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Freedom Art Quintet
Freedom Art Quintet: Spirits Awake
by Matt Merewitz
A relative newcomer to the New York avant scene, the Freedom Art Quintet seems to fit in historically somewhere in between the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the funky Cannonball Adderley Quintet.
The opener, “In the Thick of It,” suggests the avant-garde while keeping things in time and relatively harmonically tame. The writing is interesting enough to catch your attention, while the bridge is abrupt, too short, and extremely corny. Thickness is followed by sparseness on “Kimbunga,” a ...
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by Jeff Stockton
On Spirits Awake, the Freedom Art Quartet immediately announces its overall dedication to groove and funky second-line beats with "In the Thick of It," as Jaribu Shahid’s ripely swinging bass gives way to Abraham Burton’s lush, confident tenor and Omar Kabir’s incisive and radiant trumpet. On "Kimbunga," Kabir switches to flugelhorn and makes it growl like a trombone without the aid of a slide or plunger mute, and guest altoist Douglas Yates solos busily before the band returns to state ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson