"Interstellar Space" by John Coltrane and Rashad Ali

Howling,
Growling, but
Singing,
past the moon,
toward the Sun, beyond the Sun
toward heaven
shoots the duo soundings.

Flooding, flowing, dancing...
stunning.

Earth made rare
through soul,
seeking asylum beyond,
but in the midst it wails.

Wordless voices, choices
jutting out, and up, and out.

Notes: outstanding,
extraordinary,
extra-mundane.

Unconstrained by key
or harmony.

The pulsations
are revelations
and celebrations
of visceral cerebrations
through horn and drum,
never done, before
or since.

Heidi Schmidt at D'Vine Wine, February 20

Singer, guitarist Heidi Schmidt will perform Saturday, February 20, at D'Vine Wine (1660 Champa) in Denver. She will be accompanied by guitar and tenox saxophone. I reviewed her gig there with the same band in January on this blog and look forward to seeing her perform again.

Short Praise for Vijay Iyer

Vijay Iyer is one of the most rhythmatically, harmonically, and melodically advanced pianists on the scene today. His trio is tight even while performing pieces a bit outside the norm. Their ability to vary the tempo of individual tunes is remarkable. There music is challenging and rewarding--chops everywhere, but no grand-standing. I write this after listening to his newest trio recording, Historicity, recently

Johnny Hodges, Alto Saxophone

Silky sharp,
bending up.
Never letting down.

Articulation, precision,
deep feeling: Fire,
without frenzy.

Vibrato,
vibrant and mellow.

Fitting in

while
standing out:

Johnny Hodges