Sirone's Concord

Sirone's Concord is the first album under bassist Sirone's own name in more than two decades — his previous leader date, Artistry (Of The Cosmos), had appeared in 1979. Norris Jones, known as Sirone (1940–2009), was a pillar of the 1970s New York avant-garde and a co-founder of the Revolutionary Ensemble; over his career he worked with such figures as Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Marion Brown and Roswell Rudd, and was later a member of Phalanx. From 1989 he was based in Berlin, where he led the working quartet Concord.

The album presents five Sirone originals performed with that band: Ben Abarbanel-Wolff on tenor saxophone, Ulli Bartel on violin and Maurice de Martin on drums. The writing draws on a wide palette — from the European folk-fiddle inflections that open 'Aisha's Serenade,' through the modal, near-chamber lyricism of 'For All We Don't Know,' to the gospel-tinged freebop of 'Swingin' On A String Of Things / For Albert,' a nod to Albert Ayler's mid-1960s work with violinist Michel Samson. From that piece's drum solo onward the compositions run into one another without pause, closing with a reprise of 'You Are Not Alone But We Are Few' and a final bass solo from the leader.

The result is an American/German project that marked a notable return for a major figure who had been largely absent from recording for years.