Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album
Omnivore, 2021
9/10
Listen to Metaphysics: The Lost Atlantic Album
An extremely underrated pianist and composer who only released one recording in his lifetime, Hasaan Ibn Ali sees some well deserved posthumous documentation here, where a 1965 recording restored from long lost acetate copies of the sessions is unearthed, effectively making an important piece of jazz history available for the first time.
“Atlantic One” starts and ends the listen, as both full and short versions illustrate Ali’s unpredictable playing techniques that often sound abrasive yet calculated, and “Viceroy”, which also appears in full and short versions, demonstrates his complicated hard bop prowess that was clearly ahead of his time.
In the middle, “Richard May Love Give Powell” enters ballad territory, which flows into the energetic and imaginative “Metaphysics”, where it becomes quite evident that Ali influenced legends like Thelonius Monk. “True Train”, one of the best selections here, then unfolds with 11 minutes of agile and innovative playing from all the musicians present.
Ali is joined by Odean Pope on tenor sax, Art Davis holding down bass, and Kalil Madi behind the drum kit on this recording, and they all complement his strong piano work while each taking their time in the spotlight, too. The liner notes from Alan Sukoenig and Lewis Porter provide much insight to the release and Ali, who lived a very challenging and short life, easily illustrates that he was one of the finest jazz pianists of all time.
Travels well with: Steve Hunt- Connections; David Larsen- The Mulligan Chronicles