Maurice McIntyre
Humility in the Light of Creator
★★★★
Starting anew, and most likely less frequently. But all the same I hope to keep listening to as much new music as possible. And I'm happy to have stumbled upon Maurice McIntyre's Humility in the Light of Creator. The cover can tell you a few things: the era this music was created in, with the boteh or paisley shirt pattern and background. The Eastern, Middle Eastern, and African influences were continuing to develop in American music and very much so in jazz. The Delmark label was also a great platform for independent or more "out" musicians to record and release their music. McIntyre himself was a leader and important member in the conception of the AACM or the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. This Chicago scene helped secure a home for creative and avant jazz that came after the Coltrane era. Its musicians continue to put out music and they have served as leaders and contributors to many musical movements. McIntyre seemed to have fallen into obscurity later in life, appearing on a few CIMP albums but otherwise kept relatively quiet. I think that's a shame and if you listen to this album you'll know why, on his debut he sounds so soulful and full bodied that he would not need to record his musical experience like the way Coltrane did. Coltrane's first album sounds almost nothing like his last, but the journey for McIntyre was not given to us and that's a loss that is permanent.
The album is composed of two suites. The first side, "Ensemble Love", has separated songs that are interesting snippets of a smaller group. Compared to the opposite side, "Ensemble Fate", which is one long track spanning twenty minutes and features an array of AACM musicians who would later carve their own paths. Side one's small arrangements give you the diverse and spiritual flavors that spread in jazz during this time. It presents the close connection musicians have with their instruments, and how these instruments serve as vessels of their own lives. George Hines's vocalizations bring to light the old Native rituals of the past, and the entrancing feeling of connecting with yourself and everything around you simultaneously. While the cover presents McIntyre as almost a messiah with saxophone, this is represented perfectly in the self titled song, "Humility in the Light of Creator". The rumbling drums and mournful quality of McIntyre's saxophone recall Coltrane's "Alabama". And while the message might not be the same, the tone and voice of the instrument is exactly what each musician needs to get their statement across. The rest of the songs really concentrate on wild, growling percussion, desperate spiritual vocals, and a screeching impassioned saxophone.
Side two has some similar Eastern influences, most notably on the saxophone playing with at one point repeats a Middle Eastern motif almost like a cycling drone. There's whistles, rattles and bells that provide texture and a sonic landscape. While diversity remains important in this suite track, I think the emotions and interactions between players remains at the foreground. Silence is used in important parts of the song, shifting from theme and player groups. With an octet, some members still find time to give distinct and intriguing solos. The yelps that serve as a call and response between saxophones is powerful and passionate, to the point that you want to join in. There's definitely a feeling of anger, but it serves as more of a release than something that is long remaining and permanent. This is their moment to tell you how they really feel, then after that is something new. Of course our knowledge of that new direction is limited, except for those who were there. Either way this is a snapshot into the lives of those who were fundamental in the development of jazz and a new form of avant music that permeated even through other genres. It's most definitely worth the listen for any fans avant jazz, or anything on the spiritual side of music.
The in-to-out playing here is fantastic and a great merging point for post bop and the free music that came after. Many bebop listeners who are traditionalists tend to throw free jazz aside and consider it a dead end in the evolution of jazz music. They prefer the neo-bop of people like Wynton Marsalis. And while I really don't like that music, there's nothing wrong with it. I don't think the majority of people who listen to this will think that it's lacking in talent or soulfulness. Both of those aspects jump right out of the music and fill your soul with a life that is only really imagined. It's a call to the past, the ancestors and originators who came before you. While looking forward to a global, peaceful future that can only be achieved through a form of faith and love that music provides. It's a message that is needed in my life now more than ever, one that conquers all others in its wake. And it's also music of the unknown. While it's a transition between form, it stays distinct and unique to the AACM and the independent musicians who created it. Lastly, and the most important factor for me, it's music to get lost in.
Favorite Song: Suite: Ensemble Fate
The album is composed of two suites. The first side, "Ensemble Love", has separated songs that are interesting snippets of a smaller group. Compared to the opposite side, "Ensemble Fate", which is one long track spanning twenty minutes and features an array of AACM musicians who would later carve their own paths. Side one's small arrangements give you the diverse and spiritual flavors that spread in jazz during this time. It presents the close connection musicians have with their instruments, and how these instruments serve as vessels of their own lives. George Hines's vocalizations bring to light the old Native rituals of the past, and the entrancing feeling of connecting with yourself and everything around you simultaneously. While the cover presents McIntyre as almost a messiah with saxophone, this is represented perfectly in the self titled song, "Humility in the Light of Creator". The rumbling drums and mournful quality of McIntyre's saxophone recall Coltrane's "Alabama". And while the message might not be the same, the tone and voice of the instrument is exactly what each musician needs to get their statement across. The rest of the songs really concentrate on wild, growling percussion, desperate spiritual vocals, and a screeching impassioned saxophone.
Side two has some similar Eastern influences, most notably on the saxophone playing with at one point repeats a Middle Eastern motif almost like a cycling drone. There's whistles, rattles and bells that provide texture and a sonic landscape. While diversity remains important in this suite track, I think the emotions and interactions between players remains at the foreground. Silence is used in important parts of the song, shifting from theme and player groups. With an octet, some members still find time to give distinct and intriguing solos. The yelps that serve as a call and response between saxophones is powerful and passionate, to the point that you want to join in. There's definitely a feeling of anger, but it serves as more of a release than something that is long remaining and permanent. This is their moment to tell you how they really feel, then after that is something new. Of course our knowledge of that new direction is limited, except for those who were there. Either way this is a snapshot into the lives of those who were fundamental in the development of jazz and a new form of avant music that permeated even through other genres. It's most definitely worth the listen for any fans avant jazz, or anything on the spiritual side of music.
The in-to-out playing here is fantastic and a great merging point for post bop and the free music that came after. Many bebop listeners who are traditionalists tend to throw free jazz aside and consider it a dead end in the evolution of jazz music. They prefer the neo-bop of people like Wynton Marsalis. And while I really don't like that music, there's nothing wrong with it. I don't think the majority of people who listen to this will think that it's lacking in talent or soulfulness. Both of those aspects jump right out of the music and fill your soul with a life that is only really imagined. It's a call to the past, the ancestors and originators who came before you. While looking forward to a global, peaceful future that can only be achieved through a form of faith and love that music provides. It's a message that is needed in my life now more than ever, one that conquers all others in its wake. And it's also music of the unknown. While it's a transition between form, it stays distinct and unique to the AACM and the independent musicians who created it. Lastly, and the most important factor for me, it's music to get lost in.
Favorite Song: Suite: Ensemble Fate
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