The number of jazz musicians influenced by John Coltrane is staggering – but if pressed, most of those players will cop to being inspired by the jazz legend’s pre-free jazz work: A Love Supreme, Blue Train, Giant Steps, etc. Nothing wrong with that, obviously, but it overlooks a part of the saxophonist’s career of equal significance. Albums like Sun Ship, Ascension, and, especially, Interstellar Space have had equal impact on the jazz idiom, the genius bending free jazz to an entirely distinctive standard.
North Carolina’s Ghost Trees grok the vibe. Though they were brought together in part due to a shared love of Sun Ships, saxophonist Brent Bagwell and drummer Seth Nanaa adopt the band structure of Interstellar Space, cutting out any middle men that might provide things like chords and a bottom. Rather than simply blow, however, the duo imposes a structure on the dozen songs that comprise fourth LP Intercept Method, organizing them into a suite of three songs per side of vinyl. Creating “shadow” tracks – songs that contain common structures or changes, but run in different directions – the pair weaves a thread through the album, inviting the listener to find the commonalities, but not requiring complete comprehension. Ghost Trees include enough snippets of melody, snatches of chaos, and soupçons of soul to bypass any game of connect the dots.
Which makes sense: you don’t have to check the boxes of the frenetic “Lymars,” the bluesy “Carnation,” or the soulful “Tannhauser Gate” in order to appreciate the high level of creativity going on in these grooves. What makes Intercept Method most remarkable isn’t the musicians’ ability to spontaneously create something out of nothing, but to take spontaneity and fashion a cogent musical statement – making structure out of anarchy without losing the latter’s fiery spirit. That’s what makes Intercept Method – and Ghost Trees – special.
