Sunday, March 05, 2006

coleman revisited

Charles FMN comments on this old (yet pretty good) post on Steve Coleman:

"Your comment started slightly negative on SC work. But then there is something that caught my attention: when you say "I was listening to this not too long ago and some of the constructions in there are literally breath-taking"
What do you exactly mean ? Could you pleas expand a little bit ?
I am a huge SC fan, and would like to understand a little bit ( a lot more as a matter of fact !) of the technical aspects of his music.
Thanks"

I don't see where I was negative about Coleman. As for "Genesis," I have no desire at the moment to get into a real detailled analysis, but Coleman's integration of large ensemble writing, string writing and solo and collective improvisation is done in a way I don't think I've heard anywhere else and is pretty amazing.

The day before yesterday I bought his new album, "Weaving Symbolics," a double album. After listening to the first CD, it promises to be one of the year's best. Like on "Lucidarium," there are lots of shifting ensembles, one of which is a trio with Jason Moran and Marcus Gilmore (Roy Haynes's drumming grandson) that plays some mind-blowingly subtle music.