One of the greatest contemporary talents on vibes – sounding great here in the company of a very tight quartet! In truth, the group was the "pod" of Behn Gillece during 2020 – players that really know each other, and who work together effortlessly here on a set of tunes that explode with the kinds of colors and tones we've always loved in Behn's music! All tracks are original, which furthers the special, intimate vibe of the group – written and performed by a quartet that features Art Hirihara on piano and Fender Rhodes, Boris Kozlov on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums – matching the energy of Gillece at every turn, on titles that include "Rattles", "Extraction", "Event Horizon", "Going On Well", "Don't Despair", "Outnumbered", and "Glad To Be Back". ~ Dusty Groove
Kenako bill themselves as an Afro Funk orchestra, but the group are much more offbeat and have a style that's very much their own – very much in the spirit of some of their contemporaries on the St Petersburg scene in Russia! The lineup is certainly large, and has the sorts of horns you might expect – but there's lots more going on too – including some really inventive rhythms, and "vocal acrobatics" instead of lyrics – which make for a style that's heavily instrumental, and just seems to use the voice as one more element in the heady mix of sounds! There's no keyboard at all in the group – just guitar, bass, drums, percussion, and horns – plus a bit of turntable on one cut too – and the album features the long tracks "Batat", "Protea", "Ebonyphonics", and "27 Women". ~ Dusty Groove
The legendary Joe McPhee makes a great appearance here – pushing the Flow Trio to a level of intensity that makes the album rival some of the mid 60s greats from the early years of the ESP label! The sound is wonderfully full and free – McPhee just blowing tenor, with a fantastic tone – alongside the tenor and soprano of Louie Belogenis, the bass of Joe Morris, and drums of Charles Downs – three players who definitely know and understand each others' energy, and work together seamlessly at level that just makes the contributions of McPhee more icing on the cake. The whole album is freely improvised, and with a nice sense of variety – on selections that include "Harbinger", "Recombinant", "Rabble Rouser", "Glistening", "Accretion", and "Winter Garden". ~ Dusty Groove
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