Anti-jazz, the still-new thing

International House Philadelphia hosts a series way beyond old jazz conventions, with roots in the wild stuff fav’ son John Coltrane blew in 1961. I delve into the 50-year controversy for PMP  online magazine of the Philadelphia Music Project here, before the Art Ensemble of Chicago plays what it’s come to on Saturday, March 6.

In truth, the members of the classic Coltrane Quartet plus saxophonist Eric Dolphy at the Village Vanguard back then weren’t against anything except creative complacency, as the two hornmen explained back in the day (read their classic defense against critics John Tynan, Ira Gitler and Leonard Feather in DownBeat – The Great Jazz Interviews, which also features my articles on Henry Threadgill, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell and Terrence Blanchard and Donald Harrison). But see/hear for yourself in this clip that retains its power lo these decades later —