Label: ESP-Disk, 2023
Personnel - Allen Lowe: tenor and alto saxophone, guitar (#4,10); Ray Suhy: guitar, banjo (#1-12); Alex Tremblay: bass (#1-12); Kresten Osgood: drums (#1-12). ** On #13 - Roswell Rudd: trombone; Ray Anderson: trombone; Randy Sandke: trumpet; Darius Jones: alto saxophone; Lewis Porter: piano; Jessie Hautala: bass; Jake Millett: electronic drums.**
Allen Lowe is a 68-year-old American saxophonist, guitarist, composer, and music historian who played with saxophonists Julius Hemphill and David Murray, trombonist Roswell Rudd, and clarinetist Don Byron, among others. For this ESP-Disk outing he turned his gaze to American music, spanning different styles within its musical heritage and jazz components. It’s an ever-shifting musical journey made in the company of guitarist Ray Suhy, who is versatile in a panoply of genres (from death metal to prog-rock to jazz), bassist Alex Tremblay, and Danish drummer Kresten Osgood, who worked with Sam Rivers, Paul Bley and John Tchicai.
Probing angular edges, the opening cut - “Damnation” - feels like a punk-jazz-gospel exercise packed with energy, robust solos and loads of fun. “Cheatin’ My Heart” flows amiably with a honky tonk feel marked by Osgood’s rim shots and Suhy’s dulcet chord progression. The third track, “Poor Mourner’s Serenade”, evolves with the sound of sizzling brushes, some crackling Lowe tenor playing and an apt accompaniment by bass and guitar. The theme is expressed in consonance.
Lowe dives headfirst into the American roots, used as a vehicle for his expression on several occasions in the form of pre-blues and blues (“Cold Was the Night Dark Was the Ground” and “Blues for Unprepared Guitarist”, both with Lowe on the acoustic guitar; “Full Moon Moan”; “Blues in Shreds”, which comes saturated in fuzz-toned guitar), and rag (“Old Country Rag”, with the banjo giving it the expected rustic shape).
Written for Allen’s wife, “Hymn for Her” is a pure jazz song that draws from tradition, whereas “It’s the End” contains a turbulent prog-rock excursion with a swinging carpet as support. Conversely, “Metallic Taste” is literal in the title, offering loud heavy metal roar in a jam-like manner. The album concludes with “At a Baptist Meeting”, a piece recorded in 2014 with a mighty horn section. Its avant-garde jazz epicenter burns with sounds that take us to Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus and Sun Ra.
Depending on how much of a jazz purist you are will give you a reason to debate the place of this record in Lowe’s catalogue. Concurrently, the saxophonist released In The Dark, a three-disc set created for and with his Constant Sorrow Orchestra that justifies a good listening time.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Damnation ► 02 - Cheatin’ My Heart ► 13 - At a Baptist Meeting