Free Jazz Music

Hats off to Stretch Records (Concord Jazz) and Chick Corea in bringing together an outstanding array of musicians, bands and being inspired by one another, plus having fun. Some solo work surfaces by immensely talented artists that comprise Corea's acclaimed ensemble ORIGIN.

This collection is a group dream of creativity, with enticing sampling from ORIGIN band members Avishai Cohen, Steven Wilson, Steve Davis, Tim Garland and Jeff Ballard - each clearly world-class solo jazz artists in their own right.

Some stand outs: "PSALM" by Chick Corea & Origin, as well as the band's Grammy nominated composition "WIGWAM", both from the CD "Change", was only on a japanese release.

If your a "jazz fan", this is a must have for your collection, don't pass this one up!

Total Time: 65:23 on 11 Tracks...Stretch Records-SCD 9034...(2000)

The picture Amazon shows is not for this CD, its for some other group. Somehow I accidentally downloaded Killer Bee Honey by the Free Radicals off of Amazon downloads. Its a wierd song. After listening to a bunch of times it grew on me and bought the CD. Its got a funky sound that's definitly not for every one. But don't just go by what I have to say. Cough up some hard cash and buy the CD so these guys make some money and put out another one.

This concert recording captures Jim Pepper backed up by a very strong crew that includes the glorious guitar of Bill Bickford. Jim Pepper soars with tenderness, confidence, and a connection to the elements that is all his own. The Lakota chanting can go on for very extended periods, but grows on you. It builds toward Jim's creative romps on the sax. Jim is very playful and contemplative and athletic on these numbers, so get ready for a wild, restorative ride. This is a beautifully engineered and balanced assemblage of the day's recordings. It surpasses any of the studio recordings by Jim Pepper that are currently available.

Unique and Original - in a good way. Doug Martin's review tells the tale well and I'll leave it at that. Everyone's playing is stellar and the entire band works well together. Who else could come up with this stuff besides Tim Berne. Genius is a strong word but perhaps it's suitable here. If you like this album get "Fractured Fairy Tales" and hang on to your seat!

Good material that's full of tension and release; for a few minutes it sounds like everyone is meandering around playing long sustained lines, then suddenly it jumps into a snare-driven march. Everyone plays well with good solos from all band members; Joey Baron really stands out - there's always something interesting happening percussion-wise. The front line of alto, cello, and trumpet is an interesting combination. The 'vocals' are sustained melodic lines sung in harmony with the cello parts - sometimes it's hard to tell one from the other. The band and the music are good matches for each other.

Tim Berne: alto sax; Herb Robertson: various brass; Hank Roberts: cello, vocals; Mark Dresser: bass; Joey Baron: drums.