On Tue, 27 Aug 2002 17:12:33 -0700 skip Heller <velaires@earthlink.net> wrote:
it doesn't sound to me like the group identity of which you speak was > ever realized. emphasize "to me".
With all due respect, this is one of those comparatively rare instances where I have to step in and say, "SKIP HELLER IS WRONG." (Though he's certainly entitled to his opinion.) The last Coltrane group is so vastly UNDERrated it's just plain sad, and in particular, Alice's role (though I can't say I'm so blown away with every album that's currently being reissued in the ongoing rehabilitation of her career). Even supporters fall prey to unwitting condescension - witness Bill Shoemaker's recent Jazz Times review, where he basically credits Alice with rolling up her sleeves and going to work like all good widows do, completely disregarding her distinguished career preceding the years with Trane. Uggh. To my earrs, the late group created a striking, singular sound and maintained it for a few short, incandescent years. And yes, while a great many musicians did sit in with the band in its not-quite-final years, on record the quartet/quintet is emphasized to great advantage. The posthumously released 'Stellar Regions' just reaffirms how tragic Trane's death was - the group was clearly on the cusp of something new, including a newborn synthesis of the later expressionistic style and the earlier sense of form and structure. Graham, I'm most certainly among those waiting eagerly for John's book. Please keep us posted on further developments. Steve Smith ssmith36@sprynet.com NP - Beethoven, 'Fidelio' - Vienna State Opera / Maazel (London)