MALACHI THOMPSON
Timeline
Delmark
DE-421

The first six tracks of Timeline, Malachi Thompson’s ninth CD for the Chicago-based Delmark label, comprise material previously issued on Ron Warwell’s Ra label about two decades ago. The very existence of these early recordings came as a surprise to me, as I wasn’t aware that Thompson had recorded anything under his own name before the late '80s. For the most part, they don’t disappoint. Recorded in the early-1970s, the first three tracks have a funky / Latin / spiritual / modal vibe that reminds me of some of the things that the Philadelphia-based group Catalyst was doing around the same time. Though none of it is what I would call avant garde jazz, this music certainly has an appealingly adventurous edge to it. "The Quest" has some great screaming tenor from Sonny Seals, and "Street Dance" pairs Aaron Dodd’s tuba with Kirk Brown’s cool Fender Rhodes. Thompson shines on "Two Nights in Malakal," a rambling, minor keyed Latin-tinged excursion. It is worth noting that, almost thirty years later, both Brown and Seals still play and record with Thompson.

Recorded in the early '80s, "The Ali Shuffle" sounds more than a little like Miles’ Jack Johnson theme: Greg Bandy and Paul Ramsey provide the same sort of muscular shuffle that Billy Cobham and Michael Henderson did on Jack Johnson, and Thompson sounds surprisingly Miles-like. "Yesterdays" is a straight rendition for the duo of Thompson and guitarist Marvin Horn. Oddly, the flat, boxy drum sound and somewhat cheesy digital keyboard make "Some Freebop for Monk" the most dated-sounding track of the set. Carter Jefferson more than redeems the track with a marvelously expressive, though brief, tenor solo. The vocals, by the way, are not bad at all.

As much as I enjoyed the first half of Timeline, the real treat was hearing the previously undocumented piano-less quartet featuring Thompson, Carter Jefferson, drummer Nasar Abadey and bassist James King. Put simply, these guys play like the house is on fire! On these tracks (and the subsequent three sans Jefferson) Thompson outdoes himself. His combination of acrobatic high-register chops, humor, and free-associative abandon bring Lester Bowie to mind. As good as Thompson is, Jefferson almost steals the show with his full-throated shouting gospel tenor saxophone. While "They Stole Einstein’s Brain" and "A Picture Of" both stand appealingly on the brink of post-Ornette chaos, I also enjoyed the irreverent jazz / poetry / theatre of "Worm Hole," where words and music stand on an even footing. Narrator Bill Striggles could even teach Ken Nordine a thing or two!

The final three trio pieces are no less scintillating, though I missed Jefferson’s tenor sax. Even so, Thompson, Abadey and King cover a lot of ground. Just by itself, "Ghost Guest" explores circus music, the Art Ensemble dada zone, and '60s-style free expressionism. "Flesh Against Steel" is another freebopper that starts and ends with melodic fragments that sound as if they could be from "Eighty One" (another Miles tune!). The trio takes it inside on "Take A Look," a gently swaying calypso that sports a melody you’ll find yourself whistling in the shower some morning.

Timeline is definitely a must for Thompson’s fans, and might well serve as an appealing starting place for those who wish to investigate Thompson’s broad-stroke approach to jazz for the first time. Frankly, I could stand to hear an entire CD’s worth of material by the quartet of Thompson, Jefferson, King and Abadey! More please.

Dave Wayne

Track Listing: 1. The Quest; 2. Street Dance; 3. Two Nights in Malakal; 4. The Ali Shuffle; 5. Yesterdays; 6. Some Freebop for Monk; 7. They Stole Einstein’s Brain; 8. A Picture Of; 9. Worm Hole; 10. Ghost Guest; 11. Take a Look; 12. Flesh Against Steel

Personnel: Malachi Thompson, trumpet, flügelhorn, cornet (all tracks), voice (4); Sonny Seals, tenor sax (1); Jesse Taylor, tenor sax (2-3); Carter Jefferson, tenor sax (4-9); Kirk Brown, piano (1), Fender Rhodes (2, 3); Harold Barney, Fender Rhodes (3); Rafik A. Raheem, keyboards (4-6); John Thomas, guitar (1); Marvin Horn, guitar (4-6); Curtis Robinson, Jr., bass (1-3); Paul Ramsey, bass (4-6); James King, bass (7-12); Bob Crowder, drums (1); Bill Salter, drums (2-3); Greg Bandy, drums (4-6); Nasar Abadey, drums (7-12); Aaron Dodd, tuba (2); Penny Jeffries, voice (1); Karen MacPherson, Miambi Steele, Drake Colley, voices (4); Bill Striggles, voice (9); Scat City Singers, voices (9)