Playing (album) explained

Playing
Type:	Live album
Artist:	Old and New Dreams
Border:	yes
Released:	1981
Recorded:	June 1980
Venue:	The Cornmarket Theater Bregenz, Austria
Genre:	Jazz
Length:	54:52
Label:	ECM ECM 1205
Producer:	Manfred Eicher
Chronology:	Old and New Dreams
Prev Title:	Old and New Dreams
Prev Year:	1979
Next Title:	A Tribute to Blackwell
Next Year:	1990

Playing is a live album by American jazz quartet Old and New Dreams recorded at the Cornmarket Theater in Austria and released on ECM the following year. The quartet consists brass section Don Cherry and Dewey Redman and rhythm section Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell.^[1]

Reception

Regarding the album's opener, JazzTimes' critic Ethan Iverson commented: "You could almost call this outstanding performance a jam session. The harmonic matrix between Redman and Haden is thrilling; they’re making up changes and patterns together. Cherry is also in prime form. During each horn solo, Blackwell and Haden go into halftime. In response, Redman gives us pure diatonic melody, while Cherry deals out the blues. The bass solo is fabulous; the collective improvisation after is joyous; Blackwell gets a proper say as well. If I had to choose one Old and New Dreams track, I'd select 'Happy House.'"^[2]

AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars with reviewer Scott Yanow calling it "Recommended, as are Old and New Dreams' other three releases."^[3]

Writing for ECM blog Between Space and Time, Reviewer Tyran Grillo called the album a "fantastic set" that is "the place to start for anyone wanting a glimpse into the attic of Old And New Dreams." He wrote: "Considering the heft of talents assembled here, the results are weightlessly executed. This shows not weakness or lack of fortitude, but the maturity everyone brings to the sonic table. This is a solid date from musicians who know the business inside and out, and then some. About as good as it gets."^[4]

Track listing

1. "Happy House" (Ornette Coleman) - 11:07
2. "Mopti" (Don Cherry) - 7:56
3. "New Dream" (Coleman) - 9:04
4. "Rushour" (Dewey Redman) - 7:01
5. "Broken Shadows" (Coleman) - 9:58
6. "Playing" (Charlie Haden) - 9:46

Personnel

Old and New Dreams

• Don Cherry – pocket trumpet, piano
• Dewey Redman – tenor saxophone, musette
• Charlie Haden – bass
• Ed Blackwell – drums

Notes and References

1. http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Leaders/OldAndNewDreams-ldr.php Old and New Dreams discography
2. Web site: Iverson . Ethan . September 1, 2020 . Chronology: Old And New Dreams Stands Apart . November 11, 2020 . JazzTimes.
3. Yanow, S. Allmusic Review accessed May 3, 2011
4. Web site: Old and New Dreams: Playing (ECM 1205) . Grillo . Tyran . October 29, 2011. Between Sound and Space . November 11, 2020.