Ken McIntyre - 1962 - Year Of The Iron Sheep

Ken McIntyre

1962

Year Of The Iron Sheep

01. Say What 5:00
02. Arisin' 10:10
03. Laura 3:25
04. 96.5 4:10
05. Cosmos 5:15
06. Someday 8:47

Tracks 1–4
Ken McIntyre – alto sax, flute
Jaki Byard – piano
Ron Carter – bass
Ben Riley – drums

Track 5
Ken McIntyre – alto sax
Jaki Byard – piano
Ron Carter – bass
Louis Hayes – drums

Track 6
Ken McIntyre – flute
Ed Stoute – piano
Ahmed Abdul-Malik – bass
Warren Smith – drums

Sound Mixers, NYC, June 11, August 31, September 4, 1962

After making something of a name for himself on his two New Jazz records (especially his one with Eric Dolphy, "Looking Ahead"), Ken McIntyre moved over to United Artists to record a few albums with Alan Douglas producing. The music moved forward some from the 1960 sessions, but those wanting the McIntyre on Cecil Taylor's "Unit Structures" or "Wildflowers" may not be as pleased. Try not to take that away from McIntyre, though, who is a splendid player no matter what he's playing, and the curious title at least alludes to some direction towards the avant-garde, even if the results are mostly pleasant post-bop.

There were three sessions to this album, and many extras are on "the Complete United Artists" double CD which paired this with his other United Artists album, "Way, Way Out" from a year later. For this album, only the song "Someday" was chosen from a session with trombonist John Mancebo Lewis. The songs with him, however, are only on that compilation; Douglas chose to keep this a quartet album. The next session produced only "Cosmos" and featured a different backing band entirely, but it all seemed to come together for the last sessions, which is featured on the opening four tracks. Of those, "Say What" is a terrific opener, all bopping heads and modal energy. It leads into a somewhat overlong but still lovely ballad, "Arisin'". McIntyre plays methodically here, never pushing the boundaries. Much the same is true on "Laura", the only cover on the album, which is tastefully played for its first half before it turns on a dime to a speedy tempo and lets McIntyre really show off. Byard is ideal for this record, and his energy combines with Carter's bass and Riley's always swinging drums. It shows that the band could certainly head "out" if it wished, but instead it slows back down to a quick end.

Moving to side two finds McIntyre on flute for what is without question the most challenging track, "96.5". Byard plays some unique notes throughout, though he often returns to block chords after a bit. Again, the band is on it, though Byard really owns this one and seems totally attuned to McIntyre, even prodding him with some mild dissonance at one point. The next track, "Cosmos" really stretches out, featuring the most challenging playing of the day and some masterful drum work by Louis Hayes. The song lets McIntyre take his alto into slightly overblown territory. Carter, as he did with Dolphy, keeps his elastic bass setting the foundation for the band whilst always exploring. This might be a good track to try just to hear a sampling of what McIntyre could do in 1962. Few were actually following Ornette Coleman at this point, though many were listening. McIntyre keeps his own sound but isn't afraid to explore, and that exploration would go on to define his seventies music in particular. After that rush, "Someday" returns to flute and is a cool down for the album's end. Byard is in good form again, as is the rest of the band. Again, this isn't an album that will blow minds or seem like a brilliant, lost find, but it is very well done and at least two tracks are really worth digging into. One to give a chance on a cool fall morning.

Year Of The Iron Sheep, originally released in 1962. Recorded intermittently between June and September 1962, Year Of The Iron Sheep was Ken McIntyre's third album, the fruit of various studio sessions featuring three different personnel line-ups. Here the great multi-instrumentalist, mostly known for his collaborations with the likes of Eric Dolphy, Archie Shepp, Cecil Taylor, and Charlie Haden, is heard on alto sax and flute.