The Golden Striker/John Lewis Presents Jazz Abstractions

The Golden Striker/John Lewis Presents Jazz Abstractions

ASIN: B00000J7WE

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This 71-minute coupling of two early 1960s recordings by Modern Jazz Quartet pianist John Lewis is without doubt a musical feast. But, as with a gourmet banquet, one is advised to savor each course before moving on to the next serving, for there are some deliciously rich dishes on the menu. The opening program, Golden Striker, consists of 10 Lewis compositions, most inspired by the commedia dell'arte, a traditional form of improvised Italian comedy. Stately and cinematic in nature (indeed, the title track and "Odds Against Tomorrow" were both composed for films), these performances demonstrate Lewis's comfort outside the intimate chamber-jazz setting where the MJQ flourished and in an expansive orchestral milieu. The second half of the disc is more fascinating still. Largely created for a 1960 Jazz Profiles performance in New York, it consists of three compositions by Third Stream spearhead Gunther Schuller--"Abstractions," "Variants on a Theme of John Lewis (Django)," and "Variants on a Theme by Thelonious Monk (Criss-Cross)"--plus Jim Hall's "Piece for Guitar and Strings." With Hall, Ornette Coleman, and Eric Dolphy among the featured players, these pieces set then-nascent free-jazz intensity in a more formal setting. Dig in! --Steven Stolder

The Golden Striker/John Lewis Presents Jazz Abstractions,John Lewis,Collectables,Bop,Cool,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Third Stream

Average customer rating:

I know cuts 11-19 extremely well

Third Stream Music at its best

The Golden Striker/John Lewis Presents Jazz Abstractions
John Lewis
Manufacturer: Collectables
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000J7WE
Release Date: 1999-06-07

Tracks:

Fanfare I
Piazza Navona
Odds Against Tomorrow
Fanfare II
Pulcinella
Fanfare II
The Golden Striker
Piazza Di Spagna
Fanfare I
La Cantatrice
Abstraction
Piece For Guitar/Strings
A. Variant I
B. Variant II
C. Variant III
A. Variant I
B. Variant II
C. Variant III
D. Variant IV

Amazon.com

This 71-minute coupling of two early 1960s recordings by Modern Jazz Quartet pianist John Lewis is without doubt a musical feast. But, as with a gourmet banquet, one is advised to savor each course before moving on to the next serving, for there are some deliciously rich dishes on the menu. The opening program, Golden Striker, consists of 10 Lewis compositions, most inspired by the commedia dell'arte, a traditional form of improvised Italian comedy. Stately and cinematic in nature (indeed, the title track and "Odds Against Tomorrow" were both composed for films), these performances demonstrate Lewis's comfort outside the intimate chamber-jazz setting where the MJQ flourished and in an expansive orchestral milieu. The second half of the disc is more fascinating still. Largely created for a 1960 Jazz Profiles performance in New York, it consists of three compositions by Third Stream spearhead Gunther Schuller--"Abstractions," "Variants on a Theme of John Lewis (Django)," and "Variants on a Theme by Thelonious Monk (Criss-Cross)"--plus Jim Hall's "Piece for Guitar and Strings." With Hall, Ornette Coleman, and Eric Dolphy among the featured players, these pieces set then-nascent free-jazz intensity in a more formal setting. Dig in! --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

I know cuts 11-19 extremely well.......2004-05-12

...I am buying this CD for cuts 11-19 which are from an original vinyl that I purchased in 1974 [Jazz Abstraction]which I loved immediately and still know by heart 30 years later. I am a fan of the Turtle Island String Quartet which composes jazz classics for string quartet, and supplements these pieces with DOWN improvisations. They are the closest thing I've heard live to this album, which is also music composed by Gunther Schuller in an extremely creative way. "Abstraction" is a wild string piece in the format: A-[solo]-retrograde A, throughout which Ornette Coleman does a tight, brilliant jam, with a solo in the middle. "Retrograde" means the same thing, only backwards. In some ways, it is screamingly funny. "Piece for Guitar and Strings" is wonderful, and so are the other variations with Eric Dolphy and the MJQ. Again I am not familiar with the first 10 cuts and from what I hear of the samples, I just might skip them. If you buy this CD for the same reason I'm buying it, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Third Stream Music at its best.......2003-08-27

John Lewis' "Golden Striker" and Gunther Schuller's (the pianist endorsed the album, but has nothing to do with it) "Jazz Abstractions" are very fine recordings, featuring excellent scores, solos and some fantastic group interplay. The two programs are considerably different from one another, Lewis' being a bit more influenced by 18th and 19th century classical music, whereas Schuller's work seems more in line with 20th century classical music. They are both extremely successful in creating Third Stream pieces that are more than just "interesting". Gunther Schuller's "abstractions" features many great players such as Jim Hall, Eric Dolphy, Ornette Coleman, Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro. This CD has some of the best Third Stream music I've ever heard.

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