LES
FRERES SMITH – FREE TO GO
This
killer combo starts a fire right from the very first note on the set – then
continues to burn strongly all the way through – with a vibe that's even
sharper and tighter than their first set of Afro Funk a few years back! Les
Freres Smith travel in familiar territory, but have a way of making their sound
come out at a very personal, unique sort of level – one that's often rawer on
the percussion tip than most other contemporary groups, and which layers the
keyboards in with the horns, so that there's a sense of counterpoint that
pushes both instruments away from their usual comfort zone! There's some slight
psych touches on the production – but never in a way that gets away from the
core funk of the combo – and the balance of the music is really hard to peg in
words, but comes through right away with the very first listen. One of the
freshest Afro Funk sets we've heard in years – with tracks that include
"Supermandingue", "Liar", "Better Thing",
"Djilan", "Koni", "Nia Mangolo", "AK
54", and "Crisis". ~ Dusty Groove
JACK
DEJOHNETTE – MADE IN CHICAGO
A
brilliant reunion of some key members of the AACM in Chicago – recorded at the
Chicago Jazz Festival in a stunning performance that features drummer Jack
DeJohnette in the lead, plus Muhal Richard Abrams on piano, Henry Threadgill on
alto and flute, and Roscoe Mitchell on a variety of reeds! Bassist Larry Gray
completes the group, and also plays a bit of cello – and the music has this
wonderfully freewheeling, organic quality that really takes us back to the
early years of the avant scene in Chicago – that very special sense of
improvisation that the players forged back in the day – with an especially
sonic-sensitive ear tuned towards the musicianship. The album is neither the
usual ECM mode, nor even what we'd expect from DeJohnette – and instead takes us
back to the earliest utterings from Chicago on labels like Delmark or Nessa.
Titles include "Chant", "Jack 5", "Leave Don't Go
Away", "Ten Minutes", and "Museum Of Time". ~ Dusty Groove
BAAST –
DIMENSIONS
A
surprising new project from the same Cali underground assemblage that gave us
some of the Heru Avenger records from years back – done in a style that's even
more jazz-based and spiritual than before! All tracks are long and spiraling –
with heavy bass at the bottom from Heru Avenger, plus trumpet, saxes,
keyboards, and lots of percussion – and a bit of voice on two tracks. Titles
include the side-long "Dimension Beyond" – plus "Ascend
Rising", "Terra Earthen", and "Suspension Aloft". ~ Dusty Groove
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