The most punk jazz we have ever heard. Beautiful in the instrumental, absolutely feral in the lyrics. That tension is the whole point, or at least we hope so.

We are not a jazz publication. We have said that before. But every so often something arrives that makes that feel completely beside the point, and Ouroborosuite is one of those. Although we have covered jazz, and we love it as a genre, we are still green about it. The technical work, the stylings, the subgenres, it is something we are always working on.

Collin Sherman is a New York-based alto saxophonist on his 15th album. Louisville raised, New Orleans trained, recording largely alone in his apartment, layering saxophone over electronics, drones, and whatever else the piece needs. All About Jazz, have covered him consistently. String Planes made their Best of 2024 list. We came in late, and we are fine with that.

While we will get to the song itself, it’s been a while since we questioned ourselves. Collin isn’t, for a single second, trying to sugarcoat anything. It’s a very precise and sharp take.

The styling of the track felt Nick Cave-ish, delivered dead pan and actually that is what struck us first. Nick has a very specific delivery, and it was refreshing to hear it in jazz.

Ouroborosuite takes its name from the ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail. Sherman is not subtle about what that means here. The United States, in his reading, is doing exactly that right now.

SNAKE IN THE GRASS opens the suite bright and restless, nearly eight minutes of saxophone that feels like it is looking for something it does not expect to find. FIND YOUR FRIENDS AND HOLD ON pulls inward immediately. Quieter, more intimate, like someone talking in a low voice in a room they are not sure is safe. It feels sad.

DYSTOPIAN BULGAR is the pivot. A Bulgar is an Eastern European folk dance form, and Sherman puts it through something genuinely uncomfortable. The most chaotic, energetic track on the record by some distance. It earns its name in the best possible way.

WHAT HAVE THEY DONE NOW is the most dramatic piece here. Bass-heavy, wide open between its quietest and loudest moments. The title does a lot of the heavy lifting. Absolutely love hearing the sax get pushed and pulled through this one. The squealing notes lift and push the track as he goes.

AWAKEN is short and almost entirely still. It opens up nice and big about halfway through, and feels like an ear thrashing, but with purpose - and we hope that makes sense.

And then there is FORCE BEYOND CONTROL.

On a second listen we stopped and asked ourselves whether we could post this. Whether this was the right place for it. Whether we were even supposed to hear it. And then we remembered that exact moment of discomfort is precisely what Sherman is after. He says so plainly. He has taken a side, and it is firmly in opposition to what he sees. And what is music if not art, and what is art if it doesn’t make you feel and become a product of what is around it?

The rare vocal performance here sits over the most bass-heavy, most sustained backdrop on the entire record. Slow and heavy and unrelenting. The lyrics are punk. Not punk-adjacent, not punk-inspired. Punk. Sitting inside some of the most considered free jazz instrumentation we have heard in a long time. The collision is jarring and completely intentional and we think it is brilliant.

A VISION FOR AFTERWARDS closes quietly. Mid-focused, gentle. The resolution, or at least the suggestion of one… maybe.

Truth is, we’re here because Colin’s music made us listen in a very specific way, and that is always something worth sharing - even if we can’t tell you note for note why. It’s 40 minutes that feels important, it feels impending, even. Ultimately, you’re going to feel strong about what you’ve just heard. And we’re here for it.