Tony Coe - Canterbury Song (Hot House, 1989)

This post is by Dan

Tony Coe (ts, ss, cl); Benny Bailey (tr); Horace Parlan (p); Jimmy Woode (b); Idris Muhammad (d)

Recorded November 28 and 29, 1988

Tony Coe is one of Britain's leading jazz artists. Born in 1934 in Canterbury, Coe began recording in the 1960s. He excels on all three of his reeds: tenor, soprano, and clarinet. He is equally comfortable in straight-ahead settings such as Canterbury Song, and more avant-garde outings. 

Canterbury Song teams Coe with four Americans who had taken up residence in Europe where they helped to make jazz popular. Benny Bailey, Horace Parlan, and Jimmy Woode were all familiar to jazz audiences in the UK and on the continent. This recording session brought them together in London for a one-off record that stands the test of time.

Coe plays tenor on all but three of the tunes. He plays in a gentle, almost laconic fashion on the bigger horn. His bandmates, especially Horace Parlan, counter with sparkling solos even on the slowest material ("Blue in Green," "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry," and "How Beautiful is the Night"). Coe plays more spritely on soprano ("Re: Person I knew") and on clarinet ("Lagos" and "Morning Vehicle"). 

The contrasts within the band are, to my ears, the key to the album's success. It would be easy for all of the participants to coast through the standard material (even the sole Monk tune) and Coe's three originals. But everyone rises to the occasion to enliven the session and play individual solos that cohere and extend every theme. Again, Parlan is at his best on this album. I tend to take him for granted, but here he sounds very original and plays truly wonderful solos. Benny Bailey does not appear on many of the tracks, but his muted solo on the title tune is a delight.

In later years, Coe played more clarinet than tenor. I can hear why on this album and on his recent live duet album with pianist John Horler (Dancing in the Dark, Gearbox Records, 2021), where he plays clarinet exclusively.