Giuseppi Logan

Bowery Poetry Club; Tue 17

As the ’60s free-jazz revolution died down, its participants encountered myriad hardships. Some, such as Albert Ayler, died young; others, like Steve Lacy, decamped for Europe. A third group simply went AWOL; the most famous example is undoubtedly Henry Grimes, a highly in-demand bassist who dropped out of sight around 1970 and wasn’t spotted again until 2002. Grimes, who miraculously resumed working, is now as busy as ever. One wishes similar good fortune for Giuseppi Logan, a Grimes contemporary who resurfaced last summer after more than three decades of obscurity. Long presumed dead by colleagues and historians, the multi-instrumentalist makes his formal 21st-century debut on Tuesday 17, at a concert sponsored by his onetime label ESP-Disk.

Logan’s handful of ’60s recordings showed great promise. On Giuseppi Logan Quartet, a recently reissued 1964 ESP session, the leader’s speechlike sax eruptions nod to contemporaries like Ayler and Eric Dolphy. Yet “Tabla Suite,” featuring Logan on Pakistani oboe, and the mirthful romp “Dance of Satan” reveal the hornman’s uniquely whimsical aesthetic.

A full account of Logan’s lost years is still forthcoming, though a recent online interview referred to drug problems, mental institutions and several decades away from music completely. Logan’s chops might be rusty on Tuesday, but he’ll have plenty of life experience to draw on, not to mention the skills of three seasoned sidemen: trumpeter--bass clarinetist Matt Lavelle, bassist Francois Grillot and percussionist Warren Smith.—Hank Shteamer

See more Music >>