Record Reviews

CHARLES GAYLE TRIO ~ CHRIST EVERLASTING FOR TUNE 0063 (Barcode: 5902768701647) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is a live recording at Poznan´s club Dragon of a trio led by American saxophonist / pianist / composer Charles GayleFind albums by this artist with Polish bassist Ksawery WojcinskiFind albums by this artist and German drummer Klaus KugelFind albums by this artist. The trio performs nine tunes, four of which are standards and the other five are group compositions / improvisations credited to all trio members. Gayle arrived on the US scene as "the new discovery / profit" of Free Jazz in the late 1980, after years of performing as a homeless street musician. I have followed his recordings over the years and I must admit that somehow Gayle has failed to convince me to be anything more than a curiosity. His extreme political and religious views aside, his "music´ is a raw collection of sounds uttered with great intensity and emotion, but it does not "compute" as music in my brain – my bad of course – despite my passionate love for that kind of music. In retrospect Gayle´s recordings hardly advanced the Free Jazz / Improvised Music idiom in a global sense and everything he does was already done in the 1960s, much more effectively as far as I can see. That does not mean of course that his concerts are not worth attending and his albums not worth being heard, at least as far as one does not expect to be "enlightened". This particular gig caught on this album is pretty typical of Gayle´s concerts but has a wonderful added value of the excellent rhythm section, which literally saves the day. Wojcinski and Kugel, both experienced and talented Improvised Music figures, add the missing musical element to Gayle´s music, the depth and the interface, which enables a player / audience communication. Overall this is an interesting amalgam of free spirited, almost anarchist improvisation with solid and often virtuosic "sensible" rhythm section, which prevents the anarchy to take over completely. The Free Jazz fans will definitely enjoy this music, if not immediately than after a few attempts; more conventionally oriented listeners beware, you have been warned.

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CHARLES GAYLE TRIO ~ SOLAR SYSTEM FOR TUNE 0131 (Barcode: 5906395808380) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the second album on the Polish For TuneFind albums on this label label by the American Avant-Garde saxophonist / pianist Charles GayleFind albums by this artist and his trio, which includes Polish bassist Ksawery WojcinskiFind albums by this artist and again a German drummer, this time Max AndrzejewskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven improvised pieces, credited to all the trio members, recorded live at Warsaw´s already legendary 12on14 Jazz Club. As I have already stated in my review of the earlier release by the trio, I am completely unable to get the music of Gayle on any level, neither intellectual nor emotional. It sounds like a collection of random, chaotic sounds that make absolutely no sense or is painfully trivial (especially his piano playing). The only thing that makes this music listenable to some extent is the excellent work by the rhythm section, which tries desperately to keep this music in some orderly manner, before it completely disintegrates. I have no idea why Gayle is so difficult for me to get, since I love Free Jazz and Improvised Music since the 1960s and listen to similar music constantly. Must be a mental barrier of some kind? Improvised Music listeners might perhaps enjoy this album, but alas I am simply completely numb here. Good luck with it ;)

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 25/01/2018

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