First off, I love the recording quality on this album. This is a prime example of a 1970's jazz recording: everything is captured with a super crisp, direct and intimate sound, and the audio sounds slightly sharp, as if being played on vinyl. The piano and drums especially are recorded very faithfully. Overall, it just adds an extra layer of enjoyment and comfort to these proceedings.
I have seriously been sleeping on George Coleman's playing. I first heard him on Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage album and wasn't particularly blown away by him. I later heard him on My Funny Valentine and Four & More, two Miles Davis albums from the 1960's (which also heavily featured Herbie). I respected the ease with which he barreled through the rapid-fire changes, but realized (in part due to Miles himself) that Miles' band was about trying to play things you don't know, not just sailing through with licks and things. A few months ago, I next heard Coleman's playing on the Elvin Jones album Coalition, from 1970. I was considerably more impressed, since his playing had matured a little bit, and he was in a more open context, with only bass, drums, congas, and fellow tenorman Frank Foster.
Then, I came across this album. I can now fully appreciate George Coleman after hearing this recording. His playing is just the right balance of restraint and energy for the band and Walton's compositions. On the opening track, Walton's Bolivia, Coleman masterfully spins a musical tale that is not without twists and turns; he takes full advantage of the contrast between the dense harmonies of the first section and the long, drawn out modal vamp of the second section. The ending is especially genius, turning runs of lilting arpeggios into a sudden halt right on the downbeat. I would like to stress that despite Coleman's obvious skill, what's more apparent here is his musical prowess. His technical skill simply allows him more ways to create a strong musical statement, which he does here with flying colors. Contrast this to a later recording of this tune with the same band, but with Bob Berg playing tenor. While Berg has obvious technical and developmental prowess, his solo is more about exhaustive Coltrane-esque runs and intensity (it lasts about five minutes, compared to Coleman's two and a half). While I do really enjoy Berg's solo, Coleman's is far more subtle and musical, and nowhere near as flashy.
The one cover in this set, John Coltrane's exquisite ballad Naima, is given a fresh energy through a slightly more up-tempo Latin groove. Coleman and Walton both provide excellent solos that maintain the original beauty of the piece, while getting the chance to expand over a faster tempo. Walton in particular exploits his ability to immediately switch between chordless, uptempo bop lines and the most dense of block chords, and back again. His style is probably best described as dynamic, full of stylistic contrast and yet singularly unified. I have heard him often imitated, especially through the influence of his dense harmonies and unaccompanied lines that sink down into the low register of the piano.
5/4 Thing, a tune Coleman previously wrote and recorded with Elvin Jones on Coalition, is featured here. It features the longest stretch of lyricism on the album, with a minute-and-a-half long rubato opening played only by Coleman and Walton. As soon as the intro's done, the rhythm section heads into a clever take on the typical 5/4 clave (think Take Five or the Mission Impossible theme) featuring a robotic piano vamp. The piano gives this tune a more lush demeanor than on Coalition, which features no chordal instrument like piano or guitar. Coleman stretches out, and on his last chorus he breaks out some distortion-like noises on the top end of the horn's range, showing evidence of a Joe Henderson influence. After Walton, drummer Billy Higgins provides a genius solo, limiting himself by not straying from the 5/4 clave.
Despite being a somewhat collaborative group (all four members feature prominently on this album), Eastern Rebellion was basically spearheaded by Cedar Walton, and as a result, he was its primary composer. While Bolivia probably has the most staying power from this set, there are some other gems from his pen as well. Bittersweet is anything but, as an uptempo bebop blues head that evokes the spirit of Charlie Parker (which is helped further by some decidedly bebop accompaniment from Billy Higgins).
An interesting decision made is that the first solo is taken by bassist Sam Jones (Edit: this is actually a Sam Jones tune). I know Jones mostly because of his sideman role on Cannonball Adderley's Somethin' Else, famous for featuring Miles Davis in a rare appearance as sideman. Outside of that, I don't know his work very well, but by 1976 he was definitely a seasoned musician. His solo contributions on Bittersweet and elsewhere on the album are solid and creative; on this track, especially, he shows his mastery of the bebop idiom while given the advantage of amplification on upright bass. Billy Higgins is also given solo space here, and he proves himself once again to be a master of his instrument. His work on this album, like Jones', results from his many years of experience prior to this recording; while not as flashy as other drummers, Higgins has a keen sense of time and knows his way around the kit. The result is some especially solid drum work, helped by the beautiful stereo recording (featuring an especially crispy snare drum).
The collaborative nature of this group is apparent on Walton's other piece, Mode for Joe, originally recorded on Joe Henderson's 1968 album of the same name. All four members of the band get a turn at soloing, as well as accompanying the soloists as part of the form. Walton makes clear his penchant for faster tempos, creating another solo gem next to the many on this album. Higgins provides some more crispy snare drum work, as well as some genius use of the cymbals. Coleman gets a chance to stretch further out and provides an excellent, driving solo; he also exploits his Joe Henderson influence, while creating more of a tribute than a mere imitation. Jones provides a solo that is brief, but full of beautiful contrast between spare notes and more up-tempo lines.
On the whole, this album is the result of four seasoned musicians getting together and having a good time. Their wide musical experience as well as tremendous rapport together raises this album quite a bit above average. While Walton sparkles and declares with flying colors on piano, the standout soloist for me is definitely George Coleman. His unique, grounded yet fluttery voice on tenor permeates this whole album, providing some excellent solos with a few twists (especially on Bittersweet and Mode for Joe). Overall, though, the entire band is full of energy and excitement, and this album shows it from start to finish. 8/10.
Track listing:
👍🏻
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