Review Summary: An essential and unique chapter in the Coltrane legacy
On Africa/Brass, Coltrane isn't revolutionizing Jazz, at least not on the surface of things. He's not taking his music in any radical new directions through experimentation or wild innovation, but rather exploring familiar territory in an unfamiliar manner, taking familiar elements to make an album that's in one sense lean and understated and in another expansive, bold and flamboyant. It's fitting that minimalist composer Steve Reich should have been a fan, describing it as "basically a half-an-hour in F." While that's a bit of an oversimplification, Africa/Brass does rely heavily on extended jams in just one or two chords, an influence taken from traditional African music. But where Coltrane's genius shines on this album, and what makes it unique in his discography, is in melding the bare bones structure of the music with the roaring swing of Big Band Jazz in a way that had never been heard in Big Band music before, and which Coltrane wouldn't explore again until Ascension, 5 years later.
The title track takes up the entire first half of the album, and stands as one of Coltrane's greatest works. It can be described as a song where nothing is really going on while everything is happening at once. Throughout its various permutations, from dusky and moody to explosive and celebratory, it remains anchored by the one chord drone of the bass, twisting and turning in mood, exploring the endless possibilities of that one chord without ever seeming monotonous or creatively exhausted. Despite the Big Band ensemble, the music is surprisingly given plenty of room to breathe; with a limited number of solos, the ensemble (tightly arranged and conducted by Eric Dolphy) plays with precision and purpose, leaving Coltrane and the other members of his core group free to work their magic. It's an endlessly impressive listen that, despite its 16 minute length, leaves the listener wanting more by its end. Speaking of the bass, Africa/Brass uniquely utilizes two double basses on the title track, one fingerpicked and one bowed to incredible effect.
The other two tracks of the album, while more than solid and able to stand with all but the very best of Coltrane's output struggle to live up to the titanic title track. On Greensleeves Coltrane relies on his talent for taking a familiar, well-worn melody and making it unique and special in that way only Coltrane could do. The structure of the song was by this point familiar to those paying attention to Coltrane's discography, and it's not quite the tour de force that was My Favorite Things, but it's a weighty, endlessly enjoyable reimagining of the old classic, featuring some spectacular drum work from Elvin Jones. Final track Blues Minor unfortunately resides in the shadow of Africa as well, which is a shame because it feature some great soloing from 'Trane and the rest of the group. It's on Blues minor that the other players are really given room to let their soloing chops shine over a slamming hard bop tune.
The album being more arranged than the typical Coltrane release means that overall the soloing seems a little less lively and spontaneneous than some of his other greats, to the detriment of the 2 tracks that aren't Africa, but the greater focus on structure creates a sense of atmosphere unique in Coltrane's discography. There were albums where 'Trane's music seemed transcendent, not of this earth, moving on a spiritual plane unknown to lesser mortals, (including his other Big Band offering Ascension) but Africa/Brass is a deeply earthy, rich and vibrant take on his unique style aided greatly by the warm production of Creed Taylor. If you're just dipping your toes in Coltrane's music, hold off on A Love Supreme for a bit, at least until you jam this at least a couple times.
