When I discovered this I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This bellowing, ramshackle earthquake of free jazz can slowly turn a clinically sane listener into a raging, sadomasochistic psychopath. The rhythms are so fierce and hostile that they make gangster rap sound like twinkle twinkle little star. There's an unsettling urgency for the music to manically and loudly laugh at me, and the more it drives on it's painful road trip to hell I start to crave any other kind of tune.
Solar Fire Trio have in essence concocted a homage to John Coltrane's free jazz style pioneered in the 1960s. Although this eponymous album is devoid of structure or skill - the music seems to randomly jump from mildly unlistenable to downright inaudible, especially on 'breakthrough', the first part of the album. There seems to be some respite to the sonic attack in the opening seconds of 'external threat', but not for long. Soon the whole raucous cavalry join in, and as the track develops there seems a confused blend of ineffective jazz with almost acceptable harmonies.
So are there any redeeming features? In the more sparse arrangements when you haven't got the melodies or tunes (if you can call them that) clashing together, there does seem to be more of an open space to let off some rhythmic steam, and the complexity of the percussion occasionally shines through.
This does not forgive for all the other sins that were committed on these tracks. This should not be your introduction to jazz music.
Rating - 3/10
http://solarfiretrio.bandcamp.com/album/solar-fire-trio
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