Ali / Belogenis / Morris - Live at Tonic (2002)

The first track (“Invocation: Trane Is In The House”) of this January 2001 live date just about describes it all. This trio formed from the embers of the creative luminescence that was John Coltrane sears through a New York winter evening. Drummer Rashied Ali is familiar with this territory, having held the drum chair from 1965 through 1967, the year of Coltrane’s death. Together Trane and Ali explored the outer reaches of free jazz, recording Meditations, and Interstellar Space. Ali’s drumming abandoned the pulse and timekeeping beats of Elvin Jones for the same freedom John Coltrane was pursuing.

Rashied Ali’s resurgence has paralleled the Downtown scene’s rediscovery of all things free. Together with saxophonist Louie Belogenis, Ali recorded three discs under the name Prima Materia in the mid-nineties and a duet Rings of Saturn for the Knitting Factory label. This live date adds bassist Wilbur Morris (Billy Bang, Charles Gayle, and David Murray) to produce a stout free jazz unit. The opener churns from the get-go as Belogenis screams out lines against the pin-wheeling Ali and walking Morris.

The triad of musicians can barely contain the burn; pausing briefly for a bass solo, Belogenis lays out and Ali rattles the snare. Then they are back at it conjuring the outer reaches of Coltrane’s vision.The beauty of this session is the equal balance between these three. They vary the mood on the introspective “Red Shifting” and the driving “Norfolk Street Run Down.” “Heavenly Star,” dedicated to Albert Ayler, nicely captures the spirit of Ayler’s speech. The final Coltrane Classic, “Spiritual,” acts as a processional lament, reminding one that free jazz is certainly rooted in the blues. Mark Corroto

1. Invocation: Trane is in the House
2. Elixir
3. Red Shifting
4. Norfolk Street Run Down
5. Heavenly Star (for Albert Ayler)
6. Brazilia
7. Spiritual.

Rashied Ali - Drums
Louie Belogenis - Tenor & Soprano Saxophone
Wilber Morris - Bass

#2, 3, 4 written by Ali, Belogenis & Morris
#1, 5 written by Belogenis
#6, 7 written by Coltrane
Recorded live at Tonic, 6/01/2001
Released by DIW in 2002

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Purple Trap - Decided Already the Motionless Heart of Tranquility, Tangling the Prayer Called "I" (1998)

DISC 1:

1- Who decided the number 1?
2- Reassembling place of dispersed holy murderous thought, The
3- I already know the settlement of iridescent happiness
4- I can hear a scream... a scream resembling a scream
5- Only half of an imitation or your imitation of yourself
6- Come to this side... sadness
7- Supposedly generous possessors of death meet a warning while napping

DISC 2:

1- Just let us continue to say farewell
2- Decided...already the motionless heart of tranquility, tangling the prayer called "I"
3- Sudden accident protesting production methods, A
4- Where shall released time go next?
5- Continuously draw a gentle spiral... red death!
6- Ask a so-called sage who speaks only plausible excuses the meaning of the volition "further..."

Keiji Haino (vocals, guitar)

Bill Laswell (bass)

Rashied Ali (drums)

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