Europafest: Jazz Highlights

Those who dismiss jazz as music that only musicians can love will find plenty of fodder for that argument in Europafest: Jazz Highlights, a selection of performances recorded at a West German festival in 1990. There are certainly enough grating elements here—non-melodic melodies, annoying slap-funk bass lines, screeching sax solos, guitar heroes playing very fast but saying nothing, and fingernails-on-a-blackboard vocals (the singer accompanying Korean percussionists Samul Nori makes Yoko Ono sound soothing)—to send anyone scurrying for their Dave Koz CDs. But there's also some good stuff here. Rabih Abou-Khalil, who plays the oud (a 12-string Arabian instrument with a haunting, windswept sound), combines Eastern drone and Western improvisation in a spot that features bassist Glen Moore of the group Oregon. Sun Ra and his group offer a glorious mix of colorful costumes (and nutty headgear), swinging music with an African feel, and a pervasive sense of pure joy. Saxophonist John Zorn and guitarist Bill Frisell are on the more experimental edge—plenty of honking, mewling, and squeaking—but theirs is nevertheless an appealing sound, overall. And soprano saxist Archie Shepp's triple-time workout is nicely reminiscent of classic John Coltrane (with whom Shepp played). Presented in Dolby Digital stereo, DVD extras include three audio-only tracks (one with guitarist Pat Metheny and sax player Dave Liebman), text artist bios, and a picture gallery. A strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (S. Graham)