''Way Ahead'' (originally released as ''Way Head'') is an album by trumpeter and composer

Jacques Coursil Jacques Coursil (March 31, 1938 – June 26, 2020) was a composer, jazz trumpeter, scholar, and professor of literature, linguistics, and philosophy. Early life Coursil was born in Paris, France, of Martinique, Martinican parents. At age nine, he ...

. It was recorded at Studio Saravah in Paris in July 1969, and was released later that year by

BYG Records BYG Records was a French record label known for the Actuel series specializing in free jazz. However, the label released a handful of non-jazz recordings by artists such as Musica Elettronica Viva, Freedom and Gong. History BYG Records was foun ...

as part of their Actuel series. On the album, Coursil is joined by saxophonist Arthur Jones, bassist

Beb Guérin Bernard "Beb" Guérin (December 22, 1941 in La Rochelle – November 14, 1980 in Paris) was a French jazz double-bassist. Beb Guérin first began playing bass at age 23, working in the 1960s with Sonny Criss, Jacques Coursil, François Tusques, Ala ...

, and drummer Claude Delcloo.

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Brandon Burke wrote: "''Way Ahead'' is a highly overlooked and absolutely stunning free jazz session. The cacophonous spazzery that marks much of the BYG/Actuel series... is almost nonexistent on ''Way Ahead''. Whereas many of the others in this series... tend to be star-studded anything-goes blowing sessions, ''Way Ahead'' is a quartet date and thus, even at its most fevered moments, only sounds like four musicians letting loose as opposed to, say, twelve." The authors of the ''

Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' called the album "a worthwhile historical item," and commented: "Somewhat different in cast to the majority of free-jazz free-for-alls of the time, Coursil's small group takes an almost deliberate line on some of the material, and provides a stunning reading of Bill Dixon's 'Paper'. Jones... provides an ideal foil." Carman Moore, writing for

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

, stated: "some of the cuts are primitive in terms of New Thing 1970, although... 'Fidel' is moving and features a lovely passage of catch-and-hide imitations between Coursil and tenor saxophonist Arthur Jones, soaring and gathering light. The feature of the record, however, is Coursil himself, a brilliant improviser possessing speed and coloristic imagination and the ability to play high notes up to a whistle."

Track listing

# "Duke" (Coursil) – 7:35 # "Fidel" (Coursil) – 10:03 # "Paper" ( Bill Dixon) – 18:45

Personnel

– trumpet * Arthur Jones – alto saxophone *

– bass * Claude Delcloo – drums

References

{{Reflist 1969 albums BYG Actuel albums Jacques Coursil albums