Dennis González Ataraxia Trio+2 - Nights Enter (March 20, 2021 Ayler Records)

The music on Ataraxia Trio's second offering "Nights Enter" (after their first "Ts’íibil Cháaltun" from 2016) is unlike anything else in Dennis González’ substantial discography. The confluence of organic and electronic elements is seamless, and the swirling blend of textures has a dreamlike quality. Derek Rogers’ shimmering electronic beds contrast with the earthiness of Jagath Lakpriya’s percussion and the muscularity of Drew Phelps' deep song. Jess Garland’s harp adds dazzling points of light, and Dennis proves himself once again to be a master of melody – a trait he shares with the greatest jazz musicians. On "Nights Enter", Ataraxia and friends provide a healing balm for troubled times.

(from Ken Shimamoto's liner notes)

1. Rain Storm

2. The Yendi

3. Cromlech

4. Drift

5. Sita

6. Göbelki Tepe

7. The Loop

8. Approaching Dawn

9. Nights Enter

Dennis González - Treated C trumpet, percussion, conch shell

Drew Phelps - Electric & acoustic bass

Jagath Lakpriya - Tabla & djembe

with:

Derek Rogers - Moog

Jess Garland - Harp

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Various Artists - Spirit of New Jazz (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"We'd like to thank you at Silkheart for making the best compilation album of any kind that we've ever heard." 

Rick Petrie, WITR/FM 89.7 Rochester Institute of Technology, N.Y., April 1993

Through the long and rich history of jazz there have been a handful of labels that have defined their own jazz era. In the 1920s it was pioneering labels like Paramount and Vocalion, in the 1930s it was Decca and Bluebird. In the post-War era, with the creative burst of Bop and Progressive jazz, it was labels like Dial and Roost and Prestige and Blue Note that gave the musicians their first place to be heard. Now, in a new jazz era, it's a new label, Silkheart, that's giving us the sound of today's break-through musicians who are defining jazz in their time.

On Silkheart you'll hear artists like Charles Gayle, William Hooker, David Ware, Matt Shipp, Ahmed Abdullah, Charles Brackeen, Rob Brown, Charles Tyler, and Steve Lacy, and this is the only kind of music you'll hear on Silkheart. This is a label that's dedicated to the new music and its creators.

Silkheart is the result of a collaboration between two enthusiasts who have spent years hearing and evaluating what is happening in today's jazz. The studio production is in the hands of Keith Knox, who is well known as a jazz writer and critic and as producer of some of the most adventurous music to be found anywhere. He produced artists like Okay Temiz for the World Jazz catalog of Sonet Records, and he brought Charles Tyler to Storyville Records for two breakthrough albums.

The final decisions on what to record are made with his partner, Swedish jazz lover Lars-Olof Gustavsson, who spent many years in New York soaking up jazz in the era of loft music and free jazz. Lars seems to spend as much time in New York as he does in Sweden, and he is just as involved in the NewYork jazz club scene today. It is this personal involvement in the new jazz that makes Silkheart unique, and gives the music on Silkheart its immediacy in today's jazz world.

Sam Charters

1. Ahmed Abdullah Quartet - Reflections on a Mystic 5:12

2. Michael Bisio Quartet - A.M. 5.28

3. Charles Brackeen Quartet - House of Gold 9:04

4. Booker T. Trio - What a Friend We Have in Jesus 5:38

5. David S. Ware Trio - An Ancient Formula 5:45

6. Dennis Charles Triangle - Afro-Amer. Ind 7:15

7. Charles Gayle Trio - Eternal Now 7:32

8. Ethnic Heritage Ensemble - Ancestral Song 5:43

9. Joel Futterman Quartet - Reality on Edge 7:51

10. Rob Brown Trio - Escape Velocity 6:36

11. Dennis Gonzalez Quartet - Boi Fuba 3:03

12. Other Dimensions in Music - Spirits Rise/Fall 6:13

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

Charles Brackeen Quartet - Worshippers Come Nigh (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"Worshippers Come Nigh is one of this year's finest releases, with yeasty solos by Brackeen and Dara and hard-charging accompaniment by Hopkins and Cyrille on five varied Brackeen originals that boast some of the spunk and rhythmic abandon of the early compositions of Ornette Coleman. The title track – a dour hymn – is especially appealing." 

