'Kidd' Jordan Quartet - New Orleans Festival Suite (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

This live recording was made in May 1999 at the Dream Palace in New Orleans during the annual jazz festival. The session was improvisationally interactive to an explosive degree, even for these four musicians, and the recording had become legendary a while before it was released. 'Kidd' Jordan is from New Orleans and that is where he’s mostly played, but lately he’s been in demand in New York and Chicago, and Europe too.

Pianist Joel Futterman is a Chicagoan now based in Virginia and before he became a cohort of 'Kidd' Jordan he was a cohort of the late Jimmy Lyons. Alvin Fielder held the drum chair for the Roscoe Mitchell Sextet album, 'Sound' (Delmark DECD-408) when, in 1966, it signalled the appearance of new jazz activity in Chicago. He’s been on innumerable sessions since, including a number for Silkheart Records.

Bassist William Parker is just about the most central, and creative, figure on the New York new jazz scene and has been for twenty years or thereabouts. The quartet’s 'New Orleans Festival Suite' confirms what may or may not be common knowledge, namely that the 'Kidd' Jordan Quartet is not only the senior improvising jazz group on the scene but also the hottest and the most excitingly...  more

1. Decateur Street 28:10

2. Dream Palace 32:49

3. Ole Miss Lovesong 11:56

Edward 'Kidd' Jordan tenor saxophone

Joel Futterman piano, soprano saxophone, indian flute

William Parker bass

Alvin Fielder drums

Joel Futterman - 'Kidd' Jordan Quintet: Nickelsdorf Konfrontation (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"For lovers of this music, here is a disc with a definitive place reserved for it, a very lofty place." 

Gustave Cerutti, Improjazz, October 1996 

"(Futterman) can zip out those tone clusters, which have given him a reputation as a Taylorite, but there is much variation in density – sometimes on this CD the clusters metamorphose into quiet little sprinkles in the top octave of the piano. His ability to move from keys to strings and back again continues to impress. Co-leader Edward 'Kidd' Jordan's duet with Futterman on Soul Mates is an excellent sample of his art; he always counterbalances his harshest outpourings with heartfelt lyricism. Elsewhere the music fares best when Jordan is setting the tone, as in the balladic first half of Nickelsdorf Summit, Part Two. Even when the proceedings begin to babble in tongues à la late-period Coltrane, his line is readily discernable and always coherent. Alvin Fielder contributes mobile drumming in the tradition of Ed Blackwell; just check out what he does on the tom-toms, and savor the solo that opens his piece in honor of Vernell Fournier (another key member of the New Orleans drumming fraternity). 

Robert L. Campbell, Cadence, April 1997 

Nat Hentoff wrote the following in his liner notes for...  more

1. Hear with You 01:23

2. Soul Mates 09:03

3. Meeting Place 06:43

4. Nickelsdorf Summit: I. 07:55

5. Nickelsdorf Summit: II. 07:58

6. Nickelsdorf Summit: III. 03:17

7. Nickelsdorf Summit: IV. 06:48

8. Nickelsdorf Summit: V. 05:24

9. Nickelsdorf Summit: VI. 05:55

10. Nickelsdorf Summit: VII. 06:51

11. Fournier 05:18

12. Going with You 01:53

Joel Futterman piano, curved soprano saxophone, Indian flute

Edward 'Kidd' Jordan tenor saxophone

Mats Gustafsson tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone

Barry Guy acoustic bass

Alvin Fielder drums

Dennis Gonzalez New DallasAngeles - The Desert Wind (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"The latest New Dallassomething CD begins auspiciously, with an uplifting but surprisingly springy anthem called Hymn For Julius Hemphill. Brackeen's dry, dry, dry tenor makes a strong statement; Gonzalez rings out like Don Cherry on a day of sunny skies and good chops; Session's alto reaches for the heavens. Well worth hearing. Good recording as always." 

Robert L. Campbell, Cadence, June 1993

"I know where I'm weak, so I deliberately work with those weaknesses that I have and that's why my music sounds the way it does." 

