Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' (Live)

Album review

There are archival releases that are interesting for the discographical or historical gaps that they fill, and there are ones that are interesting for the way that they provide an additional or unique perspective on recordings or eras that have become calcified due to their iconic status. And then, there are archival releases like Forces of Nature that crackle with both the excitement of revelation and the electricity of sheer musical excellence. Dug out of drummer Jack DeJohnette's personal archives, this live album contains highlights from a week-long stand featuring McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Henry Grimes, and DeJohnette at Slugs' Saloon in New York City’s East Village, the preferred late '60s haunt of many purveyors of The New Thing. Slugs' was tiny but welcoming, and players and aficionados alike knew it to be an excellent location for musicians to stretch out into new sonic territories.

This particular lineup was new to all involved, although each had played with one another in various permutations throughout the years, most notably, the leaders' collaborations on a clutch of Blue Note albums throughout the mid-'60s, including Henderson's In 'N Out.  The 10-minute title cut from that album is the opener here and this quartet explodes out of the gate with a full-steam take that runs nearly three times that; it's so fiery and kinetic, it feels like it could go a half-hour more. That energy remains high throughout, thanks both to the propulsive rhythm section (Grimes and DeJohnette are locked in and seem to never let their feet off the gas pedal) and the astonishing interplay between Henderson and Tyner. Although the tenor player and the pianist both had incredible careers as leaders, they had also long toiled in the shadows of icons; in Henderson's case, it was Horace Silver and Herbie Hancock, and in Tyner's case, John Coltrane. Their solo work was well-regarded and well-received, but this set shows just how formidable they were as individual players and as forward-looking collaborators. Now that it's been rescued and released, it also documents a pivotal transition into the late '60s more daring approach to jazz. Absolutely essential and exciting. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz