| Track: | Rating: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Take The Coltrane | | | | | |
| 2. My Favourite Things | | | | | |
| 3. Sing Me Softly Of The Blues | | | | | |
| 4. Enquentros | | | | | |
| 5. Naima | | | | ||
| 6. Tones For Elvin Jones | | | | | |
| 7. Crescent | | | | | |
| 8. Afro Blue | | | | | |
| 9. After The Rain | | | | | |
After The Rain (1995) is representative of McLaughlin's general studio output in the last decade -- proficient, professional and listenable, it still falls rather short of what it could have been.
Since rising to fame with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, McLaughlin has undergone a variety of stylistic changes: Indian fusion, jazz-classical, some unfortunate moments of light jazz, and purist jazz. In recent years, his "solo" ventures have tended to involve a fairly consistent approach, with semi-fusion performances that hark back to more traditional forms.
After The Rain captures the advantages and disadvantages of McLaughlin's newfound niche rather succinctly. On one hand, it features skilled performances by the master and his two learned sidemen, often featuring solos that rival those of his "heyday". On the other, the album as a whole seems too "safe". JM intended this album primarily as a tribute to John Coltrane, but the end result often seems a bit complacent -- as though the artist approached the music with a bit too much reverence to wring something new out of it. Accordingly, listening to this album frequently gives one the feeling that one has stumbled into an impromptu jam session by the musicians in question -- resulting in much good music, but not as much in the way of a lasting context for the work itself. ATR is unquestionably a good album, but it can't be considered an important one.
The limitations of the instrumental arrangements may have caused a few difficulties as well. While Joey DeFrancesco is clearly a talented musician, there are some restrictions on the level of "musical colour" that one can create with only two instruments to handle the lead and backing melodies. DeFrancesco has his moments, but sometimes seems a bit outmatched by the arrangements.
The album begins with a version of Duke Ellington's "Take The Coltrane", giving McLaughlin a chance to display his interpretation of the piece by an impressive guitar lead in the early goings of the piece -- starting in a profoundly understated manner, he eventually pulls through with a stellar performance. DeFrancesco's lead (which begins after about three minutes) is fairly good as well, though perhaps slightly superficial in comparison to McLaughlin's. Jones adds some decent rhythms in the background. We're off to a decent start.
"My Favourite Things" might be the point were the troubles start. Though the work itself still comes over fairly well, the players don't really add anything to it (perhaps it's simply *too much* of a standard in the jazz world). McLaughlin's solo at the end is an easy highlight of the song, but his playing in the earlier sections seems a bit unspectacular in comparison with what he's capable of. Still, the Mahavishnu-esque ascension at the end is quite interesting, and DeFrancesco provides a few cool Hammond licks in the middle. Good enough for listening, this one comes up a bit lacking when one looks a bit deeper.
"Sing Me Softly Of The Blues" is as good of an example as any for the unfortunately "safe" performances that have hindered McLaughlin's career at times. There isn't anything wrong with the performance, but it seems to be missing a fundamental "raison d'etre". The solos could have been better, the track as a whole isn't DeFrancesco's defining moment, and even Jones seems a tad on the complacent side in his backing role. It's not enough of a lull to skip through, but neither it is a good example of what these musicians are capable of.
McLaughlin's own "Enquentros" starts off better, with the author spinning an intriguing lead over some interesting work on Jones's part. Both JM and JD do some excellent work on this composition (the latter upstaging the former on one occasion). The track itself is a little on the underwritten side, but not by terribly much -- if a complaint can be made, it's that this track too sounds a bit more "gentle" than it should, perhaps. Still, it's a good enough way to end the first half.
Next follows their adaptation of Coltrane's "Naima", the first of only three direct "tributes" on the album. Put bluntly, I'm not overly impressed with this performance. The arrangement is shifted to a fairly mellow basis, and both JM and JD give performances that seem to be rather lighter than the piece deserves. Besides this, the problem in instrumentation is particularly notable here -- there are times when a Hammond simply isn't capable of "speaking" in the same way that a bass or saxophone would, and this is clearly one such time. The strength of the composition prevents this from being a disgrace, but this hardly counts as the greatest tribute imaginable.
It falls to "Tones For Elvin Jones", McLaughlin's other composition on the album, to bring the work back to the level on which it began. After JD takes a leading role for the first two minutes, McLaughlin provides a truly impressive lead that easily counts as one of the best things on the album. It may be a truism that any band can jam, moreover, but this particular jam clearly has quite a bit of merit to it. Curiously, Elvin Jones doesn't have that strong of a role on the track that bears his name.
"Crescent", another Coltrane number, comes off rather better than the earlier tribute. JM's guitar lead at the beginning is extremely good, reaching an experimental level at times; some interesting shifts in his lead towards the end of the work easily add to the overall value of the track. The Hammond solo is fairly good as well. A combination of more traditional jazz stylings and newer colourings, this number actually does some justice to the artist that it honours.
"Afro Blue" is probably the best track on the album, and at least part of the credit must fall to the fact that the musicians express the melody of this track in a more pronounced manner than they do for the other tracks. DeFrancesco unleashes a fairly proggy solo halfway through the track, and JM adds a very nice touch at the end. Besides which, Jones finally gets a spotlight in this number. A clear winner.
And, finally, the album concludes with "After The Rain", a Coltrane number which actually works in a mellower context. McLaughlin spins out golden leads on this one, capturing the sense of triumph and isolation in the title extremely well; DeFrancesco adds a few more progressive elements as well. Mellow jazz stylings may not usually make for great music, but JM is able to do enough with this one to make it so.
There is enough good material on After The Rain to recommend its purchase to McLaughlin fans, though newcomers to his work should perhaps check elsewhere. This is not the only occasion in which McLaughlin approaches a "tribute" project with a bit too much reverence -- perhaps this very approach is something which simply doesn't match well with his talents.
(review originally posted to alt.music.yes on 15 April 1998)