Search - Milford Graves :: Percussion Ensemble (Dig)

Rare Percussion Duets

Phasedin | New Jersey | 01/05/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This recording, from July 1965, is really a percussion duet (as opposed to "ensemble" which hints at a much larger group). Milford Graves plays drums, bells, gongs, and shakers while the only other musician present is Sunny Morgan (who passed away in 1976) who plays drums and bells. I'm glad this recording is out there, especially in light of the fact that so little recorded work of Graves exists. To boot, there are just too few recordings of small percussion get-togethers in circulation in general. Ther are some decent liner notes here, which do make up a bit for the short playing time of the disc (around 35 minutes). I guess there just wasn't any extra material from this session around (which is more than likely live in the studio). But I guess we should be glad that this material is still out there in CD format at all. Sadly, the recorded sound is pretty lousy, which kills any subtely in the music as well as making it a less enjoyable listen, but, hey, this was done in 1965 after all. If you enjoy Graves work though, can appreciate experimental music, or, like me, have a real soft spot for small get togethers based around percussion instruments, this would be a good buy. I understand Graves also worked in duo context with jazz pianist Don Pullen. I sure would love to hear some of those recordings re-issued as well."