Steve Wyzard MAELSTROM: LITTLE BIG BAND

The listener, upon viewing this album's lineup of musicians, would be forgiven for assuming the two drummers and two keyboardists are performing on alternating tracks, except for one little intrusive fact: they aren't. That's right, the full septet plays on all four compositions, with the two drummers and the two keyboardists simultaneously pounding up a storm. Add on top the busy bass work of Reggie Johnson, the vicious vibes of Bobby Hutcherson, and the spikey tones of the one and only Harold Land, and you have a wall of sound that could occasionally be described as "cluttered".

Which is NOT to say this is a bad album. Oh no, far from it. But it needs to be said this is not a "starter" album, or even for the very faint of heart. And while I certainly haven't heard everything Harold ever recorded, a much closer comparison can be made with his performances as part of the big sounds of Gerald Wilson's larger ensembles in the 1960s.

So for the new listener, please be advised that Choma (Burn) is not a big-band album or an avant-garde album, but rather one of his more over-the-top performances of the 1970s. A much higher recommendation can be made for A New Shade of Blue (sadly STILL not available on CD), recorded and released the same year (1971). Also take into account that on the opening title track, Harold does not play the tenor sax, but one ferocious flute!

Steve Wyzard WHY OH WHY

.....is the late, great Harold Land almost forgotten today? Many condescending reasons have been offered (thorny, abrasive tone, spent too much time in Europe, recorded for obscure labels, the "Eastern" influenced sound) but none can take away from the fact that one simply can't compare Harold to anybody. In a world of copycats and "influenced by", he was a true original. Those who have attempted to trace his musical lineage and/or descendants usually start with Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker, and then veer off into many disparate directions (Pharoah Sanders? Ornette Coleman? Joe Henderson?). Nice tries, but it really can't be done. There was only one Harold, and the world of jazz is a much better/more unique place for it.

While much of Land's work from the 1950's is usually available, the albums recorded under his own name in the 1960's and 1970's are inexplicably much harder to find. Take a run-of-the-mill masterpiece like A New Shade of Blue, for example. There is absolutely nothing difficult or inaccessible on this album, but its total obscurity would make one think it's an avant-garde, dissonant blowing session. But it's not. The critics will quickly cite the opening austerity of the title track, but when the tempo picks up, Harold launches into a snarly solo that leads one to think he's playing an alto, not a tenor sax (yet another quality of his distinctive tone). Bobby Hutcherson adds a marvelously melodic solo, and Bill Henderson and Buster Williams have their moments in the spotlight as well. "Mtume", named after its namesake percussionist is an excellent example of Harold's "ethnic/world" sound. With percussion all over the place and Williams spending most of his time in the upper registers, Land broods in the background before jumping into this album's wildest solo. After the lighter, laid-back "Ode to Angela" comes the faster, jaggedly intense "De-Liberation". For those who dismiss Harold's playing as "dispassionate", you simply must hear his ELECTRIC soloing here. Billy Hart bludgeons his drums with a Tony Williams fire while producer Bobby Shad plays with the faders on Buster's solo. Built on ascending piano chords, the snappy "Short Subject" closes the album in memorable style.

If you consider yourself a tenor sax aficionado, you truly owe it to yourself to track down this hard-to-find album. And those who say they can enjoy Land's playing on any number of Bobby Hutcherson albums are just plain missing out. Spare no expense - this one's worth it! And why oh why has this never been released on CD?!?