Steve Coleman's m-base: Science or Intellectual Posturing?

Steve Coleman's m-base: The Conspiracy of Intellectual Jazz

The collaboration between Steve Coleman and Cassandra Wilson is a curious chapter in jazz history. Wilson, who began singing in the saxophonist's projects, eventually moved on to commercial soul. Meanwhile, Coleman continued with his m-base movement, a proposal some regard as exact science and others as pure intellectual smoke.

m-base: Science or Posturing?

According to critics, m-base is an attempt to make jazz appear like an exact science, using extemporized structures and mathematical jargon. Yet, some maintain it is merely a charade designed to sell records to a hipster and subsidized audience. The discussion heats up when albums like Synovial Joints or Morphogenesis are mentioned, and Coleman is compared to Henry Threadgill, another musician with more rhythmic substance.

The Fragile Artistry

The irony arrives with the reference to Blade Runner and German Expressionism: knowing that Ridley Scott's film draws from Fritz Lang doesn't suddenly makes it profound, but rather gives it fodder for trivia contests. At its heart, this fragile artistry is a spectacle meant to distract while others reap the spoils. Like in Scarlet Street, the poor man idealizes the woman and seeks ruin. In this case, the ruin is believing in the m-base narrative.

The question remains unanswered: Is m-base a cosmic enigma or chasing after straws? After 37 listens to an album, one might believe there is a hidden message, but perhaps there is only posturing. /no_think