Milford Graves & Don Pullen: Nommo (1966)

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Written by T. Rake

There are a few duo records which transcend either participant's identity and craft a wholly other experience encapsulating both a vibe and a statement.

• 1966: Milford Graves & Don Pullen, Nommo.
• 1967: John Coltrane & Rashied Ali, Interstellar Space.
• 1969: Don Cherry & Ed Blackwell, Mu.
• 1971: Rashied Ali & Frank Lowe, Duo Exchange.

With Nommo, Graves and Pullen establish a context for a conversation with a spirit a.k.a. Nommo, which is both an internal monolog as well as an ancestral projection.

The production values are stark; the performers occupies a single channel opposite each other. While the listener is likely to hear a conversation at times, I more often hear parallel soliloquies. The conversation as a musical metaphor is seen as interplay, as obtainment. In contrast, these sounds stand testament to the coherency of a shared vision.The individual is complemented without sacrifice their identity.

The power of the drum and piano are immediate with both voices distinct throughout the side-long joints. Absent are the melodic instruments which typify free jazz of years to come. Instead, the presentation is reductive: rhythm and harmony.

Pullen is in fine form attacking the keyboard with a specificity he would later lose as the 70s drew to a close. Graves, on the other channel, focuses not on beats or patterns but delivers contrasts in time establishing a dynamic backdrop for this record.

Pairs well with Goose Island India Pale Ale.