Charlie Apicella & Iron City: The Griots Speak: Destiny Calling

Guitarist Charlie Apicella and his organ trio Iron City are solidly based in the hard-bop mainstream. However, some of their releases are flavored with other motifs, partially by virtue of the guest artists. For instance, the tribute to legendary guitarist B.B. King, Payin' the Cost To Be the Boss (CArlo, Music, 2016), with an augmented sextet, was aptly bluesy. Meanwhile Classic Guitar (Zoho, 2020), with tenor saxophonist Stephen Riley, was an intimate interpretation of the Great American Songbook.

On his eighth, and so far most ambitious, project The Griots Speak: Destiny Calling, he is joined by three masters of free improvisation for a single, nine-part, stimulating and boundary-pushing suite. The mostly improvised music incorporates occasional pre-written passages by Apicella, and, in addition to western instruments, utilises Himalayan and West African ones.

Opening with "As the Sun Rises," multi-reed player Daniel Carter, bassist William Parker and Apicella set a meditative mood before the entire band launches into "Titan vs Sphinx." Carter's lines float coolly over organist Brad Whiteley and drummer Austin Walker's percolating groove. The collective extemporization, with Apicella contributing resonant blistering chords, progresses with unfettered energy.

The exciting piece seamlessly dovetails into the mystical "Juma's Song / Maliki Melasha." Percussionist Juma Sultan drives the cadence while Parker contributes his trademark, eloquent and virtuosic basslines. The ambience is one of primal spirituality. Apicella and Carter engage in a sparse conversation over the controlled yet riotous ensemble performance. The result is contemplative and thrilling.

An understated soulfulness permeates the entire album. On the segment called "Where Do You Find These People?," an angular rhythmic structure is at the core of the pensive performance. Carter's saxophone wails while Whiteley contributes simmering refrains. Walker and Sultan drive this meandering track with their poignant beats. Here, as at many instants on this recording, the band flirts with but never quite embraces dissonance.

The Griots Speak: Destiny Calling is not only a delightful melding of styles, it is also vibrant and alive with brilliant spontaneity. Using international folk instruments, similar to his mentor multi-reed player Yusef Lateef, Apicella demonstrates music's pan cultural appeal which is both very individual yet universal. Apicella has succeeded in creating a work which is simultaneously provocative and has wide appeal.