I am hearing this, though not quite believing it, from a friend who sits just inches from me in a crisp, white shirt, and a dark silk tie. His name is Dennis Gonzalez. We're sharing lunch at a modest Dallas restaurant a couple of miles from where he will be teaching in about an hour. Earlier, Gonzalez and his Mariachi band class were preparing for performances in the citywide celebrations of Cinco de Mayo, a patriotic Mexican holiday. 

We've crossed paths in this city so many times before, but today we get to talk. His long black hair dangles as he leans forward to see me swallow what he is saying. "I point them out," he says, "because I'm a human being." He laughs at my surprise. "I have weaknesses. We all have weaknesses." He is still laughing. It is this laugh that is one of his finest assets and I, too, am now smiling broadly. 

Perhaps he oversimplifies, but he is not feigning modesty. It's simply his own analysis of his life's work thus far. An interesting angle considering the coverage of this man's artistic reach. He is famous for building his own expressive outlets in a city famous for its slow cultural growth. Twelve years ago, he, along with pianist Art Lande, established the Dallas Association for Avant-Garde and Neo-Impressionistic Music (daagnim), a new music collective inspired by Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).

Since its inception, daagnim has become the tap root for original music in Dallas, spawning numerous workshops and concerts; a nine-piece large ensemble (The daagnim Theoretical Big Band), his Dallas-New Orleans-Jackson (Mississippi) double quartet, New Dallas-Orleanssippi; his Yugoslav New Music Workshop Orchestra; and a record company through which 21 major projects have reached production and distribution. The latest production, recorded live at Caravan of Dreams, features British guitarist Mark Hewins with Gonzalez's Dallas-London Quartet and a special guest, Canterbury bassist Richard Sinclair. And all along the way he has been attracting an increasingly solid American and European following. 

It was Keith Knox who first gave Dennis an outside lead to an international audience.

Knox planned on launching a Swedish record company dedicated to recording the new American jazz. Subsequently, Silkheart Records debuted in 1917 with Stefan, featuring the Dennis Gonzalez New Dallas Quartet.

The Desert Wind is now the fourth album on Silkheart with Dennis Gonzalez out front, and this time he presents New Dallas Angeles. Specifically, that's Alvin Fielder from Jackson; Kim Corbet and Michael Kruge, formerly of the Theoretical Big Band; and Henry Franklin, Michael Session, and labelmate Charles Brackeen – all from Los Angeles; and all serve him well.

For instance, on Hymn for Julius Hemphill, let Kruge's cello be the first clue to prepare you for what's coming. When Brackeen comes in, get ready to fly. And from Horace Tapscott's L.A. ensemble comes Michael Session, bringing buoyancy and color to the compositions, especially Aamriq'aa.

The difference in Gonzalez's composition is compassion, and it's evident on The Desert Wind. Its smooth opening is compassion charted, and from there we follow Brackeen to the leader. Then it's more compassion which separates Session and Fielder and then brings them together in the end. All have artful solos.

Right now, Dennis is glancing in my direction where the conversation will soon continue. I'm still stuck on this "weakness" thing. I am obviously intrigued, and, observing my puzzled expression, he speaks to fill-in the blanks: "The weakest weakness that you have can be turned into the strongest asset. That's really what everything I do is based on." Everything? The music, the teaching, the summer concerts in Europe, the two children he has fathered, his wife of 14 years, the ten years behind a Saturday night radio show in Dallas, the writing, the sculpting, the paintings displayed in 20 exhibits across the world – all of this is based on turning weakness into strength? Of course! 

"We all have these weak points, but in America we cover them up cosmetically. And I don't just mean physically." He looms closer, as if to whisper. "That's what the American culture is all about. You're supposed to show only the strong points." Dennis rests on this one, leaning back into his wooden chair. 

He sips his Sprite and speaks again. "In my painting, I have a technique like the primitive painters. The reason that they're so charming is because they're primitive. They have no tech..." He stops himself, and grabs at the air high above us with both hands. "Well, quote-unquote, no 'technique'. But that is their technique. In fact, it's such a strong weakness that there are big-time artists who are imitating this weakness and making it a hip thing so that they can sell."

