Saturday night at our house and it’s pouring rain, we’re playing Trivial Pursuit and everyone’ yelling at each other over the complications that accompany the 1976 – 85 edition of this hellish game, Mexico City having been superceded as the world’ most hectic megalopolis. The CD changer rattles and Tongues comes on, the room changes. A friend of a friend who plays in a local hardcore band is transfixed, I’m riveted, the case gets handed around, and everybody keeps screaming, only louder and with a more child-like exuberance as this beautiful ugly sound fills the room.
In the liner notes of the Steve Reid Ensemble LP for Soul Jazz, Spirit Walk, Reid says, “The people that’s got to call the shots are the drummers, because it’s about the rhythm. That’s the only thing that can manipulate this into the world of music, and that’s what’s been happening right now. The rhythms are coming up on top of the music, you know. When the drummers used to be on the recording you could hardly hear them or anything, now the rhythm is more important, and the thing that can unite the different kinds of music, so we’re in the rhythmic age, I call it now. So I’m optimistic we’re in a great time in the planet for music.â€
It’s difficult not to bring up the lineage from which this record arguably comes. Last night whilst listening to The Art Ensemble of Chicago’ The Paris Session LP, and Albert Ayler’ Spirits Rejoice, I considered that though these records and others like them are both undeniably about freedom of expression and pure emotions, they also contain a justifiably focused anger, and a sense of tragedy obtained over time, particularly in regards to Ayler. In this respect, Tongues is a successful record. Hebden and Reid manage to transcend this history, joyously disregarding the cult of outsider art and the baggage of free jazz’s past in favour creating amazing sounds, pure and not so simple… perhaps it’s best just to let Reid explain again: “I kind of went deep into the black music thing but I never take a negative attitude, you know, life is hard enough without adding extra shit on top of it.â€
In the liner notes for Exchange Sessions Vol. 2, Frank Lowe and Rashied Ali’ Duo Exchange is acknowledged as a direct precedent. With Tongues, they’ve abandoned the longer format of 20 minute exchanges, suitable for a whole side of an LP, for a more conventional format, four to five minute sketches, including a beautiful Greensleeves rendition. It works; giving focus to boundless energy, and guiding uninitiated listeners through what can be a bewildering experience. Reid’ drumming is as hectic and joyous as ever for the most part, but there’ more variety in Hebden’ choice of textures this time round, the razor sharp granular blips are still there, but there’ more warmth, and nonchalant little melodies that only just loop, this is after all the same guy who produced Rounds. Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell’ infinitely more restrained ‘Mu (first part)’ sprung to mind, in that moods come and go in well defined phrases, and there’ of course a highly developed sense of dialogue, with cues and leads flying to and fro.
This, I like.
Tom Smith
