Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album

During his lifetime, pianist and composer Hasaan Ibn Ali (1931-1980) was a jazz enigma. The Philly musician practiced with John Coltrane during the early 50s and is credited as the primary influence on the saxophonists sheets of sound harmonic approach first articulated on Giant Steps -- a sound that exploded across his Impulse! work. Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album is a genuine jazz holy grail, one of only two albums to feature the pianists compositions and unique playing style. The first, The Max Roach Trio Featuring the Legendary Hasaan, was credited to Roach because it was the only way to get Atlantics Nesuhi Ertegun to sign the pianist. Pleased, the label commissioned an album from Ibn Ali. Using bassist Art Davis, drummer Kalil Madi, and saxophonist Odean Pope, Ibn Ali completed the session. Atlantic shelved the record when he couldnt make it to the mixing sessions. The master was lost in a 1978 warehouse fire, and a taped copy languished in a company vault for decades before Lewis Porter, collector and friend Alan Sukoenig, former Rhino producer Patrick Milligan, and Omnivore boss Cheryl Pawelski restored it and brought it to light. This set includes seven of the eight originals cut during those 1965 sessions. Another, Ad Aspera Ad Astra, recorded on another day, was not copied. The music, though easier to approach in the 21st century, is quite radical in harmonic density and rhythmic invention. Opener Atlantic Ones offers a Monk-esque lyric intro before the band careens across a knotty bop head. Pope articulates Ibn Alis wonky harmonic line in his solo, pushing the quartet as the pianist explodes with swinging, abrupt right-hand chord clusters. El Hasaan is angular, played in several different time signatures at once with Pope and Ibn Ali offering different rhythmic articulations even as the tune itself dictates a 12-bar blues. It moves far afield during the pianists emotive solo. Richard May Love Give Powell is a glorious, bluesy ballad with deft lines from Pope while the rhythm section walks gently behind him. Ibn Ali comps with noiri-sh chord voicings, adding angular motivic dimension to the melody. The title track offers striated harmonics via Popes modal phrasing and finger-popping amid a Herbie Nichols-esque melodic frame. Ibn Ali and Davis add detailed harmonics, punchy dynamics, and forceful physicality for Pope to channel in his solo. The set-closer True Train is a nearly 11-minute excursion that registers the abundant musicality in Ibn Alis approach to jazz. He leads the band through swing, bop, hard bop, and modal jazz in lyric statements. Pope solos around and comps to Ibn Alis highly developed lyricism and rhythmic funkiness through raggedy blues and elegant syncopation. Metaphysics includes three alternate takes, rare photos, and an obsessively detailed liner essay by Sukoenig with abundant quotes from Pope. Without doubt, this is one of modern jazzs great lost albums -- the music here is astonishing. Any jazz fan who encounters this work (and all should) will be blessed by the experience. ~ Thom Jurek