Our laughter subsides. My giggle and his laugh dissolve into the crowded air of the lunchtime pace. I am thinking now (and I look to my friend who is toiling too) about the level of cultural standards in a capitalist society. Art that has reached the mainstream is rarely art. Music that can't be defined for optimum market value is left to struggle on its own.

What invariably turns up throughout Gonzalez's recordings is a spiritual heritage. In Mercedes, Texas, near the Mexican border, Dennis was brought up in the church, and as often as possible, he plays Sundays at the First Mexican Baptist Church of Dallas. He is clearly magnetized by the power of the hymn. His Hymn series, of which Julius Hemphill is part, is based on the signature tune Holy Manna with its eighth arrangement featured here. Previous Hymns have ben dedicated to Bob Marley, Sam Rivers, Albert Ayler, King Sunny Ade, Johnny Dyani, Don Cherry, and John Carter.

The arrangement for Hymn for Julius Hemphill is based on the music of African singer Salif Keita and the Griot music of Mali. Aside from his influence as a New Jazz pioneer, Hemphill's research into the music of the Dogon people of Mali strongly shaped Gonzalez's style of composition. "Because of my respect and love for him and his music," says Gonzalez, "and because he has sparked in me an interest in the folk music of Africa, this is dedicated to him." 

Aamriq'aa is the name given to America by the Persians. "After the revolution in Iran," Dennis explains, "I lost track of the Iranian friends with whom I attended college, and who had taught me much about the music and culture of the Middle East and Islam. This is a prayer that one day we will be reunited. This song is dedicated to my teacher, percussionist Fariborz Amirbehboody who helped me understand the way I hear."

Gonzalez wrote The Desert Wind specifically for Charles Brackeen's soprano saxophone. It is dedicated to a group of musicians from the Middle East, The East-West Ensemble, from Tel-Aviv. New Dallas Angeles shared a concert with the group in Albuquerque under the auspices of the New Mexico Jazz Workshop the day before this recording.

The title for Battalion of Saints comes from a book that sat on Gonzalez's parents' bookshelf when he was a kid. "When I first learned to read, the title intrigued me because I read the title as Battle Lion of Saints. You can imagine what kinds of visions that conjured up in my mind!" 

On Max-well, Alvin Fielder explores the drum musics of Max Roach and his friend and mentor Ed Blackwcll. "The melody line is very difficult for horn players", says Dennis, "and the composition reflects the style of Alvin's long-time association with Kidd Jordan in their Improvisational Arts Quintet." 

Getting inside Dennis' music merely involves recognizing his individuality and appreciating the strength of character that makes up the sound. A sound which is, by the way, a fresh, invigorating blend of international influences. World music. Gonzalez points to Don Cherry and to European trumpet masters Enrico Rava, Tomasz Stanko, and Manfred Schoof, and he also credits the Beatles for their open-minded sense of expression. He really does find inspiration in almost anything. He is a student of the world's many cultures.

In his travels he has collected well over one hundred musical instruments, become fluent in half a dozen languages, and all of it seems to seep in somehow. He and Brackeen are planning to record together again in the near future – another musical and spiritual collaboration between friends. 

Our noontime visit is at an end and I reflect on the men I've come to know a little bit better. Dennis Gonzalez and myself.

1. Hymn for Julius Hemphill 14:14

2. Aamriq'aa 11:10

3. The Desert Wind (The Breath of Jehova) 18:44

4. Battalion of Saints 05:24

5. Max-Well 10:55

Dennis Gonzalez conductor, Bb trumpet, C trumpet, pocket trumpet 

Charles Brackeen soprano sax, tenor sax 

Michael Session soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax 

Kim Corbet trombone 

Michael Kruge cello 

Henry Franklin bass 

Alvin Fielder drums

Dennis Gonzalez New Dallas Sextet - Namesake (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"The open air of this music contrasts with its density of ideas. Many of Gonzalez's notions are simple, even irreducible, but his group organization is intuitive and magical. The whole area of post-Coleman jazz seems to stretch through their playing: a tradition comes to life, full of generosity. These are marvelous recordings, not to be missed." 

