KENNY WHEELER — Gnu High (review)

KENNY WHEELER — Gnu High album cover Album · 1976 · Post Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Well, in the long line of standard run-of-the-mill Jarrett/DeJohnette/Holland series of album, there is one that sticks out a bit, mainly due to the irruption of Canadian trumpetist Kenny Wheeler. So much so, that this album is more considered a Wheeler album, than a Jarrett one. Not that Gnu High is drastically different album affair than the afore-mentioned Jarrett string, but indeed the added trumpet does include a tremendous added ingredient to the soup’s recipe, not just spicing it up sonically, but also adding somewhat in the songwriting department as well. Not that we’re out of the usual ECM-type of album, though: an instantly-recognisable Jarrett-led trio with an added often-entertaining trumpet.

Just three tracks (all Wheeler-penned) on the album, with the sidelong Heyoke track clocking at almost 22-mins being all over the spectrum as long as it remains calm and slow-paced (well outside a second-half piano passage). The short (all things relative with its 6-mins) Smatter opens the flipside in a fairly energetic but atypical manner, but settles own a bit towards its end. As for the closing Gnu piece (the highlight of the album, IMHO), it is well in the same sonic spectrum as the other two pieces, but seems to venture out further than the fenced pastures, despite a second DeJohnette drum solo, and tail-end of the Gnu beast sounds more interesting.

Not much African elements, despite the rather-misleading track names. If you are familiar with Jarrett works and the usual Wheeler works, you’ll find that despite the latter composing all the tracks, we’re somewhat closer to the former’s universe, even if the Gnu Suite somehow resets the balance closer to even. Well if this album was in Jarrett product by name, it probably would sit in my top 5 J/D/H, not too far away from the famed Köln Concert release.

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