One of the most imaginative and exciting pianists of the seventies and beyond, the late Stanley Cowell is likely best known for his long association with Charles Tolliver and Strata-East Records. But he made music outside of that world, including a lone album for ECM: Illusion Suite, released in 1973 and looooong out of print until its re-release as part of the label’s Luminessence vinyl reissue series..
Joined by Jimmy Hopps from Tolliver’s band on drums, and Stanley Clarke, fresh from his work with early Return to Forever, on bass, Cowell tickles the ivories in both amplified and unamplified fashion, sometimes applying electronic effects to each. The funky “Miss Viki” puts a wah-wah effect on his acoustic piano as Clarke flexes his electric muscles, while “Maimon” gets spacey and odd before laying in some heavy melody. The ebullient “Cal Massey” gets rollicking while remaining tuneful, while “Astral Spiritual” starts out pastoral before launching into some free-range postbop. “Ibn Mukhtarr Mustapha” throws trilling classical music, atmospheric acid bop, and a free-wheeling kalimba into the most ambitious tune in the set. With the most traditional arrangement on the record, the bluesy “Emil Danenberg” sounds like a trio in the corner of a smoky club, exploring the art of bebop balladry with their own special twist.
Throughout the album, the pianist shifts between easy control and almost total abandon, rarely content to let the music simply stay on one path when there are so many creative forks in the road, begging to be explored. It was the most primary trait that made Cowell such a distinctive talent as both writer and improviser, and, fifty-three years after its initial release, Illusion Suite remains a fantastic example of everything that makes him special.