Richard Cook, The Wire, March 1988

The concept of synergy is essentially a simple one, best expressed as the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. While it is often mentioned it is rarely realized, particularly in musical terms. The album you are holding is the exception, the recorded evidence of a musical experience that subtlety and satisfyingly defied the laws of physics all the while delivering music that remains enlightening as well as entertaining.

Dennis Gonzalez is much more than a talented multi-instrumentalist, composer, conductor, and arranger. He is the acknowledged leader of the surprisingly healthy new-music scene in Texas and a growing force on the world music scene that recognizes no borders. His activist approach to the music has carried his career far from his base deep in the heart of Texas. He leads a new music workshop orchestra in Yugoslavia, performs in England, Sweden, and assorted other European countries, and is constantly widening his circle of activities. 

Gonzalez's recordings, both on Silkheart (Dennis Gonzalez New Dallas Quartet SHCD-101) and on his own DAAGNIM label, have aurally documented his open attitude to making music.

This album demonstrates that his substantial skills as a communicator, coordinator and catalyst for experimental musical activities are as important as his other talents. Gonzalez, tapping his experience as a teacher, was able to clearly articulate and share his musical vision with the other participants of the recording in a way that is unfortunately rare in the studio. The result, full of musical passion and percussion, is a coherent and cohesive statement from the mind of Gonzalez, expanded and embellished by the ensemble into a universal musical anthem.

Gonzalez chose widely and wisely to assemble a band for the session. His fellow horn players' influences literally span the globe while his rhythm section consistently manages to keep one foot firmly anchored and the other stepping boldly into brave new musical worlds. 

Tenor saxist Charles Brackeen, a tragically under-recorded artist capable of a much wider range of expression than even his fans are aware of (check out his Charles Brackeen Quartet SHCD-105), frequently took the first solo on the album. His stratospheric flights set a questing tone that the other players used as a benchmark by which to measure their own efforts. Even without the obvious synergistic success of the ensemble or the unveiling of new Gonzalez compositions, this album would be significant just for bringing Brackeen's voice back into circulation, so immense and unusual is his talent.

Jamaican born Douglas Ewart has been a major force in Chicago's AACM avant-garde movement for many years. His multi-instrumental work, particularly on bass clarinet and his beautiful handcrafted flutes, is among the best to come out of the AACM musical mothership. He was originally schooled in the improvisational process by Muhal Richard Abrams, Joseph Jarman, and Roscoe Mitchell but has long since made his own distinctive musical personality evident. His playing, colored by a wide spectrum of ethnic styles ranging from Caribbean to Oriental, has a lovely lyrical sensibility that speaks of and to an inner peace while still stretching the musical limits in a confident and aggressive manner.

Trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah, a veteran of Sun Ra's intergalactic exploratory unit, brings an equally diverse and unusual mixture of influences to his playing. Abdullah's fusion of elementary Arabic scales with basic American blues is a music whose time has come, although it may be years before it receives the commercial acclaim it so richly deserves. Abdullah's sound effortlessly eludes easy categorization, blowing through stylistic genres like a desert breeze. In fact, Abdullah occasionally sounds like the late, great Lee Morgan playing modern music in the deserts of North Africa, an incongruous but not totally inaccurate image.

Malachi Favors, the Art Ensemble of Chicago's immaculate Buddha of the bass, always calm and serene in the midst of wild experimentation and always connected to the core of the music, served as the ultimate cohesive element for the music. While Alvin Fielder's propulsive work on drums and percussion provided an insistent motivation and direction, Favors was everywhere he was needed, not only ready to pull soloists to safety when necessary, but frequently using his almost telepathic powers of anticipation to be there waiting for them. 

