Jack DeJohnette - Special EditionArthur Blythe - as
David Murray - ts, bcl
Peter Warren - bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums
ECM 1152
Recorded March, 1979 in New York City
My introduction to Jazz, like many others growing up in the '70s, was through Jazz-Rock, an awful, pejorative term, mostly, but it was the bait for a lot of people in getting into the music. I'd taken to DeJohnette's Directions band mostly due to the buzz around John Abercombie, and comparisons of his playing to McLaughlan, the guitar god of the day. In retrospect, the comparisons were critical BS, Abercombie's playing owing more to then unsung players like Jim Hall. DeJohnette, however, through a wrench into our fret counting, guitar wanking expectations by putting out New Directions in 1978 with Lester Bowie on trumpet, Abercombie and Eddie Gomez on bass. The combination of Abercombie's reverbed out electric mandolin and Bowie's flatuious playing pricked up my addled ears, so I was ready by the time Special Edition came out in 1980.
I was largly ignorant of the black avant guarde of the 60's. I'd heard of Ornette Coleman, mostly through the version of "Broadway Blues" on Pat Metheny's Bright Sized Life, another vintage ECM record. I'd also heard of Coltrane, but had not really heard him. I had no knowledge of Cecil Taylor, Shepp, Ayler or any of the other luminaries of the New Thing. By the time I was paying attention, the one Jazz radio station I knew of, WRVR in New York, was staying as far away as possible from that stuff. Other people my age, white and black, were into Funk, Prog or the above mentioned Jazz Rock, so I had little chance for exposure to this stuff. Add to that my move from the New York area to South Eastern Outer Bumfuck after graduation from High School, and any chances beyond hearing 38 Special or REO were gone. Thank god ECM had a good distribution deal with Warner.
When I first heard Special Edition, I had never heard of David Murray or Arthur Blythe. I didn't know who Eric Dolphy was either, the Eric in the opening tune, One For Eric. I'd never heard anything like this before. DeJohnette's odd contrasting meters in the theme of the tune, Murray's bass clarinet invoking Dolphy's intervallic approach, and Blythe's beautiful, swinging alto all made this tune a true inflection point in the way I heard music. The next tune, Zoot Suite, start's with Warren's killer bass introduction and a funny, swinging ostinato involving Blythe and DeJohnette on melodica, followed by an great, representative Murray solo on bass clarinet. This is followed by a slower middle section with winds and bowed bass and a return to the original theme with DeJohnette kicking in on the drums. Two Coltrane tunes follow, Central Park West and India (the second call out to Dolphy, since Eric played bass clarinet on the original recording with 'Trane at the Vanguard in 1961). Central Park West is taken with just the horns, and bowed bass. India is introduced by DeJohnette's piano and features some great playing from both Blythe and Murray. The album ends with Journey it the Twin Planet, a great out, swinging blowout with Blythe and Murry digging in for extended simultaneous soloing with Warren and DeJohnette digging in right underneath, an abrupt ending into Murray's pleading tenor and a brief spacey, repeated figure ending the piece.
This was, I think, a culmination of sorts for DeJohnette. I really don't feel like any of his other recordings for ECM reached these heights. It seems like the reputations and visibility of Murray and Blythe were enhanced. Murray was at the cusp of recording the seminal Ming with his octet on Black Saint, and Blythe was at the beginning of his association with Columbia, which resulted in some great, classic recordings. Blythe's recorded sound, however, was always much more pleasing on this recording than on the Coulmbia. Special Edition was recorded in New York and produced by DeJohnette, so it doesn't have that falling into a fiord sound that ECM's are famous for. This is also much different from the freer work that Murray had been recording at the time for Black Saint, India Navigation and other labels. DeJohnette created here some beautiful structures that really showed off his own creativity and that of Murray and Blythe. Peter Warren's playing in this is fantastic. Other than the second Special Edition record, Tin Can Alley, and a date he led for the Japo label, I don't know where he's gone to.
This release is part of ECM's Touchstone series which are being sold cheap, so pick this one up.