Francis Davis, Philadelphia Enquirer, May 18, 1989

When Keith Knox, the executive producer of Silkheart Records, helped found the label in 1986 one of his major ambitions was to bring the music of Charles Brackeen back into the wide popular circulation it so richly deserves. Knox wasn't alone in his quest, however, he was just more successful than the multitude of other sharp-eared producers who wondered what had become of Brackeen's distinctive aural imprint.

Through diligent efforts by Knox and Dallas-based producer/composer/musician Dennis Gonzales, who tracked down Brackeen and supervised the recording sessions, the success of the Silkheart musical mission is now a documented fact. Brackeen is back and the world of jazz has regained a voice of unusual clarity, coherence and compassion.

Brackeen, more by the nature of his personality than by his music, has often seemed to be one of the more mysterious of modern jazzmen. He's studiously avoided the limelight of publicity, preferring to search for an inner light by which to guide his music. As a result Brackeen's music is wonderfully unaffected by passing trends and commercial, or even critical, concerns. His music springs whole from an internalized universe where passion and precision meld to produce a marvelous melodic logic that carries his music to a higher plane and communicates a message that rises even above the exalted heights of the music.

The recording sessions which produced this album and its equally intriguing companion piece Attainment (Silkbeart SHCD-110) were not the sort of quick trips to the studio that have unfortunately become all too common in the contemporary record business. This was no "in by 9, out by 5" session where musicians met each other for the first time in the studio and dashed through the tunes before waving good-bye and heading for the airport. Instead producer Gonzalez brought the musicians together for a week long meeting of musical minds where Brackeen's original ideas were explored, expanded and embellished by his fellow players

The songs were worked out in Gonzalez' front room amidst an atmosphere of familial togetherness, marked by the occasional comic relief provided by the producer's children, Aaron and Stefan. While Gonzalez' wife Carol took care of the nutritional needs of the musicians, consistently turning out minor dining masterpieces that were the only competition for the intense musical concentration of the rehearsals, Gonzalez himself was busy with the delicate ongoing evolution of Brackeen's compositions. The lengthy rehearsals had their moments of levity but for the most part they remained intense and involved on everyones' part, assuring Brackeen's music of the proper serious respect its depth and diversity commands. Cornetist Olu Dara, a player with no shortage of finely honed instrumental chops, remarked during one of the marathon rehearsal session I haven't rehearsed this much since I was in high school. But Dara said it with a resigned smile, knowing that all the physical exertion was paying obvious musical dividends which would be reflected in fine form once the recording tapes were rolling.

The success of the approach is readily evident in the strong and supple ensemble playing that gives the group the unified sound of a unit which has spent years together. The finely tuned and well knit ensemble passages are the most conspicuous evidence but equally important is the heightened sense of anticipation during the solos, times when spontaneous flights of fancy by one player trigger perfectly supportive creative responses by the others without a note being lost in the shuffle.

The fact that the rehearsals and sessions took place during Thanksgiving was more of a chronological coincidence than an actual plan but the distinctive American occasion given to the sharing of blessings and the pooling of abilities could not have been better chosen. Brackeen's music is based in just such concerns and the timing seemed to act as a catalyst to focus the other musicians on the same aspects.

Brackeen's playing, at once both mercurial and concise, clearly dominates the vinyl document of the time but, once again, he's not lust a leader blowing for ego's sake while his supporting players are reduced to a purely subordinate role. That's not Brackeen's style, either musically or personally, and the strength of the musicians on the date would almost preclude it if such was attempted. Olu Dara, usually heard with his free-wheeling Okra Orchestra, is a contemporary musical voice that has the bulk of jazz history engrained into his sound. There is no "outside" or "inside" to his playing. All aspects of the music mingle on egalitarian terms and each can be drawn upon when the occasion arises, providing a rich and resilient brass counterpoint to Brackeen's playing.