The album begins with one of Gonzalez's most successfully realized compositions, Namesake, a deceptively simple sounding piece in 7/4 written in memory of Gonzalez's father. One of the true marks of musical mastery is the ability to make the complex appear uncomplicated and Gonzalez's work on Namesake amply qualifies for such a designation. Through creative voicings, Gonzalez uses the four horns to invent an amazingly expansive and evocative sound, more like a large horn choir performing in a massive cathedral than a mere quartet playing in a recording studio. The tune's block chords and deliberate pacing produce a mood of what might be called positive patience. A five chord structure pulls things together amidst excellent soloing by all. Gonzalez's solo is somewhat uncharacteristic however, as it is comprised of long 'church' notes instead of the trumpeter's more rapid-fire style. The piece, originally commissioned by the Creative Opportunity Orchestra, premiéred in Austin, Texas in November 1986.

The Separation of`Stones is a gentle tune inspired by waking from a dream that carries the mood of another dimension with it. Subdued, yet exciting solos by Gonzalez (on muted trumpet) and Abdullah (on fluegelhorn) retain the dreamy feeling. Hambe Khale Qhawe (Farewell, Dear Hero in the black South African Xhosa language) is a percussion piece that is a prelude to Hymn for Mbizo. Ewart's geographic and genre-spanning flute prevails while Favors' bowed bass and assortment of traditional African instruments provide a flexible foundation. The tune is a paean to the life of South African bassist Johnny "Mbizo" Dyani who died in exile while performing at the Berlin Jazz Festival in October 1986.

4 Pigs and a Bird s Nest, composed by artist/musician James Sharper and arranged by Gonzalez, is a lighter piece distinguished by a fine Gonzalez solo on muted pocket-trumpet. Hymn for Mbizo finds Gonzalez's work at its most emotional and allows its major influences of church and African derived musics full rein. Based on the old American Baptist hymn Holy Manna, the piece is the fifth reworking Gonzalez has done with the composition and it is as successful as its predecessors, if admittedly removed from them in style. 

Good Friends, an uplifting and engaging tune, became the unofficial theme song of the recording sessions. It served as a musical affirmation of the friendship and camaraderie that existed during the sessions, not only among the musicians but also among their wives, friends, and even those who just wandered onto the scene. Its festive air, with more than a little circus music slyly infused, gave the players a final chance to shed what few musical inhibitions remained and the soloing reflected it. One of Brackeen's hottest solos is featured but the general mood of friends at play dominates.

Gonzalez, also an accomplished visual artist of note, believes that his music contains hidden elements to trigger a variety of responses. He says, "The strength of my music is in the inadvertent imagery that happens." While this is undoubtedly true it is also a typical Gonzalez understatement, one that fails to recognize a multiplicity of more conspicuous musical attractions.

The deeply spiritual nature of Gonzalez's work is readily evident throughout this recording, but once again there is a subtle and satisfying twist. Gonzalez is not a believer in the dour prophets of fire and brimstone. His belief, like his music, is one that celebrates life and does so with joyous creativity. To Gonzalez, life seems to be a challenge to excellence, an opportunity to produce beauty as well as to partake of that already existing. This album finds Gonzalez transcending mere music to ably meet and master that challenge. 

Michael Point
Down Beat Magazine

Austin, Texas

1. Namesake 15:31

2. The Separation of Stones 09:09

3. Johnny-Johnny 08:17

4. Hamba Khale Qhawe 01:36

5. Four Pigs and a Bird's Nest 05:36

6. Hymn for Mbizo 11:35

7. Good Friends 05:16

Dennis Gonzalez trumpet, pocket-trumpet, fluegelhorn, pao de chuva, Pakistani bells, kalimba, vocal 

Ahmed Abdullah trumpet, fluegelhorn, balafon 

Charles Brackeen tenor sax, conga 

Douglas Ewart alto sax, bass clarinet 

Malachi Favors bass, vocal 

Alvin Fielder drums, percussion

Charles Brackeen Quartet - Bannar (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"Gonzalez, Favors and Fielder play key roles on Bannar, the first recording in 15 years by Brackeen, a former Texan with something of Coleman's emotionally fortright delivery and rustic accent." 

Francis Davis, Philadelphia Enquirer, April 7, 1988

"There is nothing studied or academic about this music; if anything Brackeen's compositions have a beautiful folk quality to them which is all the more aided by an ensemble of players who convey a deep sense of regional and spiritual place." 

