Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings- Hasaan Ibn Ali
Hasaan Ibn Ali is a great “if” in jazz history as well as a great tragedy. He was on the leading edge as the 1960s began, part of the cohort that numbered John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner, but released only one album during his lifetime. His follow-up, thought to be lost in a fire, was finally issued last year. Ali died in 1989 after being confined to an institution for many years following a fire that consumed his home, killed his parents and fractured his already fragile psyche.
The Solo Recordings were made on the fly with no apparent thought to their release. Some were recorded in 1962 and ’64 in a University of Pennsylvania dormitory lounge where Ali entertained himself and passersby. Others were recorded during that era in friends’ apartments. He played Scrabble with the chords and harmonies of standards (Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern), added a few of his own along with one number by Thelonious Monk (who could be called his forebearer). Lavishly annotated with essays and photos, The Solo Recordings are a glimpse into the mind of a seldom-sung figure in jazz’s avant-garde period.
