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Babatunde Lea and Phenomena: Levels of Consciousness
by Rex Butters
1979's Levels of Consciousness features San Francisco Bay Area percussionist Babatunde Lea’s familiar Afro-Caribbean mix shaded by the prevalent R&B phase of the time. At the center lies his sunny positivism and furious drumming prowess. The eclectic program includes funk, soul ballads, and jazz as played by guests Julian Priester, Eddie Henderson, and Mark Isham. Muziki’s ...
Rich West: Bedouin Hornbook
by Rex Butters
This long anticipated Rich West collection rewards the wait. A longtime Los Angeles new music mainstay, West goes with the locals, assembling his band of Bedouins from home-based talent. LA sound scientists and cultural engineers Jeremy Drake and Chris Heenan hold down electric guitar and reeds, respectively. Although familiar to local audiences playing amplified acoustic guitar ...
Michael Marcus Trio: Ithem
by Rex Butters
A Bay Area native and veteran of Sonny Simmons and Jaki Byard, Michael Marcus recorded these trios in 1993 with bassist William Parker and the late great drummer Dennis Charles. The first three tracks were recorded live at the Old Knitting Factory and the remaining two in the studio. The power listening trio opens with “Ithem, ...
soNu: Sounds From the Source
by Rex Butters
The new Nine Winds release by soNu presents the eclectic band as a cultural database that, through group improvisation and subtle compositional cues, manages to incorporate serialism, post-serialism, Mexican folkloric music, non-Western classical music, Norwegian folk song, Native American music, rock, future electronics, and hip hop into its musings. Nina Sun Eidsheim sings and interjects electronics; ...
Peter A. Schmid & Vinny Golia: Birdology
by Rex Butters
Just in time for spring, Leo Records releases Birdology, a collection of duets played by reed regent Vinny Golia with Swiss gastroenterology specialist and fellow horn collector Peter A. Schmid. Their common interest in Benedict Eppelsheim’s tubax, a newly redesigned contrabass sax, impelled their initial contact. Then the synchronicities began falling into place. Like Golia, Schmid ...
Wadada Leo Smith: Kabell Years 1971-1979
by Rex Butters
John Zorn's Tzadik label continues to honor the genius of Wadada Leo Smith, this time with a crucial collection of material he recorded and released himself on his Kabell label in the seventies. This four-CD box set gathers Creative Music 1, Reflectativity, Song of Humanity, and Ahkreanvention, plus over two hours of unreleased material. ...
Dragons 1976: On Cortez
by Rex Butters
Some serious cool rises like dry ice steam off of On Cortez , the new release by Dragons 1976, comprised of alto player Aram Shelton, drummer Tim Daisy, and bassisst Jason Ajemian. Despite their associations with Ken Vandermark, Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Parker, Triage, and Wrak, here they create moody, bluesy threads that unravel according to plan. ...
Cameron Brown and the Hear and Now: Here and Now
by Rex Butters
After forty years of playing with the likes of Don Cherry, Archie Shepp, Donald Byrd, and Ed Blackwell, Cameron Brown finally steps out for his debut as a leader. Recorded live, the band includes Leon Parker on drums and Dave Ballou on trumpet and flugelhorn, plus a couple of cameos by tenor titan Dewey Redman and ...
Sam Rivers Back at the Bakery
by Rex Butters
Less than five months since his Jubilant 80th birthday bash at the Jazz Bakery, as the full moon glared down at manic traffic, Sam Rivers returned with his kaleidoscopic Trio to further blur the lines between magic and art. The empathic musicians rolled tunes, dialogues, and ideas around with the playful enthusiasm of kittens diving after ...
Revolutionary Ensemble: The Psyche
by Rex Butters
When Leroy Jenkins brought his AACM ways with him to New York, he altered that city’s musical landscape forever. Bringing the New Thing as the Chicagoans played it, he formed a trio that survived through the ‘70’s. On bass, Sirone brought an authority and skill level that landed him in Cecil Taylor’s band. Multi-dimensional drummer Jerome ...