The rhythm section of bassist Fred Hopkins and drummer Andrew Cyrille needs little intr-duction, so pervasive is its participation in the finest efforts of modern jazz. Cyrille, whose extraordinary endeavors in behalf of the music of Cecil Taylor and Rahsaan Roland Kirk would cap most drummers' careers, continues to find fascinating contexts (and this record surely qualifies) in which to display his talents. Hopkins, a dynamo of enthusiasm on and off stage, has provided the bottom line propulsion for high flying jazz units like Air, as well as involving himself in countless projects with the likes of David Murray and Henry Threadgill.

Much, if not all, of Brackeen's music is infused with a gentle spirituality whose calming qualities are evident during even the most intense passages. The album's opening track and title tune perfectly encapsulates both the method and message of Brackeen's musical creations. With Hopkins' bouncing bass and Cyrille's customary cunning rhythmic attack providing excellent underpinning, Brackeen's tenor sax issues an insistent, yet celebratory, clarion call. Dara darts in to add cornet colorations and the full quartet, sounding somewhat more massive than four musicians have a right to, exudes an air of expansive spirituality.

The other tunes, all from the mind of Brackeen, work equal wonders and most of the fun of this album will come from the listeners discovering them on their own without critical guidance from notes like these. Of particular interest is "Bannar", the tune that served as the title of Brackeen's excellent 1987 Silkheart Records release (SHCD-105) but somehow found its way onto this album instead. A sort of subdued parade feel, with Mardi Gras and Caribbean flavorings dancing around the periphery, adds to the tune's inherent attractions. Brackeen says he pictured "a little civilization" when he first played "Tiny Town" and if such exists it will be hard pressed to come up with a better anthem for the small folks than what he and his fellows produced. Some extra shades of color are inserted via Cyrille's congas and Gonzalez' pao de chuva work and the first side marches off in fine fashion.

Two extended pieces make up the album's second side and both are gems. "Ible", sporting a typically cryptic Brackeen title, is somewhat atypical in compositonal terms but undeniably engaging in listening terms. Superb ensemble work, a brilliant bowed solo by Hopkins and Brackeen's clear questing sax work are highlights of the piece, but its overall unity and emotional impact are its most distinguishing characteristics. "Cing Kong", only vaguely related to its namesake, is a monumental piece that brings out the best in each of the participating players. Its manifold delights are easier to appreciate than describe and, after all, you're buying the record to listen to, not to read.

If his previous Silkheart Records releases haven't convinced you of the triumphant return of Charles Brackeen it's possible you may have some sort of hearing impairment. There's ample aural evidence of Brackeen's brilliance on each but as a matter of purely personal choice I'm convinced his flame burns brightest on the one you are holding. In summoning the musical community to his side with Worshippers Come Nigh Brackeen serves notice that his voice will be heard again. The persuasive power of the music itself holds out the promise that the worship service, however brilliantly realized on this album, is only beginning.

Michael Point
Down Beat

Austin, Texas

1. Worshippers Come Nigh 07:57

2. Bannar 08:11

3. Tiny Town 09:04

4. Ible 10:58

5. Cing Kong 10:34

6. News Stand (Take 1) 09:13

Charles Brackeen tenor saxophone

Olu Dara cornet

Fred Hopkins bass

Andrew Cyrille drums, congas

Dennis Gonzalez pao de chuva

Charles Brackeen Quartet - Attainment (SILKHEART RECORDS 2018)

"Attainment itself puts you in the mood, with a homily à la Sun Ra before the saxophone takes the lead supported by growls from Olu Dara, among the strongest of free trumpeters. The beauty of this and the other tracks is that Brackeen keeps the most strident passages to a conversational level; on the dirge House of Gold he grips from the start." 

Ronald Atkins, The Guardian, March 11, 1989

"Brackeen's tenor style is reminiscent of both Albert Ayler and Sonny Rollins; he is, though, more restrained and conventional than either, and has clearly picked his own path between models." 

Graham Lock, The Wire, June 1989

Jazz and spirituality are old compadres. Of course, music had spiritual elements back at the very genesis of our sentience. 

