Descending Scale Review

[michelej1]

Jazz.com, June 10, 2009

http://jazz.com/music/2009/6/10/pete...scending-scale


Peter Green: Descending Scale

ArtistPeter Green (guitar)

CDThe End of the Game (Warner 926758)

Composed by Peter Green
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Recorded: London, mid-1969


Rating: 93/100 (learn more)

While there isn't much of a descending scale to speak of on this experimental piece by ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green, the musical chaos and concurrent deconstruction into freeform noise, volume swells, and subtle feedback provides more thrills than the story behind the music's creation would lead you to expect.

While Green was considered an acid casualty by many (his music began to reflect spacier influences such as the Grateful Dead), his playing was actually stronger on this cut than on anything he had done before. By assuming a clear leadership role, the music sounds spontaneous and refreshing given that most contemporary album releases never dare to venture into such challenging territory.

Just as no one was expecting much from Peter Green (and, subsequently, nothing was heard from him for several years following this release), his talents as an improviser became more apparent. This track and its respective CD are essential, as the music is so freeform that it classifies as "jazz" by a wide margin and owes much of its appeal to the likes of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Miles Davis (despite defying the track's title, the ascending, dissonant piano scales sound like staples from the Herbie Hancock/Miles Davis Quintet bag of riffs and fills).

Reviewer: Marcus Singletary