Marion Brown survives as one of the few among the New Thing circle to have secured financial solvency in his advanced years. Sadly, the source of his income is not widespread recognition and consumption of his music, but instead a financial settlement in a medical malpractice suit. Brown’s music continues to exist on the fringes, treasured by aficionados, but invisible to the majority of music listeners. The longstanding experimental rock collective His Name is Alive takes important initiative to combat that condition with this new tribute album to Brown. Rather than focus on his Sixties work for Impulse and ESP, the nine piece ensemble taps the altoist/composer’s later Seventies work, a rare and ruminative songbook now generally available only as downloads on music blogs and high-priced vinyl in boutique shops.
Lush rhythm and a rich amount of modal atmosphere factor prominently into the ensemble’s readings of Brown’s already spacious compositions. “Juba Lee Brown” sounds like mid-Impulse period Coltrane, specifically “Alabama”, in its somber dirge structure. The version of “Capricorn Moon” riffs off vintage Fela, a referent not surprising given leader Warn Defever’s decision to populate the band with members of the Michigan-based Afrobeat outfit NOMO. An undulating vamp serves as spinal column for sinewy statements by horns and Defever almost seems to be channeling a more subdued side of his inner Eddie Hazel on guitar. “November Cotton Flower” and “Bismillani ‘Rrahmani ‘Rrahim”, the only non-Brown piece of the set, involve ample use of Rhodes and Wurlizter to drape the music in a cottony incense-scented haze. The second piece also contains one of the rare passages where the group plumbs conventional free jazz territory with keening saxophones and strident guitar.
A percussion section of Jamie Easter, Dan Piccolo and Olman Piedra keep the rhythms porous and enveloping and avoid more rigidly defined beats. The gentle rustle and click of small shakers and hand drums weaves with the plaintive strains of birdcalls on “Geechee Recollections” and “Sweet Earth Flying”. The combination of live and studio settings further varies the surroundings, the applause on the former pieces. If there’s one drawback it falls back to the Fela comparison in that a couple tracks stretch circuitousness to a fault.
It’s difficult to imagine Brown not being intensely pleased by the thoughtful attention accorded his music. A quote included on sticker affixed to the disc confirms it: “It’s beautiful, thank you. You really understand me.” The odds of the affirmation extending to listener impressions appear extremely favorable.
~ Derek Taylor
I've probably gone on about this before, but those early 70s Marion Brown albums are indeed underappreciated gems. "Geechee Recollections", "Sweet Earth Flying" (my personal favorite of this bunch), "November Cotton Flower" and the even more unknown "Poems for Piano", which features Amina Claudine Myers doing Brown pieces, are all wonderful. "Sweet Earth Flying" also contains my single favorite example of Muhal's piano work, on his solo track therein.
Anyone know the current availability status?
Posted by: Brian Olewnick at November 6, 2007 7:16 AMDerek, thanks for this review. I had the pleasure of being a student at Bowdoin College in Maine when Marion taught there in the early 1970s, and have followed him and his music since. I read an interview with him online a few years ago, he was in rehab at a nursing home in New York state. I gather that the medical procedure that put him there was in fact malpractice? That's just awful.
Brian, with the exception of "Three for Shepp", Impulse/Verve has not made Marion's catalog available, not even as mp3 download. Though they say they are bringing back new titles every month, they may get to them eventually.
Posted by: Rich L. at November 6, 2007 8:50 AMThanks, Rich. My info on the malpractice circumstances is sketchy and secondhand, but I gather it culminated in the amputation of one of Brown’s feet(!) and a subsequent sizeable cash sum for the negligence that contributed to that erroneous outcome. He's living comfortably off the remuneration now in Florida, but talk about a horrific experience.
It’s interesting to compare this tribute w/ the recent Ayler one on Cuneiform (feat. Mssrs. Damon Smith & Joe Morris among others). Both opt for the lesser known and/or maligned segments of their subjects' catalogs & spin the material off in unexpected directions. I’m still digesting the Ayler set, but aside from a stiff bit of scripture recitation at the start it’s sounding pretty good.
As for Impulse reissuing Brown's other albums, they did it with the Ayler sides so maybe there's hope.
Posted by: derek at November 6, 2007 10:00 AMThat's terrible. I'm glad there was a settlement in Marion's favor.
The Impulse mp3 download page has a lot of albums with less appeal than Marion's stuff, perhaps it's just a matter of time.
Speaking of the availability of Brown's catalog...that Creative Works solo disc...did it ever come out on CD? From browsing the CW website, I really couldn't tell.
Posted by: Bill_R at November 6, 2007 7:02 PMExcellent disc, great music. And I agree with you Brian about Sweet Earth Flying. Both Muhal & Bley on ace form. Han Bennink was pissed when he didn't spot that in the Wire Jukebox! I have a Japanese reissue CD, dunno if it's still available. Only have an old vinyl of Geechee.. was that ever reissued on CD? A bit of mastering wouldn't go amiss. I love Marion Brown's music.
Posted by: Dan Warburton at November 9, 2007 11:35 PMDamn your "badass antin spam software" - waited 20 goddamn minutes for this comment to load! What's goin' on?
Posted by: Dan Warburton at November 10, 2007 11:50 PMAny love for Vista? I've always held off buying that one.
Posted by: Peter Schulz at November 11, 2007 9:28 AMI listened to Vista a lot when it was released because I listened to anything by Brown a lot, but I never got fond of it. Not intense enough, too far a remove from Brown's best (Sommerhausen, Gesprachsfetzen, Afternoon of a Georgia Faun). Thinking the decades might have changed my opinion, I was about to play my LP of it, only to find out it's not here with my main collection... which I guess makes the point. Listening to "Geechee Recollections" instead, and it sounds good. I'll see if I can find Vista tomorrow.
Posted by: Rich L. at November 12, 2007 5:21 PMFound Vista, gave it a listen. Still seems overly serene and pop oriented (what with the Stevie Wonder cover). Only one of Marion's own compositions, too many electric keyboards, too much languor. It is tightly arranged and expertly played. My old vinyl has astonish sonics, I don't know how the CD release sounds. "Mellow" would be the word if one wanted to compliment it.
Posted by: Rich L. at November 14, 2007 4:33 AMThat would be "astonishing sonics"....
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