Joe Morris
plays bass, not guitar, on this set of four lengthy improvisations taped in March 2008. The trio features tenor and alto saxophonist
Petr Cancura
and longtime
Morris
collaborator
Luther Gray
on drums; their interaction is blustery and energetic, filled with the fire of free jazz as practiced by
Charles Gayle
,
Peter Broetzmann
, and other modern-day followers in the footsteps of
Albert Ayler
Archie Shepp
, and
Pharoah Sanders
. There's a lot of
Ayler
in
Cancura
's tone; he's a powerful player with a strong sense of melody, always retaining an essential cohesion within his solos, even at their most fervid.
Gray
is all over the kit, guiding the other two men and maintaining a forceful momentum; he both introduces and concludes
"Geomantic"
with solos that recall
Max Roach
in their use of toms and ability to make the drums seem to sing.
' bass playing is as fascinating as ever. He begins
"Thicket"
with an assault on the strings that's reminiscent of the guimbri, a gut-stringed instrument played by the Gnawa tribes of North Africa.
picks up the hint and solos in a manner that echoes
' work with the Gnawa on his
Trance of the Seven Colors
album. The third track,
"Crow,"
is a bluesy ballad on which
sounds like his tongue has swelled to twice its normal thickness, and the upbeat
"Nettle,"
which closes the disc, features an astonishing, extended
solo as well as a fiery crescendo before things draw to a meditative conclusion. This album is a masterful showcase for three brilliant musicians. ~ Phil Freeman