The first (and mightiest) of Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition
ensembles offered a sound that in many ways was revolutionary in modern
contemporary and creative improvised music circa 1980. With firebrand
alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe and enfant terrible tenor saxophonist and bass clarinetist David Murray bobbing, weaving, and counterpunching, DeJohnette and bassist Peter Warren
could have easily stood back in deference to these heavyweight
pugilists. The result was a vehicle by which DeJohnette could power the
two with his two-fisted drumming and play piano or melodica when the
mood suited him, while Warren could simply establish a foundation for all to launch their witty,
extroverted, oftentimes boisterous ideas into the stratosphere. The
recording starts off very strong with two definitive tracks. "One for
Eric," perfectly rendered in the spirit of Eric Dolphy, has Blythie and Murray's
bass clarinet taking off, flying, and then soaring. Their contrasting
tart and sweet sounds merge beautifully, and not without a smidgen of
humor. "Zoot Suite" sports a great 4/4 bass groove with quirky accents,
while Blythe's alto and Murray's tenor repeat a head-nodding line, then Murray's
sax chortles like a cow, then they float over DeJohnette's melodica,
and on the repeat line the drummer powers the band to the finish line.
Both of these tracks are as complete, fully realized, and utterly unique
as any in modern jazz, and deserve standards status. But John Coltrane's
visage is not far behind on the peaceful "Central Park West," with
DeJohnette again on the underlying melodica, while "India" has
DeJohnette leading out on a playful Native and Eastern Indian motif via
his piano playing. Blythe and Murray literally weep on the alto and bass clarinet. The finale, "Journey to the Twin Planet," is a free-based improvisation, with Blythe's squawky alto and Murray's
long-toned tenor with overblown harmonics held in mezzo piano range,
and DeJohnette's melodica evincing an electronic stance. A craggy, wild,
and free bop idea provides a bridge (or maybe wormhole) to a calmer,
supposed other planet. This first version of Special Edition
stands alone as one of the most important and greatest assemblages of
jazz musicians. This LP deserves a definitive five-star rating for the
lofty place it commands in the evolution of jazz toward new heights and
horizons.