WARNE MARSH – Ne Plus Ultra (LP-1970-REV-12)

Label: Revelation Records – REV-12

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album / Country: US / Released: 1970

Style: Contemporary Jazz, Free Jazz, Free Improvisation

Recorded in Herrick Chapel Lounge, Occidental College, Los Angeles, 1969.

Photography By [Cover Photo], Design – J.W. Hardy

Liner Notes – John William Hardy

Engineer – J.W. Hardy, Pete Welding

A1 - You Stepped Out Of A Dream ................................................... 9:00

A2 - Lennie's Pennies ....................................................................... 4:10

A3 - 317 East 32nd Street ................................................................. 8:12

B1 - Subconscious-Lee ..................................................................... 7:10

B2 - Touch And Go .......................................................................... 15:58

Warne Marsh – tenor saxophone

Gary Foster – alto saxophone

Dave Parlato – bass

John Tirabasso – drums, percussion

Recording date: 25 October 1969, except (A1) which was recorded 14 September 1969.

This is the first Warne Marsh's recording as a leader since 1960. He teamed up with complementary altoist Gary Foster (who was most influenced by Marsh's former musical partner Lee Konitz), bassist Dave Parlato and drummer John Tirabasso.

As a protégé of Lennie Tristano in the late 1940s and early 1950s, tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh learned lessons that shaped his playing until his death in 1987. He has inspired a cult following among musicians, particularly saxophonists seeking an alternative to the John Coltrane approach, and Ne Plus Ultra fully justifies his status as a legend of the cool school.

Recorded in 1969 with a thoroughly rehearsed ensemble, the date finds Marsh exploring conventional forms with precision and depth. Having famously teamed with Lee Konitz for Tristano's sides on Capitol, Marsh enlists alto saxophonist Gary Foster for Ne Plus Ultra; comparisons to Konitz are inevitable, but the less influential Foster is still a force to be reckoned with. His polished tone and fluid lines are so compatible with Marsh's own that one begins to suspect some form of telepathic communication is at work.

The title of the Konitz composition featured here, "Subconscious-Lee," is particularly appropriate: calling to mind the anarchic dialogue of a Eugene Ionesco play, the saxophonists speak over one another, prompted only on a subconscious level by each other's phrases. To close the album, the two players trace the lineage of their advanced contrapuntal jazz...

Neither the absence of a chordal instrument nor the dominant character of the two horns can squelch the superb efforts of the rhythm section. Each of Dave Parlato's unaccompanied bass improvisations is a treat, and John Tirabasso's drumming is thoughtful and precise. Solos are brief and densely packed, lending an air of round-table discussion to the album. The group's dynamic range is somewhat limited, excepting "Touch and Go," a free piece containing the LP's most melodic and direct playing.

Ne Plus Ultra is a no-brainer for Marsh converts; others may find its abstract qualities difficult to penetrate, but an engaged listener can look forward to a wealth of no-nonsense musical invention.

(By Brad Glanden, AAJ)

If you find it, buy this album!