The Reggie Workman Ensemble - Synthesis (Leo, 1986)

This post is by Dan

Reggie Workman (b); Oliver Lake (reeds); Marilyn Crispell (p); Andrew Cyrille (d)

Recorded June 15, 1986

Scrolling through Reggie Workman's recording credits is like scanning the last 60 years of jazz, which is about the duration of my own relationship with jazz as a listener. He played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in the early 1960s and behind virtually every other great jazz artist of the era - Coltrane, Shorter, Mobley, Hubbard, Lateef, Moody, Shepp, Morgan etc. etc. 

The albums that Workman has led are quite different from the staple post-bop of the 1960s. Synthesis finds him leading a quartet of like-minded spirits associated with free improvisation. It's much less structured than the music he played at the beginning of his career. The group has no problem in adjusting either to Workman's compositions or to one piece composed by pianist Marilyn Crispell. All tracks were recorded live at the Painted Bride, Philadelphia. 

Synthesis begins with "Martyr's Hymn," a solemn piece featuring Oliver Lake on flute backed by Workman's arco bass. While free in conception, it's completely coherent. This is true of all the selections on the album, even the intense "Chant," written by Crispell. She also performs a wonderful inside/outside solo on "Synapse II." Overall, there is plenty of variety on display, aided by the uncredited playing of what sounds like a recorder and bells. The audience is clearly appreciative of the trio. 

The CD reissue of Synthesis contains one additional track, "Earthly Garden," which is also the longest piece on the album at 15:08. I used to own the CD, but now only have the LP, which I find to be a little more focused.

Crispell, shown balancing on one foot on the album sleeve's rear cover, came to the attention of the jazz world during the 1980s. Based in upstate New York, she was transformed from a classical pianist into a jazz performer after hearing John Coltrane's A Love Supreme in 1974. (Her solo tribute to Coltrane is the subject of a later post). Crispell's early work involved free playing and intense clusters, similar to those of Cecil Taylor. She was a key member of Anthony Braxton's quartet, which recorded several albums in the 1980s and 1990s (see our post for Braxton's Six Compositions (Quartet) 1984). Later, Crispell recorded a series of ECM recordings that revealed her quieter, but no less explorative, side. Both of these aspects of her playing are evident on Synthesis. 

Workman, Lake, and Andrew Cyrille continue to perform under the moniker of Trio 3. They have released eleven albums, most on the Intakt label. These are well worth investigating. Two of Workman's albums from the 1990s are also highly recommended: 

Summit Conference (Postcards, 1994)

Cerebral Caverns (Postcards, 1995)