Joe Fonda: From The Source

This is a reissue of an album by bassist Joe Fonda which was originally released in 1997. In his liner notes for this edition, Fonda notes that this session had several unique aspects for the time; the musicians included Brenda Bufalino mostly tap dancing, and Vickie Dodd, a healer and bodyworker, contributing wordless vocals. They worked with the four men in the group, Fonda, Anthony Braxton on reeds, Herb Robertson on trumpet and Grisha Alexiev on drums, to create a blend of male and female energy which was less common in 1997 than since.

Other musicians, such as Larry Goldings and Allison Miller, have worked with tap dancers in recent years, but not to the extent on this album. Bufalino's percussive sounds are a constant presence throughout. On "From The Source," she creates a layer of nervous rhythm which brings a firm foundation to the wispy, wandering sounds of alto sax, trumpet, and wordless voice above her. In "Something From The Past" she recites her own poem "Women Be Warriors" as well as doing taps, mixing effectively with Dodd's guttural mumbles and the popping groans of the horns.

Fonda comes to the forefront on "High Tech #1"; his bass leads the band in a tight, revolving groove in which Robertson dances with muted trumpet and Braxton takes an intense flute solo. On "My Song," he has an extended opening solo which leads to slow, unison rolling by the two horn players with drums, voice, and taps decorating the music's edges. The session is expansive enough to also include a song Bufalino wrote and sang for dancer Honi Coles, "No One There At All" which she sings and dances in a quietly intimate duet with Fonda.

Fonda and Braxton are in particularly strong form here but the entire band sparkles. The addition of tapping and voice adds a distinctive free- wheeling uncertainty to the music which makes it stand apart from the average avant-jazz session. This is a unique album which deserves more of a hearing this time around.