PolyTropos / Of Many Turns
Steve Coleman (Pi Recordings)
PolyTropos / Of Many Turns
by Steve Coleman
Label: Pi Recordings
Released: October 25, 2024
Steve Coleman, the highly influential alto saxophonist and composer, returns with PolyTropos / Of Many Turns, a captivating double set that captures his Five Elements band in two live performances from his March 2024 tour in France. Known for his deep conceptual approach to music, Coleman has consistently pushed the boundaries of Jazz improvisation, infusing it with a wide array of cultural, scientific, and philosophical influences. Here, his longstanding collaborators—Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet and Sean Rickman on drums—are joined by a fresh voice, bassist Rich Brown, in a lineup that breathes new life into Coleman’s evolving sonic universe.
Recorded live in Paris and Voiron, PolyTropos / Of Many Turns builds upon Coleman’s philosophy that live performance is the most authentic representation of his music’s dynamic, risk-taking nature. The ensemble’s telepathic interplay is evident throughout, as their free-flowing, spontaneous compositions merge and mutate with precision. Coleman’s music, characterized by intricate, staccato lines and complex polyrhythms, transcends traditional Jazz structures, forging a continuous movement where predetermined and improvised figures seamlessly intertwine. The band’s unusual semicircular stage setup enhances their interplay, allowing for a level of communication that seems almost beyond conscious thought—like a collective force driving the music forward.
The album’s title, drawn from the Greek word PolyTropos (πολuτροπον), invokes the many-layered and ever-changing nature of Coleman’s music. The reference to Homer’s Odysseus reflects Coleman’s own multifaceted, complex approach—like Odysseus, his music is marked by constant turns, twists, and reconfigurations. True to form, Coleman draws from an unlikely source for musical inspiration: amino acid synthesis. His new compositions use the structure of amino acids as a metaphor for the way melodic cells form and bond, leading to new, polytonal harmonic relationships. The resulting music is dense yet fluid, continually shifting and expanding in real-time.
Highlights of the set include pieces like Mdw Ntr, which reflects Coleman’s ongoing fascination with ancient Egyptian philosophy, and Of Many Turns, a piece emblematic of the band’s evolving musical dialogue. Throughout the album, Brown and Rickman anchor the ensemble with a constantly shifting groove, providing a foundation that’s both solid and ever-changing, while Coleman and Finlayson engage in complex call-and-response exchanges, their instruments weaving in and out of each other’s lines like a conversation in flux. The spontaneous tracks, such as Spontaneous Pi and Spontaneous Drum, exemplify the group's ability to conjure complex forms from seemingly chaotic interactions.
With PolyTropos / Of Many Turns, Coleman once again affirms his place as one of the leading voices in contemporary Jazz, guiding his audience through a labyrinth of sound that is as challenging as it is exhilarating. The album captures the essence of Five Elements’ collective spirit—a band with over 25 years of shared experience—whose improvisations feel like an unfolding puzzle, each piece fitting together with mesmerizing precision. For listeners, this release offers a profound glimpse into a musical world where intellect and instinct meet in a dance of perpetual transformation.
Personnel
Steve Coleman • alto saxophone
Jonathan Finlayson • trumpet
Rich Brown • bass
Sean Rickman • drums
Tracklist:
1. Spontaneous Pi
2. Spontaneous One
3. Spontaneous All
4. Mdw Ntr
5. Spontaneous Drum
6. Multiplicity Drum
7. 9 to 5
8. Of Many Turns
9. Lush Life Cadenza / Pi
10. Spontaneous One
11. Mdw Ntr
12. Round Midnight
13. Pad Thai / Of Many Turns
14. Wheel of Nature / Fire Revisted