On September 7, 2012, the Guelph Festival in Ontario presented an electric, and electrifying, rendition of one of John Coltrane’s most ferociously free works: Ascension.
The original version was recorded in 1965 with three tenor saxophones (Trane, Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp), two alto saxophones (Marion Brown and John Tchicai), two trumpets (Freddie Hubbard and Dewey Johnson), two double basses (Art Davis and Jimmy Garrison), a piano (McCoy Tyner) and drums (Elvin Jones).
For the updated version, the ROVA Saxophone Quartet (Bruce Ackley, soprano sax, Steve Adams, alto sax, Larry Ochs, tenor sax, Jon Raskin, baritone sax) was flanked by Nels Cline on electric guitar, Fred Frith on electric bass, Carla Kihlstedt and Jenny Scheinman on violin, Chris Brown and Ikue Mori on electronics, Rob Mazurek on horn and Hamid Drake on drums. Sound: Hayward Parrott and Marc Urselli.
Shot on five cameras, this concert – released on DVD and Blu-ray by French label Rogue Art – will be presented free of charge on Vimeo all week long, until May 25 inclusively, for the occasion of the Great Confinement.
Thanks to Michel Dorbon of Rogue Art.
Play LOUD!
