The Odean Pope Saxophone Choir ‒ Locked & Loaded

I don’t get over to the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center for the daily free performances as often as I should, but a few years ago I forced myself because the Odean Pope Saxophone Choir was going to be there. The Millennium attendees seem to break down into three segments: retirees, tourists, and fans of whatever music is being played that day. Although the power of the Choir seemed to drive out a few of the first two groups, the rest of us were enthralled. Nine saxophones playing intricate arrangements and soloing lustily over a wall of sound may not be for everybody but, like many of life’s joys, you have to give it a chance. The Choir finished up its set by parading off and around the stage. We all clapped and cheered as loudly as we could—it ranks way up there on my roster of all-time great live shows.

A good way to get a taste of this experience is to get hold of Locked and Loaded: Live at the Blue Note, a live show in New York. Blessed by an inimitable note from Ornette Coleman and guest stars Michael Brecker, Joe Lovano, and James Carter, this recording at least approximates the tremendous impact of this fabulous band.

Some high points: Pope’s Prince Lasha, a tribute to the great jazz flautist/saxophonist, is a real tour de force. When the Choir played it in DC, two saxophonists—Elliot Levin and (I think) Terrence Brown)—almost literally blew their brains out in a no-holds-barred barrage of energy playing. On Locked and Loaded, Michael Brecker—perhaps already suffering from the disease that would kill him—does a one-man version of the same blast of sound. As one reviewer put it, “Michael Brecker gives it everything he’s got.”

The most lyrical track on the album is John Coltrane’s Central Park West. Altoists Julian Pressley and Louis Taylor play beautifully atop the sonic cushion of the Choir.

Joe Lovano is a fine player, whose music has never quite gotten to me, but his work on Cis and Terrestrial is warm and fiery in turn—I need to listen more of his stuff.

Odean Pope is outstanding both on his Epitome, where the interplay with the Choir is exemplary, and Coltrane Time, which turns into a battle of the tenors with Michael Brecker—lots exhilarating energy here, folks.

The last track features James Carter, who burns through Pope’s Muntu Chant, egged on by the Choir. Why isn’t this guy a bigger star?

I only found a couple of tracks on YouTube, but they’re choice. Crank up your speakers for Prince Lasha and mellow out with Central Park West, and enjoy!