These days, though, musicians often get lauded more for how many sessions they play on than for the ascendancy of what they're playing. If you have a resume that's as thick as a Dallas phone book you're a big deal, and if much of the work is specious and facile, so be it. 

On the other hand, we have Charles Brackeen. The lengthy discography jazz buffs love so to natter about isn't present in the Brackeen scenario. The sessions he's been on have been with Paul Motian, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Don Cherry, Billy Higgins, and a few other individualistic jazzmen. Don't get me wrong, I've never heard Brackeen adopt any high falutin' attitude toward players who take any session they can get. But I have heard him call music his religion, and a man doesn't blur the focus of his religion with a lot of mercenary commerce.

His most obvious tenor antecedents are Rollins and Coltrane. He also picked up on Amerindian rhythms while living in his native Oklahoma. In New York, he performed with West Indian musicians at outdoor community events in Brooklyn. In his own right he is a compelling player and there you have much of what matters in a jazz musician; good influences and individuality.

The Brackeen story began in White's Chapel, Oklahoma, but if you sought White's Chapel on a map you'd not find it, because it is now called Eufaula, Oklahoma. He lived on what he calls a "semi-farm" replete with cattle and pigs. His aunt, a schoolteacher, taught him to play piano and violin, and since she was a church-going woman she had him accompany her in duets at both Sunday and weekday services. The young Brackeen took a liking to saxophones after hearing them in the school band, so this benevolent educator bought him an alto.

In the sixth grade, Brackeen and another aunt moved to Paris, Texas. He was a little young to get steeped in the big-toned tenor sound so many Texas saxists possessed, but he did become aware of it. (One can hardly live in Texas without having this occur.) 

After three years in Texas, Brackeen moved to New York, joining up with his sister and her husband who lived in the Bronx. Brackeen recollects that his brother-in-law was "on the hip side" and had a record collection that included stuff by Charlie Parker, Milt Jackson, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Hampton Hawes, and other luminaries. He and Brackeen spent many an hour listening to records together.

"Then later on I turned on to Clifford Brown and later still, to Miles Davis," remembers Brackeen. "Just came up the track like that and then I finally heard Coltrane. He grabbed me after I had already been grabbed by Sonny Rollins. This was both after Bird. I looked old enough to get a cabaret licence and was able to go and play on some of the sessions that were happenin'. The cats were so nice and sweet, I had to play when I walked into a club, they would insist , and that was very encouraging to me. One good cat was Bobby Capers, alto player, we got to know each other. Then there was another man called Royal Hall, nobody knows too much about him but he taught me a lot." 

"He knew all the cats," Brackeen says. "He knew Sonny Rollins, and Sonny came to visit him a lot. He knew Percy Heath, we lived in the same project where Percy was living, right behind Giant's Stadium, where Giant's Stadium originally was. We would see him carrying his bass back and forth to gigs. I would hear this tenor sax playing, and I'd really come to love the tenor, and each time I'd hear this cat, it was like I'd get a bubble in my heart! Finally I met him, and it turned out he had a lot of conservatory learning, and a lot of records. He was a somewhat older cat than me. He'd start out by telling me what the cats were doing, like Trane and Miles, and then he'd show me, on his piano. We were like fanatics. Music was our worship." 

In addition to record collections, Brackeen tapped the multiethnic musicality of New York. He got acquainted with some West Indian musicians, and played with them on various occasions.

"It was fun playing those gigs," he states. "It was also very interesting because of the different rhythms, the different colors they'd come up with. Those gigs were usually in Brooklyn, I'd moved to Manhattan by then. They were big community happenings with tables of food, and between the smells of the food, and the rhythms, and all the Panamanian people around – it was really something! Sometimes we'd play on the Staten Island ferry, too.

Accompanying Brackeen on the Brooklyn dates was a kindred spirit, trumpeter Ahmed Abdullah. He'd met Brackeen in 1970 at a meeting of the Black Artists' Collective, which Brackeen attended clad in a floor-length cape. ("He was obviously a very different kind of cat," observes Ahmed. "Full of imagery!") Ahmed recalled suggestions that he join forces with this saxist whose creativity and committment paralleled his own.