Ludwig Van Trikt, Cadence, September 1988

To better understand or pinpoint an artist's musical approach, most listeners are bound to make comparisons that will give them an easy starting point. Such is the case with saxophonist Charles Brackeen. Let listeners hear Charles' wide vibrato in the altissimo range, and he or she will say, "Well, he plays like Albert Ayler." Or, play Charles' Rhythm X LP with Charlie Haden, Don Cherry and Edward Blackwell, and the same listeners might say, "Charles sounds a lot like Ornette Coleman." Although Brackeen acknowledges both Ayler and Coleman as influences, there can be no such comparison. After listening to this album, it becomes apparent that Charles Beackeen carries his own Bannar.

Charles Brackeen was born in Eufaula, Oklahoma on March 13,1940, where he lived until he was 11. Charles began his musical studies at the age of 6 when he started taking piano lessons, and soon thereafter gravitated to the violin and finally to the saxophone at age 10.

When he moved to Paris, Texas at age 11, Charles' Stint in the Gibbons High School marching band gave him the confidence he needed to continue on saxophone. When Charles moved to New York City at age 12, he spent his weekends playing in dance bands, rock and roll bands, and whatever else he could get involved with. According to Charles, "Music always paid off for me." 

Charles' big move, however, came at age 16 when he first moved to Los Angeles. He soon married and met ambitious musicians such as Don Cherry, Charlie Hayden, Billy Higgins, Ornette Coleman, Paul Bley and Art Farmer, among many others. It was in California that Brackeen became immersed in the New Jazz scene, learning concepts that remain in his music until this very day. 

Moving back to New York, Charles kept experimenting with new styles, but at the same time continued to play all sorts of music. "I wanted to feel that I could call myself a musician; that I could play all types of music," says Charles, "I realized that I couldn't put any one type of music above any other." 

Because of his adventurous concepts and his friendships with Cherry and Haden, Charles recorded Rhythm X in 1969 and in due course this appeared on the Strata East label (SES-19736). Although the quartet sounds on the surface much like one of Ornette Coleman's mid-60's ensembles, Brackeen's own saxophone playing shines through with a fresh lyricism that was a unique parallel development, not merely a copy of the master.

The quartet disbanded (to become 'Old and New Dreams' a good many years later, with Dewey Redman) and nothing further was heard of Brackeen until he joined forces with drummer Paul Motian. "It was wonderful!" exclaims Motian, "I thought he played my music really well." This association, which lasted for five years, produced two fine Paul Motian LPs for ECM, Dance (1977) and Le Voyage (1979). 

Aside from the association with Motian, Charles stayed active on the New York jazz loft scene and recorded an unreleased album with the Ed Blackwell Quartet in 1982, which proved to be Brackeen's last record date until the 1987 sessions in Dallas.

Brackeen recorded Bannar after receiving a call from Dennis Gonzalez. "When Dennis called, the idea felt good to me," says Brackeen, "I listened to his voice and the things that he said. He seemed to be warm and friendly, the type of person I like to deal with." Upon hearing Dennis' music, Charles became increasingly excited about working with Dennis and the other musicians on the session. 

Not that it was easy. When the group first began rehearsing, there was some uneasiness in the air as the quartet began dealing with Brackeen's more complex compositions. Although drummer Alvin Fielder had played with both Gonzalez and bassist Malachi Favors on different occasions in the past, the four had never worked together as a group. After the initial discomfort, however, the musicians quickly became a distinctly identifiable unit. There is something folkish about Charles' compositions, a kind of logical transparency. The material on Bannar is challenging and melodic

"Three Monks Suite" is a study in structure; a completely scored tune with no improvisation. Almost nine minutes in length, this piece is made up of seven different segments, each of varying content, which maintain musical continuity throughout.

"Chaos" begins the suite, sounding very much like classical chamber music filtered through a shufflet Brackeen's soprano, sounding very clarinet-like, is bright, fresh, and piercing, much like the first ray of sunlight through a window at dawn. "Sugar Doll" is a delicious tango, featuring Favor's arco responses to Brackeen's melodic call.

