New York Concerts

More of a theorist interested in counterpoint than a free player, clarinetist/saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre was one of the first to take his jazz into the avant-garde. Unfortunately, he paid for it by getting dropped by Columbia Records after releasing the now-classic but then-reviled Free Fall in 1962. These two performances from 1965 (which have surprisingly good sound quality) find him in rare form for two reasons: for the first time in years he was playing tenor saxophone, and a drummer (Joe Chambers) was present on both sets. Bassist Richard Davis is in the trio, and bassist Barre Phillips and pianist Don Friedman round out the quartet. While players like Coltrane, Cecil Taylor, or Ornette Coleman could be aggressive or atonal, Giuffre had a softer tone that often dwelled in the lower register. Highlights here include the tangled “Syncopate,” a version of Coleman’s “Crossroads,” and “Cry, Want” (whose bluesy line is quickly dispatched with). Melody and rhythm seem less of interest; instead the focus is (as song titles indicate) on movement and geometry.