Search - Joe Morris :: At the Old Office

Another great outing

p dizzle | augusta, georgia, USA | 08/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"joe morris plays free jazz guitar in a style reminiscent of ornette coleman on alto sax, but also firmly schooled in wes montgomery. he stands clear of chordal distortion, playing instead single note improvisations much like a sax or trumpet solo, but firmly in a free style. the four pieces here were recorded live in an intimate performance at the knitting factory's small concert chamber, the old office of the factory. the intimacy is apparent: the feel is relaxed as each musician takes time developing solo interpretations of each tune's theme and rhythms. the first two tracks clock in at over twenty minutes apiece, so there's plenty of time given to exploration. a critique of free jazz is that it often settles into dissonant noodling, but not so here. the solos are remarkable in their study and development, plus the unusual instrumentation keeps the tension sparking (the interplay of viola [mat maneri] and guitar is amazing-- the viola almost becomes like a hammond b-3 at times). the band is top notch. the only gripe is that gerald cleaver sounds so restrained on drums that he sometimes gets lost in the mix, but his solos are astonishing, proving again that the drum set can be every bit as melodic and harmonic as other instruments. overall, this is a great free jazz session. enjoy!"