branford

I'm listening to him do 'A Love Supreme' now - and naturally, to compare anything to the original is futile. I think he sounds much more...vernacular than Trane. I think he's probably incapable of the spirituality of the original (who IS?) but he's an excellent saxophonist nonetheless.

He seems to be highly original within the context of that vernacular though. I watched his concert a few days back and was very impressed. He and his brother are capable of wielding the entire history of jazz as intellectual material. For example - listen to his treatment of the standard 'Cheek to Cheek' on the Contemporary Jazz album, where he dices the melody. It might sound like another bebop workout, but I prefer to see it as a reimagining of the concept of 'dancing' in the new era of music, and I think that intent was not lost on him when he was playing it.

I think my frustration with his 'A Love Supreme' is that it copies entirely the form of the original but misses the intent. Taken for what it is though, rather than what it tries to be - it's still by any form of reckoning a fine example of modern jazz. I'll listen to it any day.

adam