As the leader of M-Base, a movement of young jazz players in New York City, Steve Coleman has framed all of his releases, since his first in 1985, in intriguing, if spaced-out, concepts. But he never quite painted in all the details.
While "young lions" such as Wynton Marsalis worked inside the jazz tradition (and inside the industry), M-Base pushed boundaries. Its adherents steeped themselves in jazz history to uncover not a structured set of jazz formulas, but the potential of free improvisation and all types of musical expression. Their experimental enthusiasm, however, didn't develop into a successful working style, and many well-known graduates of the movement (Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen, Jason Moran, Greg Osby) significantly revamped their styles after they struck out on their own. M-Base, or "macro-basic array of structured extemporizations," it seemed, was destined to become a noble failure of great ideas that worked on paper but not on the ear.
Now Coleman brings us "Resistance Is Futile," which delivers on all the promises of M-Base's musical philosophy, and then some. This latest offering was recorded in the south of France, during what the liner notes describe as "grassroots touring." Coleman and his regular associates, The Five Elements, set up workshops during the day with local students and musicians, and then jammed at night. The resulting double-CD is made up of exploratory music that feels loose, genuine and strong.