They formed the Melodic Art-tet with drummer Roger Blank (who got the gigs for the group) and the late bassist Ronny Boykins. The Art-tet showcased the compositions of Brackeen. They appeared less frequently in night clubs than in lofts, and performed with some regularity at Sam Rivers' studio in the Soho part of Greenwich Village. The group lasted from 1970-72.

"After the Melodic Art-tet, most of my gigs were with Edward Blackwell," says Brackeen. "We did a lot of duo things, and we did a few things with (bassist) Mark Helias and Ahmed. Again, it was mostly in the lofts, and we also did a few college things. Then I started rehearsing with Paul Motian, who had known about me because Charlie Haden had told him about me. I also did some playing with Don Cherry."

It sounds like Brackeen stayed busy and productive in New York, but these days he says the interval was fraught with "dark periods". 

"It was so dark I didn't know what was comin' or goin', sideways or crossways," offered the saxist. "Musically, it seemed New York was happenin', that was the obvious way to think. But the Lord said it was time for a change in my life."

Brackeen and the Lord decided California was a good place to get away from these dark periods, so in 1983 the saxist settled in Los Angeles. Most musicians go to L.A. to tap into the often lucrative studio scene there, but not Brackeen.

"When I first got there I didn't play sessions or gigs that much," says Brackeen. "I just tried to practice as much as I could. I wasn't familiar with the town, and when I would go 'round to the places with my horn, there wasn't nothin' happenin'! It was either very heavy funk, or blues, which is cool, but it isn't what I wanted to play! So I didn't go out that much, I'd just stay home, or go to the park, because music is my life. It's like I don't live in the world around us – I live in the music.

Right around Thanksgiving Day in 1987, the too-scant recorded legacy of this uncompromising reedman was expanded by sessions conducted in Dallas that yielded two LPs with Brackeen as leader, Worshippers Come Nigh and this effort, Attainment. He had never before worked with bassist Fred Hopkins, drummer Andrew Cyrille, or cornetist Olu Dara. He arrived with several new compositions; the rest date from his New York days.

The Selections

There is a scene in the movie Apocalypse Now in which Martin Sheen and another actor are staring raptly at a virtual tapestry of vegetation in a dark, creepy jungle. A tiger leaps forth, but the audience sensed that there was power behind that wall of weeds before the big feline was actually sighted. Forgive me for imagism but Brackeen's playing evokes that scene to me. His playing is compelling on the surface, like that omnious wall of vegetation, but it also seems to bide a great, and profound, intensity.

This LP's first selection is "News Stand", one of the most recently composed of the numbers here. No, its title was not suggested by any particular news stand; Brackeen says that the fillips comprising its head came to him like "news flashes". Certainly the tune is busy and bustling like some big city newspaper store might be. (Brackeen may have been raised on a farm but he's a quintessentially urban player to me; all the pictures his playing brings to my head are city pictures.) Brackeen's solo is roiling, turbulent. Olu Dara's cornet solo is trim and clear-cut by contrast. As for Fred Hopkins, he contributes the first of the remarkable solos he will do on this record. It won't do to cull their highlights, better just listen to them closely! 

"Prince of Night" dates back from the New York interval and was in fact one of the pieces performed frequently at Sam Rivers'. Its loping opening notes harken (to this writer's ears, anyway) to Amerindian chants, and then it becomes a straightfaced, no-nonsense blowing tune. Brackeen is a singularly fluid improviser who starts a statement ordinarily enough and then evolves it into mutant, surreal forms that connote the original take-off point. Olu Dara's solo here is just great, with flow and whimsy.

The remarkable title track opens with drums, but the thumping you hear isn't Andrew Cyrille's bass drum, but a toy marching drum. Other colors are provided by berimbau and pao de chuva (the latter is a Brazilian shaker within which are seashell fragments and pebbles). You'll notice that Fred Hopkins achieves an unusual, almost abrasive bass sound. He's fretting normally enough with his left hand but he's striking the strings with a drumstick in his right. As said, it's a mite abrasive, but it's entirely within the context of this outstanding, stirring musical endeavor. Far too many jazz works these days are not "compositions" at all but merely hooks from which depend solos unheightened by their uninspired setting.

