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Anthony Coleman: Catenary Oath
ByAnthony Coleman
pianob.1955

John Zorn
saxophone, altob.1953

Dave Douglas
trumpetb.1963

Marc Ribot
guitarb.1954
The well-paced program alternates the forceful with the impressionistic, starting with the restless "For Roscoe Mitchell," one of the high points of the set. Appropriate to the dedicatee, Coleman combines dramatic gestures with streams of clipped notes which come to an emphatic rest. But even on the freer pieces like this, Coleman keeps a harmonic foundation in mind. That's also the case on "Funeral Xylophone Music," whose percussive attack recalls

Max Roach
drums1925 - 2007
But at other times, on cuts like the introverted gauzy title track and "Verveine," where the compact flourishes decay into silence, the session suggests a solitary late night reverie. Of the standards, "Something To Live For" is rendered in a teasingly playful fashion, spacious and honeyed with barely a twist of lemon, while "Just Friends" gradually discards dark glasses and false moustache to emerge blinking into the light. Coleman reserves the most straightforward reading for the end as an uplifting near swinging rendition of

Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974
By contrasting modernist musings with abstract ballads and sideways glances at the tradition, Catenary Oath offers a satisfyingly rounded portrait of Coleman as performer. ">
Track Listing
For Roscoe Mitchell; Something To Live For; Funeral Xylophone Music; Verveine; Catenary Oath; Her Cerotic Dip; Just Friends; For Mark Andre; I'm Beginning To See The Light.
Personnel
Anthony Coleman
pianoAlbum information
Title: Catenary Oath | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: NoBusiness Records
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