My recent conversation with Sonny Fortune reminded me why I hate phone interviews. The Philadelphia-bred saxophonist was genial and informative as well as generous with his time-so much so that I wanted to be there in person to soak up Fortune's warm, intense presence. I also wished for extra hours to ask about his gigs with the Buddy Rich big band, McCoy Tyner, and his stint in Miles Davis' last and legendary mid-1970s unit.
Instead, we focused on his ongoing collaboration with drummer Rashied Ali. Although the duo's performances have not been ofďŹcially released, Fortune tells me, "We'd been playing together for seven years before we came to the public with our music." The pair share an even longer history. "I've known Rashied for 50 years," recalls Fortune. "We knew each other in Philly. Rashied and I are tight musically; I keep the form and Rashied keeps the time."
Fortune is an ideal foil for Ali's volcanic polyphonic drumming. In his ebullient sax and ďŹute solos on Miles' landmark 1975 LPs Agharta and Pangaea, his own 1976 LP Awakening (on A&M's obscure short-lived Horizon imprint), as well as on recent discs such as In the Spirit of John Coltrane (2000) and Continuum (2003), the rhythmically driven Fortune revels in his big-shouldered tone and lyrical power.
Fortune kindly turned aside my comparison with the classic Coltrane and Ali duo that birthed Interstellar Space. "John [Coltrane] and Rashied had their own thing," states Fortune. "We're different, we play tunes. We dig deep into standards. I don't usually boast, but yes there will be intensity." CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI
Sonny Fortune and Rashied Ali perform Wed June 1 (The Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333), 7:30 pm, $20.