By contrast," Attainment" is a cohesive, gratifyingly complete set of musical pictures. It has diversity within itself, as well; introduction, improvisation, chant, denouement, and ending. Brackeen and Olo play off each other entrancingly here; Brakeen, feisty and fervid, Dara languid, making smart use of spaces. 

"House of Gold", by the trio without Dara, is a magnificent tour de force for Brackeen.

"Yogan Love"... runs the gamut of sax sounds from lazy to brittle, from subtle to downright lurid. Pay close attention to the no-holes framework Hopkins and Cyrille build here.

After the Dallas sessions, Brackeen returned to California. Los Angeles is supposedly a swell town for musicians, but it still has no abundance of opportunities for Brackeen to perform his significant musical art. I will resist a temptation here to berate the listening public for missing out on music like his, as they mistake glossy showbiz types for musicians, and support song and dance acts who are popular, rather than aural artists who have something to say Well, as the old blues song says, don't start me talkin'. You'd do better to listen, and listen closely to the music of Charles Brackeen.

Tim Schuller
Dallas, TX 1/88

1. Attainment 08:55

2. Prince of Night 13:21

3. New Stand 10:10

4. House of Gold 10:37

5. Yogan Love 13:12

Charles Brackeen tenor saxophone, voice

Olu Dara cornet, voice, berimbau

Fred Hopkins bass, toy drum, voice

Andrew Cyrille drums, congas, voice

Dennis Gonzalez pao de chuva, voice

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

Dennis Gonzalez New Dallas Quartet - Stefan (SILKHEART RECORDS)

"A stunning record, and all the more impressive for making its mark with music that's essentially quiet and considered. The music here is so positive in heart and mind it should give any listener new hope. One of the year's best releases." 

Richard Cook, The Wire, September 1987

I always feel a rush of excitement when I experience the workings of an artist in his or her prime. With Stefan, Dennis Gonzalez has certainly left me with that feeling. 

Dennis' new album is not necessarily about bop, although all the musicians involved can play any note within any chord. It's not about avant-garde or free music although Dennis has played much of that in his musical career. It's not about ''third world" or ethnic musics, although Gonzalez is well-versed in the music of many cultures. The music is all of these, yet none of these. This record is about good solid new music with a strong sense of humanity.

Being fortunate enough to sit in on the sessions and learn about the intent of the music (which is as important as the music itself) as well as the conception and content, I was able to get a good overall idea of the guts of each tune.

The opening "Enrico" reflects Gonzalez's willingness to find musical sources anywhere. The tune contains a bassline composed on piano by 16-year old Eric "Enrico" Palos, a Mariachi student of Dennis' at North Dallas High School. Dennis transcribed the bassline soon after hearing it and later fitted a chord progression to it in half steps against the line in a challenging yet pleasing manner.

The ensemble's sound is firmly established in this tune. Listen to the driving rhythm section of bassist Henry Franklin and drummer W. A. Richardson, the smoothly virtuoso bass clarinet lines of multi-reedist John Purcell, and Gonzalez's expressive trumpet playing. According to Dennis, "Any one musician would have changed the whole sound of the band." And he's right – there's a perfect chemistry here.

Also notable here is Gonzalez's fluegelhorn solo. Whereas Art Farmer and others hear the fluegel as a languid, mellow instrument, Dennis understands the horn's more abstract implications. In his solo, Gonzalez invokes a quiet intensity using a breathy attack and an unusually strident tone.

"Enrico" is dedicated not only to young Palos, but also to Italian trumpet giant Enrico Rava, whose approach has greatly influenced Gonzalez.

"Fortuity" is a peaceful tune with a Satie-like ambience written by drummer Richardson and Dallas multi-instrumentalist Roger Boykin. The piece was originally intended for Richardson's musical drama, City of Glass.

Seemingly simple but actually quite complex, "Fortuity" changes chords on every note. All the musicians play delicately, especially Purcell, whose overdubbed bass flute/english horn lines were a test for his breath and embouchure control.

Against Gonzalez' muted trumpet, the reeds make for a mini-orchestra. The concept of "Fortuity" is breathtaking – the harmonies cause the mood of the tune to change on almost every note.

