Label: Miel Music, 2021

Personnel - Miguel Zenón: alto saxophone; Ariel Bringuez: tenor saxophone; Demian Cabaud: bass; Jordi Rossy: drums.

The influence of alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman in modern jazz is as clear as daylight, and his groundbreaking music has become a tremendous inspiration for so many musicians. The chameleon-like Puerto Rican altoist Miguel Zenón is vary aware of this, being grateful to the free jazz pioneer, who would have turned 91 this year, for having opened his ears and mind for something more than just the traditional ways.

On this live recording, captured at The Birds Eye Jazz Club in Basel, Switzerland, Zenón revives Ornette’s music with a magnetic vibrancy and huge respect for his work, playing alongside Cuban tenor saxophonist Ariel Bringuez, Argentinian bassist Demian Cabaud, and Catalan drummer Jordi Rossy. The chord-less quartet was convened for the occasion only, and yet the musical synergy displayed throughout makes us believe they are frequent collaborators.

“The Tribes of New York” launches a freebop madness with the saxophonists glued in a powerful unison. While Zenón fills his speech with recognizable yet shifting rhythmic figures and superbly articulated phrases, Bringuez flaunts an adequate hard-bop proficiency that counterweights the former’s vocabulary. Refraining the exuberance of the horns, Cabaud embarks on a bass reflection that gains more rhythmic emphasis shortly before the concluding theme statement.

The bassist introduces the widely esteemed “Law Years” and also outsets its improvisational segment with bluesy bends and a palpable melodic touch. Tenor sax and drums go for a walk together after Zenón’s reactivation of the theme during a wide-ranging improvisation.

Playful and brash, “Free” has a well defined structural backbone but gets crammed with manifest accentuations in the melody, bass pedals, and a firm swinging motion that points out the direction to go. The smoky horns rise above this rhythmic flux, exploring the vast possibilities in their dynamic interplay. They also exchange lines on “Dee Dee”, one of Ornette’s most spirited tunes.

In consonance with the latter’s vibe, “Giggin’” grooves high with a straightforward posture, and if Rossy reacts to Zenón's alto, Bringuez develops ideas out of his own rhythmic cells. In order to balance the energy, “Broken Shadows”, the opening track of the terrific 1972 album Crisis, injects some tearful tones in the mix.

Law Years is a jubilant celebration of Coleman's legacy; its contagious joy is as plain as the nose on your face.