CAL MASSEY
JOHN COLTRANE
Clifford Jordan
Glass Bead Games
Strata East [Dolphy series] : 1974
CJ, tenor sax; Stanley Cowell, piano; Bill Lee, bass; Billy Higgins, drums.
It’s hard to relate music history without the notion of progress getting in there somehow. As in: be-bop begat hard bop begat modal begat freedom. This can be presented in the upward arc of an individual like John Coltrane (in the above example, roughly) or a group — the Beatles traversing the scene from skiffle to R&B to rock to psych to art-pop — or an entire category of music. This makes sense, as stories generally need some kind of internal thread to pull them forward. But it often creates a false sense of time and history.
In 1973, when Jordan recorded his masterful Glass Bead Games, he was something of a man out of time. A double album featuring commanding performances from two different quartets, Glass Bead Games suggests something of an alternate universe where Coltrane Plays the Blues is the most inspirational of Trane’s ’60s recordings. This measured acoustic music flew in the face of every jazz fashion of the day. The tunes are adventurous, but modestly so. Jordan and his cohorts find new wrinkles in a well-worn cloth and make the tradition sound fresh. The propulsive phrasings of “Cal Massey” go down so smooth it’s easy to miss their unusual complexity. The stirring “John Coltrane” offers a mash-up of multiple Trane modes that transcends pastiche. And swings the harmony.
This album should have been Exhibit A for those who bemoaned jazz’s inability to release traditionally recognizable masterpieces. Unfortunately it was ignored by trad fans and more open-minded connoisseurs alike. Released on the small Strata East label, it fell through multiple cracks simultaneously. But beauty often creates its own context, and decades later, the manifold pleasures of Glass Beads Games are undeniable. Progress be damned.
The deluxe reissue of Glass Bead Games last year on the tiny Harvest Song label slipped past us entirely. So here’s a taste and delayed tribute. Now go buy a copy.
BUY @ JazzLoft / Cadence / DMG
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Trumpet Bart // Feb 14, 2008 at 11:01 am
Love these tracks! Billy Higgins remains the man! So is that Bill Lee the father of Spike? I have a bunch of records from bands that he wasn’t in but include tunes of his. Didn’t know he was a bass player – sounds great.
Bart
wheesht // Feb 19, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Thanks for posting this. I heard ‘JC’ long ago on WKCR and always wondered who it was. Lovely music!