"Healing Force" is the 3rd solo album recorded by Don Pullen in 1975, in just the first year after graduating from Charles Mingus' group and embarking on a career as a band-leader. Following "Solo Piano Album" (on the Sackville label) and the extremely rare "Five to Go" (on the Italian Roma label), "Healing Force" (on Black Saint) is still semi-available and is often held in the same esteem as his penultimate solo recording, "Evidence of Things Unseen" from 1983.
"Healing Force" includes 4 compositions, all Pullen originals. The first, "Pain Inside," opens with Pullen abstractly playing strumming/plucking at the piano's inner strings and playing a few spare notes (sounding almost like a harpsichord) before starting in earnest with the melody between the 3 and 4 minute mark. The tune sounds hauntingly similar to his later composition, "The Dancer" (from his 1990 trio album, "Random Thoughts"), and features Pullen playing some very lyrical and balladic lines that gradually unfold into creative, unhurried improvisation. He carries on with that approach over the 16-minute tune, as well as on into the next two numbers, "Tracey's Blues" and "Healing Force," which both feature clean balladic melodies, adorned with a steady stream of creative improvisation and the occasional cascade of chords. I love to hear DP play like this -- unafraid to slow down and abandon the pyrotechnics when called upon, sounding a bit like Keith Jarrett is his approach.
Still, with essentially three ballads on this album, it seems inevitable that Pullen opens up the throttle on the fourth 18-minute tune, "Keep on Steppin'" inserting more percussive forays into the melodic line. He let's up, returns to the attack, let's up and returns again throughout this number, alternating between balladic explorations of a melody and denser, rapid-fire departures that feature layers of chords and right-hand angular percussives and frenetic runs. It's really more of a back and forth though, without much evidence of his trademark melodically-integrated knuckle work that would define his latter-day style.
Still though, a thoroughly enjoyable album (though I like "Evidence of Things To Come" better) and one of the most gentle albums of Don Pullen. - Joe Pierre
Tracks
1. Pain Inside
2. Tracey's Blues
3. Healing Force
4. Keep On Steppin'
DON PULLEN piano
All music composed by Don Pullen
Recorded October 23, 1976 at Barigozzi Studio in Milano, Italy
Black Saint - JC-3505