The first album issued by
hatHUT
, recorded at the same concert as
Nation Time
,
Black Magic Man
evinces a
McPhee
coming very much out of the ecstatic
free jazz
of the time (especially the late
John Coltrane
and
Albert Ayler
) but also wrestling with the implications of
rock
and the use of
electronic
instruments in
jazz
. The rockish tracks were relegated to the companion album, however, while the pieces here consist of solid, muscular
.
's tenor on the title composition is surging and roaring; he would come to develop greater touch and control, but his passion is already in full flower.
"Song for Laureen"
starts out much closer to the sort of music being played by musicians like
Charles Tolliver
Stanley Cowell
at the time (and being issued on the
Strata East
label): soulful and straddling the divide between mainstream and
avant-garde
. Here, the melody, gorgeous and heartfelt, owes a bit to
Coltrane
's classic
"Naima,"
but
quickly takes it outside into highly abstract and chaotic regions before delicately reining it back in. The rhythm section gets a bit clunky now and then; none of the musicians are truly in
's league. Pianist
Mike Kull
, especially on the side-long
"Hymn of the Dragon Kings,"
comes very much out of
Cecil Taylor
but without the latter's grace. The drum tandem attempts some aggressive soloing and does generate some excitement, but more out of sheer enthusiasm than anything else. The closing track ends mid-percussion solo, seemingly as though the tape had simply run out.
would go on to greater things, but fans of his will definitely want to check out this seminal work. ~ Brian Olewnick