Gonzalez sees "Fortuity" as a paradox of the simple being complex and vice-versa. "When something is complex, it's right there in front of your eyes or ears; it's easy to explain." says Gonzalez. "When something is simple you have to explain it more thoroughly. 

The theory of simplicity again shines through in "Stefan". The simplicity is in the three-note pattern played over a significantly more complex harmonic structure. Originally penned for Gonzalez's Ambient Music Ensemble, this tune is a dedication to his infant son, Stefan. 

The opening section lends a celestial, church-like atmosphere to the proceedings, with Purcell's synthesizer lines especially appropriate. The section is pensive and uplifting, with a flowing undercurrent provided by Richardson's military snare rolls. 

The second section begins with Purcell's bass clarinet providing a buoyant backing for Franklin's high-register bass solo.

Whether solo or in accompaniment, Henry's playing is most inspiring with a powerful glissando style that is articulate, punchy, and very original. In his ensemble playing, Franklin's sliding pitch approach provides plenty of freedom for the other musicians to play within.

Part three of "Stefan" features the voices of the ensemble, all extending the vocal gymnastics John Purcell explores with his group, Third Kind Of Blue. This vocal section consists of a New Orleans street scene. Here, Purcell is a fruits and flesh merchant, W. A. Richardson is a hard-nosed preacher, and Henry Franklin is a civil-rights activist. Gonzalez represents the much ignored Spanish flavor of New Orleans while he ponders the mysteries of life.

The last section ends as it began with the same celestial, simplistic, church-like atmosphere as Purcell and Gonzalez work together to interweave the three-note pattern with the complex harmonic structure beneath; trumpet against synthesizer – trumpet with synthesizer.

Side two begins with the energetic "Hymn For Don Cherry", based on a double-time version of the traditional hymn, "At The Cross". The introduction and recurring theme breaks the melody into one and a half measures of bass and horns and three and a half measures of solo drums, lending an AACM feel to the tune. This part was particularly tricky for the musicians, resulting in several false starts in the studio before the piece finally took off.

All of the solos are notable here. Purcell's Rahsaan Roland Kirk/James Newton-inspired flute solo screams with delight, aided by his great logic and a respect for the changes. Gonzalez's fluegelhorn solo respects not the changes, but the tune's mood and feel. With this freer approach, Dennis sneaks in strange intervals and notes "in between the cracks", while all the time hinting at Cherry's initial bop influence. Franklin's solo swings more mightily than anything else he plays on the album – a substantial statement. On "Hymn For Don Cherry", the ESP between the players is stunning; this ensemble sounds like a full-time BAND!

"Boi Fuba" is a touching Brazilian cowboy song that Gonzalez discovered while taking a Portuguese language class. After receiving a tape copy, Dennis arranged the music for his group. The introduction consists of Gonzalez on pao de churva (rain stick – a shaker), berimbau, congas, bells, and toy chimes – with Purcell on double-tracked bass flute. John's overdubbing adds depth and richness while contrasting the melody and harmony.

This piece, like "Fortuity", is very short. The melody is stated only twice, while the rhythm section only plays it once. There are no solos here; none are needed. As Gonzalez says, "It makes you want more but leaves you satisfied that the statement is complete."

''Deacon John Ray" is Purcell's sole composition for the album. Purcell, who plays alto here, wrote this jaunty tune to emphasize the group's sound – a sound which encompasses hymn-like "songs".

On "Deacon", the contrast between the differing approaches to soloing is at its most evident. John's solos are basically eighth-note lines played inventively within the chord changes, while Gonzalez's solos are double-time and based on abstract modes that only ''hint at'' the changes. Dennis' solo on "Deacon John Ray" is on pocket trumpet – the instrument Gonzalez feels is the most abstract to approach.

Just as in his DAAGNIM releases which preceded this, Dennis Gonzalez demonstrates on this record that he is willing to keep his music fresh and unique. Dennis is blessed with an open mind, an open set of ears, and a humane approach to music that should keep this freshness alive.

Russ Summers

Contributor to Jazziz Magazine