Allmusic gives a somewhat different definition. It's a lot longer, but essentially it's this: music of the 1980s and beyond that's characterized by a reaction against the jazz-rock fusion popularized by Miles Davis. They also say that " Straight-ahead musicians can be influenced by any jazz up through the 1960s, even including some early avant-garde jazz," which suggests it's also a reaction against the modal and free jazz of John Coltrane and those in his sphere of influence. Which would certainly include Eric Dolphy. But this session would fall under the heading of early avant-garde jazz, and except for the part about the 1980s, it would satisfy either definition.a jazz music style from the period between bebop and the 1960s' styles of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. It is considered the lingua franca of jam sessions, and can usually be contrasted with smooth jazz.It has the following characteristics:
- A walking bass
- A swing 4/4 time signature in the drums
- In the piano, syncopated chords in the left hand, and melodic, mostly single-note soloing in the right hand
- A head followed by a solo by each melody instrument, and sometimes drums and bass, followed by a reprise of the head
- However, many Latin rhythms are also sufficiently well-established to be considered straight-ahead.
I've just written about traditionalist Coleman Hawkins using avant-garde drummer Andrew Cyrille. Here it's sort of the reverse, with a couple of very progressive musicians, including one certified avant-gardist, using a much more mainstream rhythm section--particularly the bassist, George Duvivier, whose credentials are more along the lines of Gene Ammons, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Bob Wilber, Frank Sinatra.
It's hard to imagine a better choice. Duvivier keeps them to the straight ahead, and still provides inventive, mind-freeing bass lines which allow them room to wander. This is an album with much pleasure for avant-gardist and straught-aheadist alike.
With the exception of Milt Jackson's "Ralph's New Blues," all the compositions are Nelson's. They're all wonderful, but the one that's caught on and been recorded several times by other musicians is "Six and Four," so named because it moves from 6/4 to 4/4 time. It was tough choosing one for my listening pick, but I went with "Straight Ahead," a rousing five and half minutes of blowing, riffing, improvising, hitting bebop tempos, allowing room for solos by Richard Wyands and Roy Haynes, and stomping it out in style to wind up the session.
And wind it up they did. Joe Golberg, who wrote the liner notes, describes showing up at 3:30, figuring that with a one o'clock session call they'd just be getting through a quick rehearsal and ready to get down to serious recording. Instead, he found the studio empty except for Rudy Van Gelder and Esmond Edwards. The musicians had packed up and gone home. They'd played "Straight Ahead," and they'd played straight ahead, and they'd nailed it the first time through.
Was this the tune that gave the title to the movement two decades hence, or perhaps the movement that was getting under way as jazz bifurcated and trifurcated in the 1960s? It's hard to say. Compositions with the same title, one by Kenny Dorham and one by Mal Waldron, appeared right around the same time. Maybe the name honors all three of them. This one certainly deserves all the credit it gets.
Edwards produced, and the album was released by New Jazz.
Listening to Prestige Vol. 2, 1955-56, and Vol. 3, 1957-58 now include, in the Kindle editions, links to all the "Listen to One" selections. All three volumes available from Amazon.
And Volume 4 in preparation!
The most interesting book of its kind that I have ever seen. If any of you real jazz lovers want to know about some of the classic records made by some of the legends of jazz, get this book. LOVED IT.
– Terry Gibbs
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