I want to talk about this great album from Anthony Osborne, but first I need to mention two other albums I love that “The Harmolodyssey” got me thinking about.
“GRIS-gris” was the first album from Dr. John. It’s New Orleans, but not the New Orleans of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band or Louie Armstrong. Instead, it’s the local who knows his way around the seedy streets and the voodoo. Meanwhile, “Karma” by Pharoah Sanders was from the same era, but had a completely different feel. It’s a free jazz trip and really transports the listener to an elevated plane; it’s spiritually transcendent.
What does all this have to do with “The Harmolodyssey?” Well, somehow it seems to fit exactly between the back alleys of “GRIS-gris” and the heavens of “Karma.” Anthony Osborne uses many tools including saxophones, electronics, and noise production touches, to create songs that have a certain push/pull that suggest the human experience of seeking enlightenment while also struggling with earthly distractions.
The song “Shaker Heights” offers the perfect example. It includes low-key, modified saxophones, percussion, sound treatments and, at one point, what could be a call to prayer, but it all gets overwhelmed by what sounds like an agitated, bastardized version of “Reveille.” We’re trying to reach that higher plane but, lord, it’s a struggle.
That album title may be a reference to the use of harmolodics in creating this music, and also may include a subtle shout out to James “Blood” Ulmer and his “Odyssey” album. Alternately (or additionally) it may also be a reference to some of the struggles of Odysseus in Homer’s epic poem “Odyssey.” Regardless of possible inspirations or appreciations, there’s one thing I can say for sure: There are many gems in the MuteAnt Sounds catalog, but “The Harmolodyssey” is surely one of the brightest.