Search - Strata Institute :: Transmigration

M-Base meets Chicago master.

greg taylor | Portland, Oregon United States | 08/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A couple of brief notes: This disc has multiple listings on this site. I choose this one because the used CD prices are the cheapest. Two, the song that is listed above as 'Hey, Jam' is actually entitled 'Jimdog' which is an Lockjaw Davis tune. Third, and what should spike your interest, is the personel on this CD: Von Freeman on the tenor, Greg Osby and Steve Coleman on the altos, David Gilmore on guitar, Kevin Davis on the bass and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on full display on the drums.
Four of the five originals are by Coleman, one each by Gilmore and Osby. There is the Lockjaw Davis song as well as Mr. Lucky by Henry Mancini and If You Could See Me Now by Todd Dameron.
If you have fully absorbed all of the above info, you will know that this disc is either a mishmash or something special. Trust me, it is the latter. The three horn players have shown through out their careers the great ability the long time jazz guys have to fit in with other people and yet still sound like themselves. Right now I am listening to Speake which Steve Coleman wrote (I would guess) for Von Freeman to fully display his marvelous ways with a bluesy ballad. Freeman, on the other hand, has no problem sounding as forward thinking on his solos on the more typical M-Base like tunes than Osby, Coleman and Gilmore. Gilmore is a delight on this album. He is relaxed, masterful in fitting his tone to the piece, comps like a madman and solos with a twisted bluesy grace. Smitty on the drums is his usual self. He plays polyrythyms almost casually as if it were no effort. He is never loud but is always there always pushing the soloist. He plays with different ways to fracture and present the time so much that the soloist just naturally has to engage in a rythym dialogue with Smitty as part of their solo. When your other players have as advance a rhythmic sense as Coleman, Osby, Freeman and Gilmore the result is delightful. Knowledge of Cult is a good example.
I shouldn't have to say much about either Steve Coleman or Greg Osby. They have simply been two of the best players out there for almost two decades now. They speak for themselves every time they play.
About the only player who didn't constantly grab my attention is Davis on the bass. Perhaps it is the mix- he just doesn't seem to be there very much.
My only other complaint is that (as with all DIW releases) the notes are only in Japanese. Since DIW puts out consistently good stuff however I will just leave well enough alone and listen to the music. Y'all should be listening to this stuff too."