Kalapararusha Maurice McIntyre

Hindsight can be revealing as can the accidents of history. On the evidence of this CD alone for instance it appears that Kalapararusha Maurice McIntyre (1936-2013) and his quartet were creating as authoritative sounds in the mid-1970s as any better-known so-called free jazz or freebop players. Trouble was the quartet was playing the wrong music in the wrong place at the wrong time.

An early member of the AACM, clarinetist and tenor saxophonist McIntyre had already recorded with better-known figures in Chicago. But by the time he moved to New York, the free-form Loft Jazz era was drawing to a close, with the New Thing (sic) now Jazz Fusion or Neo-classicism culminating in the celebration of Wynton Marsalis and his ilk. Well-known AACM innovators and others had turned to teaching or decamped foe Europe. Lesser-known ones like McIntyre ended up busking and didn’t record for almost two decades after that

Yet the three untitled selection here show that the saxophonist, trumpeter Malachi Thompson (1949-2006) and drummer Alvin Fielder (1935-2019) were uniting tradition and transformation to eke out an original sound. Part of the originality – and textures that kept the rhythm focused – was the thick, fixed pulse from little-known Chicago electric bassist Milton Suggs. Not that this was a bow to commercialism. Suggs’ brief conventional solos were surrounded by more adventurous sonic turns from the other three. Fielder’s rat-tat-tats, ruffs and rebounds maintained distinctive roles as both backing rhythms and foreground affirmations.

Upfront McIntyre logically twists tongue stops, altissimo squeaks, scoops and slides into a virile output at different tempos. He also produces unexpected altissimo squawks, double tonguing and sometimes unaccompanied basement snores with equal intensity. Keeping narratives horizontal, he and the trumpeter often riff together or play off each other’s inventions. Thompson is notable on his own, sourcing graceful shakes and animated triplets with the same ease. As broken octave elaborations occur he not only pivots to gritty gutbucket muted tones, but also laces his solos with sly terse quotes including “Fascinating Rhythm”, “Wade in the Water” and even “Largo al factotum”.

In different circumstance or a different time this Rivbea gig could have led to greater opportunities  or fame for McIntyre and company. It didn’t, but we can still appreciate the music.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Unidentified Title I 2. Unidentified Title II 3. Unidentified Title III

Personnel: Malachi Thompson (trumpet); Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre (tenor saxophone and clarinet); Milton Suggs (electric bass) and Alvin Fielder (drums)