Ushering a time change from 4/4 to 3/4, "Waltz With Me" is irresistible, an eminently danceable section. "Snowshoes" is also stunning; a playful, vibrant segment that swings softly but fervently. "Hush and Stop" also swings; featuring an exchange of fours between the group and Fielder. "Cas-Ba" acts as a bridge to "Cheers," a happy-go-lucky ending with a lyricism that's almost child-like.

Although fellow musicians could probably point to a strict use of form for the tune's inspiration, Charles sees the street people with whom became in contact in the last several years in New York and Los Angeles as his motivation for writing "Three Monks Suite". "It's folk music; people music," says Charles. "Understanding all races and nationalities of people taught me a lot of mysterious things about my musical approach. People like music that can talk to them; it's more universal."

"Open" not only talks – it screams with delight. With its ascending head chart and fast, intense pace, the track gives the musicians a chance to stretch their knowledge and musical conceptions to the fullest. Brackeen's solo here is free and urgent but is somehow also well mapped-out when Charles explores many of his tenor's sounds. Dennis Gonzalez solos with equal vigor, splicing triple-tonguing techniques and slurs with deep melodic concepts. Alvin Fielder also solos on "Open". Here, Alvin's playing reconciles the thrashing, sensitive abandon reminiscent of Sonny Murray with the precise polyrhythmic approach first associated with Elvin Jones.

Echoing his faith in the Creator, "Allah" is Brackeen's model of a jazz spiritual. Although it's the simplest tune on this release, "Allah" has much going for it. Over a gospelish bass vamp, Brackeen and Gonzalez stretch long, impassioned notes using both horns and voices. Solo-wise, Gonzalez especially impresses; his "gotta testify" approach on muted trumpet consists of high, staccato blasts which warm the soul.

"Stone Blue" is a blues soaked track with an element of American Indian tribal music in the head melody, perhaps reflecting some of Albert Ayler's endeavors. Brackeen's solo on this tune has a dark sonority about it, as Charles explores the middle registers of his tenor. Bassist Malachi Favors offers a rhythmically buoyant solo, echoing the essence of the beautiful melody. As with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Favors remains true to a tune's intent and purpose.

Brackeen and Gonzalez create a wonderful harmonic frame for "Story", which possesses a marvelous out-of-unison melody line. During his solo, Charles makes use of the tenor's entire range, displaying his subtle altissimo and occasionally dipping into the lower reaches of the instrument. Gonzalez's solo is equally bold. Using the tune's spirit (as opposed to its structure), Dennis contributes gutteral growls and sublime snippets of gospelish melody. 

All in all, Charles Beackeen's banner waves high. With its organic, natural, and spiritual approach, this recording is sure to move all who listen, while melting away any musical preconceptions of a true individual. 

Russ Summers

Contributor to Jazziz Magazine

1. Three Monks Suite (Chaos, Sugar Doll, Waltz with Me, Snow Shoes, Hush and Stop, Cas-Ba, Cheers) 08:52

2. Open 08:01

3. Allah 08:30

4. Stone Blue 09:42

5. Story 09:35

6. Open (Take 2) 09:40

Charles Brackeen tenor and soprano saxophone

Dennis Gonzalez trumpet, fluegelhorn

Malachi Favors bass

Alvin Fielder drums

Ahmed Abdullah Quartet - Liquid Magic (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"Abdullah has a good technique and a tone you could roast bread on. His cohorts – Malachi Favors, Charles Brackeen, Alvin Fielder – are enormously capable and experienced. Things really begin to happen and the album blazes with the vigor and sense of self-surprise that marked those that followed Ornette into wonderland in the early 1960s." 

Jack Cooke, The Wire, January 1989

More info... HERE

1. Mayibue 07:37

2. Reflections on a Mystic 05:16

3. Ebony Queen 08:15

4. Mystery of Two 03:22

5. Liquid Magic - The Ruler 10:49

6. Walk with God 06:56

7. The Ruler (Take 2) 09:22

8. Ebony Queen (Take 2) 08:33

Ahmed Abdullah trumpet, fluegelhorn, piano

Charles Brackeen tenor saxophone

Malachi Favors bass

Alvin Fielder drums