'TRANE

One of the most remarkable records ever put together in the galaxy is Ascension (Impulse AS-95), a monstrous manifestation led by John Coltrane. This, record transcends artifact (or anything solid), jazz and other concepts we use to control music. Trane is joined by Freddie Hubbard and Dewey Johnson, trumpets; Marion Brown, and John Tchicai; alto saxes; Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp, tenor saxes; McCoy Tyner, piano; Art Davis and Jimmy Garrison, basses; and Elvin Jones, drums. Just from the lineup, it sounds like the crazed dream of a heavy jazz maniac. But it isn’t a crazed dream, it’s real and (this is the remarkable part) available for you-to listen.

The record contains one “work”, Ascension (Parts 1 and 2) totaling 37 minutes, 50 seconds. The theme is stated by Trane in the beginning, just four notes,-John Coltrane’s mystic simplicity. The Whole thing consists of solos by each member of the ensemble sandwiched between what Down beat would call onslaught of sound. But these onslaughts are insideoutslaughts, Layers of music, chaotic like the center of the universe (as described by Leroi Jones and H.P.Lovecraft -the writer, not the group). These ensemble passages are UNIQUE and to miss them is to go through life with only part of each ear. The near unbearable intensity of these eleven musicians, the screams, wails, crys, of ecstasy and pain, are all quite beautiful. Many of the straight who cherish, their A1 Hirt records (does that sound better?) would complain that a cry of anguish is hot musical and definitely not pleasant. But these are not, actual crys, this is the sound of human breath being pushed through horns, fighting its way through needs and valves, finally reaching the liquid in your ears, vibrating those fine little hairs. And its magic that these sounds can make you think of human anguish. Or ecstasy. And anything you say about “pleasant” is as ignorant as a TV-2 editorial and will be crushed beneath the force of these sounds. That’s the beauty of it. The music raves with the lifeforce, and the only way to talk about it is to rave along with it! Respond with energy. Says Marion Brown: “You could use this record to heat up the apartment on those cold winter' days.”