Seize The Rainbow
(Enemy EMY 104)
Sonny Sharrock – Guitar; Melvin Gibbs – Bass; Pheeroan Aklaff – Drums; Abe Speller – Drums
My Song
The Past Adventures Of Zydeco Honeycup
Sheraserhead’s High-Top Sneakers
For those who think jazz is effete or needlessly intellectual, listen to Sonny Sharrock. Sharrock plays with the language of an omnivore – Blues, Jazz, Rock, Metal plus an electrifying spontaneity, all deployed within a master’s command of structure. His playing does not fall into any narrow pigeon holes. Unfortunately, the world does not have enough Sharrock to listen to – his discography is terribly small due to lack of economic opportunities that prevented him from recording. Maybe if experimental music had been more viable, Sharrock’s work in the 1960’s would have been the springboard to a higher profile in music making. His career started with a lot of exposure as a sideman – highlights are appearances on Pharoah Sanders’ Tauhid (1966), on a Wayne Shorter record (Super Nova, 1969), on a significant though uncredited appearance on Miles Davis’ Tribute to Jack Johnson, and a regular gig that paid the bills with the popular Herbie Mann. This sideman activity was followed by the opportunity to record under his own name on 1969’s Black Woman. All these recordings show Sharrock’s potential, but did not give space for Sharrock and his guitar work to take center stage. By the early 1970’s it seemed like things were set up for a definitive Sonny Sharrock record, but the floor fell out on opportunities in experimental music. By 1975 Sharrock quit music altogether, and spent the rest of the decade earning a living away from music by taking care of disabled children and driving a cab.
Sonny Sharrock may have ended up being only a footnote in music history, but fortunately the bassist and producer Bill Laswell coaxed Sharrock out of retirement to appear on a minor classic of early 80’s New York ‘No Wave’, 1981’s Memory Serves. From there Sharrock thankfully was able to record again and again in the 1980’s – Sharrock stated in a 1991 interview that “the last five years have been pretty strange for me, because I went twelve years without making a record at all, and then in the last five years, I’ve made seven records under my own name. That’s pretty strange.”
One of the best from this bumper crop is Seize the Rainbow, recorded and released in 1987. This record was released under the “Sonny Sharrock Band”, putting the emphasis on the musicians who give Sonny Sharrock’s guitar the support it deserves – Melvin Gibbs plays always supportive but quite inventive bass lines, and the rhythm is driven by two drummers in tandem – Pheeroan Aklaff and Abe Speller. The result is a powerful and convincing record and a highlight of Sharrock’s discography. Melvin Gibbs, interviewed by Hank Shtreamer, emphasizes the range of the music:
“He was exploring all of those things: He would explore a really beautiful sound and then kind of crash it. And then he could take the crash thing and show you how to bring it back. I can’t say enough good things about Sonny, as far as what he was doing musically, in terms of the emotional continuum. I mean, the whole point of heavy metal is you’re trying to get a certain emotional energy across, and you need to explore a certain set of sounds to get that emotional energy across. And because Sonny’s music covered such a wide emotional area, I was able to throw a whole bunch of stuff in there that might have seemed out of context in other circumstances, and he was very supportive of that.”
The standout song of the album is undoubtedly ‘My Song”, a showcase for a moving Sharrock guitar solo. It’s an ABACC 40 bar form. Sharrock’s emphasis on melody is an overlooked aspect of this playing, and his simple phasing of the melody in the first chorus of his solo is a prime example. It is not until the third chorus of his solo that Sharrock really lets loose, and the results are unforgettable – after playing low feedback before the bridge of the 3rd chorus, he plays a soaring pattern with deft support from Gibbs. It’s astonishing and powerful. The track fades out after Sharrock’s’ solo – there’s nothing left the other members of the band to say after this statement!
“The Past Adventures Of Zydeco Honeycup” is a tribute to Professor Longhair based on Longhair’s tune Tipitina. It emphasizes Sharrock’s connection to tradition. The song has a straightforward structure. The guitar solo builds to a climax that shows off Sharrock’s terrific note placement and uses sustained notes to great effect.
“Sheraserhead’s High-Top Sneakers” might feel like and end session throw away recorded to fill out the record. Indeed, Gibbs testifies to the expedited way the session went – he states that “We couldn’t have spent more than two hours recording.” So what’s so good about this tune that I should bring it to your attention? The audibly quick pace of the recording brings out a looseness and cohesion to the group sound that justifies the album titles moniker that this is the “Sonny Sharrock Band.” The duel drum sound is especially locked in here – this would have been great to hear live! Sharrock’s intense guitar sound is amazing, of course.
Unfortunately the excellence of this album is an unfulfilled promise. Three years later Sharrock recorded his oft cited masterpiece, Ask the Ages (check it out, please!), and after that spent time on the road. In 1994 Sharrock was taken from us from a heart attack at age 52. The tracks I’ve posted hint at what great music we may have heard had he lived.
I’ll leave you with words of wisdom from a master. Not enough is made of the intellect that comes hand in hand with the ability to create great improvised music. When you listen to interviews with Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins their depth of thought and open mindedness comes through clearly. Although there are less interviews with Sonny Sharrock, he displays those same deep qualities in the spoken word. Speaking to Guitar Player about the nature of improvisation, Sharrock gave advice to players which equally describes his playing: “Remember that your improvisation must have feeling. It must swing and it must have beauty, be it the fragile beauty of a snowflake or the terrible beauty of an erupting volcano. Beauty–no matter how disturbing or how still–is always true. Don’t be afraid to let go of the things you know. Defy your weaker, safer self. Create. Make music.”
