RECORD REVIEWS thzz And boy, does it rock. Unlike the studio album, which at times sounded a bit self-conscious in a now-we-are- gonna-play-some- swing-blues manne! Bluenote Cafe nils the tight-but-loose aestheric, the rhy'thm section per- fectly in the po&er and the ri* horrrt alternating berween snappy call-and- response with Young's guitar and muscular soloing. Swinging opening cut "Big Room" and the primal, unde- niably sexy "Ten Men Working"-the latter, complete with primal "chain NICOTE MITCHEL[, JONATHAN POWELL & NU SANGHA gang" grunts-in particular breathe new , Beacons of Light life into the TNJY material. Jonathan Powell, trumpet, flugelhorn; Jeremy Powell, Tfuee deep-catalog gems also ma.ke Artifacts soprano & tenor saxophone; Marko Churnchetz, piano, Fender Rhodes; Luques Curtis, double bass; this a must-hear. First and foremosr is Nicole Mitchell, flute, electroiics; Tomeka Reid, Kenny Grohowski, drums, With:John Ellis, bass cello; Mike Reed, drums the near-mythical "Ordinary People," clarinet; Louis Fouch6, alto saxophone; Joe Beaty, 482 Music 482-1093 (CD).2015. Michael Lintner, previously heard only as a trombone. T$Ystudio prod,; Dorian Gerhing, Dave Zuchowski, engs. DDD? Truth Revolution (CD).2015, prod,; outtake on 2007's odds'n'sods Chrome Jonathan Powell, fT:47:15 John Davis, eng. DDD? TT:52:56 Dreams II: this 13-minute version is PERFORMANCE ffi PERFoRMANGE Exdil epic, musically (the cinematic arrange- soNrcs EXXXI soNrcs EXUil ment) and lyrically (the Springsteenian evocation of the working class). There's The Association for the Advancement Trumpeter Jonathan Powell dedi- aiso a remarkable reworking ofBuffalo of Creative Musicians (aACM) is one cates each ofthe eight tracks on his Springfield\ "On the Way Home," si- of the most important organizations in sophomore release, Beacons of Light, to a multaneously sunny and elegant, wirh jazz history. These musicians accom- different inspiring figure: "Liberation" massed vocal harmonies and sweet plished what Charles Mingus affempt- to Aung San Suu Kyi, "Lifedme" to sax lines. A 20-minute "Tonight's the ed with Debut Records and Harold Mahatma Gandhi, and so on. The goal Night," though, is what'll have you Battiste attempted in New Orleans ofvenerating spiritual or political role picking up yourjawbone from the vrith A.F.O. Records: establish a path models is cleat yet this music also roars floor. Flush with adrenalin, woozy to self-determination for jazz musi- like a custom Ferrari. It's crisp and with booze, it seesaws dynamically cians outside the resrraints imposed beautiful, nimbie and smoothly gliding from moody, rumbling meditacions by the traditional music industry. fifty even at its highest speeds. The album to fuIl-ensemble blasts as frenzied as a years later, the AACM is still creating has its sparseq contemplative momeflts, classic Crazy Horse jam. some of the most forward-looking but they tend not to linger. Drummer On dris tour, the boy definitely music on the planet. Kenny Grohowski has much to do wasn't singin'for Spuds, that's for These current AACM members with the prevailing bold rhythm and sure. Those notes were for as, fellow all lead their own bands (check out groove, but he never overpowers in the fans-and, unlike a number of Young's Mike Reed's ANew Kind of Danc), and mix, which is full and rich and scrupu- eclectic, shortJived detours, this music here they pay tribute to some of the lously balanced. has aged brilliantly.-r*a rvritts great compositions in AACM history. Powell writes in a quartal harmonic Cellist Tomeka Reid organized the vein that can recall the fiercely swing- ONTHEWEB trio, which interprets material from ing modaliry of McCoy Tprer and 's pre-AACM'Jo Jari' Woody Shaw.'With his brotherJeremy 's "Composition Poweli on tenor and soprano sax, he Read 23B," and Muhal Richard Abrams's favors rapid, imaginacive lines voiced "Munkt Munk," to LeroyJenkins's mainly in fourths or in unison. Pianist eYery "The Clowns" and a medley of the Marko Churnchetz plays an orches- interrelated pieces "Berrdce," by Fred trated melodic role as well, adding Rectirdinp' Anderson, and "Days FIy By with unpredictability to the arrangements. ---t' Ruby," byJeffParker. In "Chant," bassist Luques Curtis ;TihL- The unusual instrumentation-fl ute, comes to the fore, pairing beautifully cello, and drums-allows for some in unison passages with guest bass Month unique interpretations. \X/ithout a reed clarinetistJohn Ellis. Four overdubbed instrument or piano in the mix, the voices end the ffack, chanting "om since ensemble buzzes and floats its way mani padme hum," making e4plicit the through the set. 'JoJar" gets a great Buddhist theme. January pizzicato groove from Reid, who can There's a relentlessness and unerr- drive the group with her fingerwork. ing clariry to Powell's m:mpet and 1982 af "B.K." really moves on her terrific flugelhorn work. He uses echo effecm rbtl"" pattern, allowing Mitchell to sparingly and with genuine musicaliry WWW STEREOPHILE.COM evoke an almost Afro-Cuban feel with pushing the sonic envelope in "Maw- her flute playing.-yoho s*"rroo 1ana" and other tracks.-navid R. Adler stereophile.com . March 2015