (an early instrument for him) with his unique style that is simultaneously
old school and modern.
Here he is recorded in his familiar trio format playing live in Lodz, Poland in
2007. Gayle's playing partners are the frequent bassist Hilliard Greene and
drummer Klaus Kugel.
The less than perfect audio does not distract from the intensity of these
tracks. Gayle delivers five originals, John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" and the
traditional song "Forgiveness."
In contrast to his masterpiece, Touchin' On Trane (FMP, 1993), this session does
not have an urgency about it. Perhaps Gayle has mellowed (not likely) or he is
merely making his point with a different voice. His alto saxophone chisels lines
that border on Albert Ayler's chants, but are unique to Gayle. He favors
coloring the music with varying vibrato and stamina. Greene and Kugel are
excellent partners following the lead and occasionally soloing.
The signature tune "Giant Steps" is introduced before the trio spins off into
spitting and sputtering fits of energy, referencing the classic, but tearing the
flesh from its bones. It's a good place to begin, in order to grasp his concept
of playing, as it supplies a reference for the originals tracks.
By the closing track, "Forgiveness," Gayle's agenda is clear. His lubricious
tone has made a convincing statement.
(Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz)
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