Fans of free jazz are often accused of claiming to like sounds that they can't possibly like. The inference is that we lean toward the "out there" for the sake of shock value. While I will admit that it's sometimes fun to let Peter Brotzmann's plasma-cutter saxophone push my adrenaline levels, it is definitely not true that shock is all I get out of it.

This assertion seems to imply that abrasive sounds having nothing to say beyond their aggression, as if that an abrasive noise (I will avoid the noise vs. music debate for now) is disqualified from attaching itself to any other emotion. Again, not true. Note that this imposed functional limitation is never applied to conventionally "pleasant" sounds.

When listening to Steve Turre's Delicious And Delightful, I was struck by the tones Turre is able to make with his set of conch shells. Their warm sound can remind the ear of the flugelhorn. Add a little more breath and "roundness" and you're almost there. The word "romantic" immediately came to mind, although I didn't use that word in the review, mostly because the compositions tended toward the uptempo side of things. "Happy" worked for this recording. Still, those tones would be perfect for a soft run through "My Funny Valentine" (sorry Miles).

For Sun Ra, the saxophone wail of "It's After The End Of The World" seemed to parallel my state of mind. I'm not sure if "agitated" or "confused" was the musician's original intent, but that's pretty much irrelevant as that sonic clatter moved in perfect alignment with my mood.

Hopefully, I will not need the plasma-cutter tomorrow morning. 

Instigating material #1: Steve Turre - Delicious and Delightful

Instigating material #2: One Track Mind: Sun Ra, "It's After The End Of The World"