Winter Garden

It is an interesting question how old “free jazz” is. At some point, even a theme and a plan became optional. In the ESP-Disk’ catalog, “Taneous” on the Giuseppi Logan Quartet’s eponymous album sounds like this approach of complete freedom starting from scratch; it was recorded on November 11, 1964. Joe McPhee, in 1967, appeared on Clifford Thornton’s album Freedom and Unity, so his recording career covers 53 of those 56 years, 95% of the approach’s history.  Each succeeding decade found another player on this album joining the confraternity: Downs in 1976, Morris in 1983, and Belogenis in 1993. By that method of counting, there are 159 years of collective experience being heard on this album.

Credits:

Joe McPhee: tenor saxophone

Louie Belogenis: tenor and soprano saxophones

Joe Morris: bass

Charles Downs: drums

Recorded on January 11, 2020 by Jim Clouse at Park West Studios, Brooklyn NY

Cover painting: “tree bark & berries (for c.h.) #5,” 2004, by Yuko Otomo

Design & layout by Diana K

Produced by Steve Holtje

Press Quotes:

"The Flow Trio do that. Flow. They flow in a free manner. They flow because each player sets up the other players with what he does, allowing them to invent fertile extended collective improvisations." – All About Jazz

Re: Joe McPhee: "... His magical take on avant-garde sax remains one of the wonders of the scene. He still has one of the most beautiful tones on the planet, even when he’s reaching for jazz’s outer limits." – Time Out New York

Re: Louie Belogenis: "...tracks a direct lineage dating back to free jazz forefathers like Coltrane and Ayler, illustrating the cyclic replenishing nature of the tradition." - Derek Taylor

Musicians: Flow Trio