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Miami-born trumpeter and saxophonist Joe McPhee (1939) did not have any major experience before he started rocking the "loft scene" of New York.
A quartet comprising McPhee (on tenor saxophone, trumpet, pocket cornet, alto horn), Reggie Marks (soprano and tenor saxophones, flute, organ), Tyrone Crabb (bass) and Ernist Bostic (vibraphone, drums, percussion) recorded Underground Railroad (april 1969), particularly the 23-minute Underground Railroad, a spectacular display of collective free improvisation that was frantic and spirited.
John Coltrane's influence was more evident on the live Nation Time (december 1970), recorded with equal enthusiasm by an unusual quintet of piano, bass, two percussionists and McPhee on trumpet, soprano sax and tenor sax (the 18-minute Nation Time) that was expanded to an octet with propulsive alto saxophone, electric guitar and organ for the explosive, funky 13-minute Shakey Jake. McPhee was one step away from the funk-jazz-rock revolution.
Black Magic Man (same concert) showed his more orthodox free-jazz side, especially in the 17-minute Hymn of the Dragon Kings, influenced by Cecil Taylor, as did the acrobatic 28-minute Ionization
and the funky and bluesy Delta on Trinity (november 1971), that
debuted his bass-less trio with piano and drums.
McPhee's intimate, lyrical, multiphonic and polychromatic language at the various instruments was
crystallized on the solo album The Willisau Concert (october 1975),
that contained Baliamian Folksong, Touchstone and Voices.
It was followed by several more solo improvisations:
Rotation (september 1976),
Tenor And Fallen Angels (october 1977),
the double-LP Graphics (june 1977), perhaps the most powerful expression of his eclectic ego
(the 12-minute Graphics 3/4, the 15-minute
Legendary Heroes,
the 14-minute Anamorphosis,
the eleven-minute Trumpet),
Variations on a Blue Line (october 1977),
Glasses (october 1977).
However, McPhee had been preparing to abandon the language of John Coltrane
for something more futuristic. The pioneering duets between his horns and
John Snyder's synthesizer
(notably the 23-minute Windows in Dreams/ Colors in Crystal)
on Pieces Of Light (april 1974) found a place for electronic music in jazz
improvisation.
The atonal sax-piano-guitar trio of MFG in Minnesota (june 1978) evoked
the creative noise of Derek Bailey.
Old Eyes and Mysteries (may 1979), including the four-movement Women's Mysteries, Topology (march 1981), including the 28-minute reed duet Topology, and Oleo (august 1982), including Pablo for
two reeds, bass and guitar,
adapted philosopher Edward DeBono's strategy of "lateral thinking" to jazz improvisation (or "po music"), which in practice meant a calmer, deeper exploration of sound.
More "po music" surfaced on A Future Retrospective (may 1987) and Linear B (january 1990).
Pauline Oliveros' "deep listening" music became a major influence on Common Threads (october 1995), mostly taken up by the 47-minute Spirit Traveler (dedicated to Don Cherry) for a quintet with avantgarde composer Stuart Dempster on trombone and didgeridoo, Evynd Kang on violin, bass and cello.
In that vein McPhee composed Unquenchable Fire (premiered in august 1997).
Sweet Freedom Now What (july 1994) was a tribute of sorts to
Max Roach's masterpiece
Less interesting was his return to free improvisation, enacted via a myriad
of recordings:
the trio with reed player Ken Vandermark and bassist Kent Kessler of Meeting In Chicago (february 1996),
the solo improvisations of As Serious As Your Life (may 1996),
the duets with flutist Jerome Bourdellon of Novio Iolu: Music for a New Place (may 1995) and Manhattan Tango (april 2000),
the duets with trombonist Jeb Bishop of Brass City (october 1997),
the duets with bassist Dominic Duval of The Dream Book (august 1998) and Rules of Engagement, Volume 2 (january 2004),
the duets with tenor saxophonist Evan Parker of Chicago Tenor Duets (may 1998),
the duets with bassist Michael Bisio of Zebulon (july 1998),
the duets with drummer Johnny McLellan of Grand Marquis (august 1999),
the duets with percussionist Hamid Drake of Emancipation Proclamation (june 1999),
the live solos of Everything Happens for a Reason (november 2003),
and assorted combo performances such as Abstract (october 2000), Remembrance (october 2001) and Mr Peabody Goes to Baltimore (september 2000).
McPhee mainly formed the Bluette Quartet with microtonal reed player Joe Giardullo and two bassists (Michael Bisio and Dominic Duval). After In the Spirit (march 1999), a tribute to spirituals, and No Greater Love (same session), with Strangers In A Strange Land, they
excelled at the postmodern melodic exercise of the suite
Let Paul Robeson Sing (september 2001),
structured in four "episodes":
the 21-minute Harlem Spiritual,
the 15-minute Peekskill 1949 in three movements,
the eleven-minute For Paul,
the ten minute Water Boy/ Deep River/ Ol' Man River.
The same free-melodic concept was explored by the Trio X, formed by
McPhee with bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jay Rosen, with more
elegiac overtones although at times quite self-indulgent:
the four-movement Watermelon Suite on Watermelon Suite (may 1998),
the 47-minute Lift Every Voice and Sing on the live Rapture (december 1998),
the 17-minute Sida's Song on the live In Black And White (june 2001),
Journey and Autograph on Journey (february 2003),
the 17-minute The Sugar Hill Suite on The Sugar Hill Suite (october 2004),
Burning Wood on Moods Playing with the Elements (october 2004),
etc.
Shadow & Light was a quartet with Joe Giardullo, Michael Bisio and Tani Tabbal that recorded Now Is (october 20O2).
Guts (august 2005) was a collaboration among Joe McPhee on trumpet and saxophones, Peter Broetzmann on saxophones, Kent Kessler on double bass and Michael Zerang on drums: the 17-minute Guts and the 41-minute Rising spirits
Soprano (september 1998) documents a live performance.
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