Quite simply, THE album of the 90s. For the longest time, I was held by my teenage sensibilities, from Loveless to OK Computer (yes, I admit it, sorry). I discovered this a couple (maybe four now?) years back, and I finally made the effort to purchase my own copy (off of which this is ripped at a high bitrate) last year. There are older masterpieces, from In a Silent Way, etc. etc. (you can see my list), but none better. That is lofty praise, but this is an album that earns it. If you've followed this blog for any period of time, you know that I like a lot, but love a little. I LOVE this album. Each and every moment on this album is the culmination of the downtown scene, where jazz and the avantgarde tendencies once diverged and then came together, on equal footing, to discuss their adventures and collaborate.
This music is FREE, but not in the sense of a blowout, but moreso freely lyrical. Indeed, Cooper-Moore amazes me. I love no other collection of piano solos more than those that exist on here, and I just posted work from a master and idol, Andrew Hill. That deserves praise for how wonderful it is, and where it is in the timeline of music, but this album's density, complexity and precision, obliterate most of what came before it. If you've ever heard Susie Ibarra pontificate on the music, you'd think she was a token or sluggish. If you've ever heard her play, you'd realize that her inability to pass off interesting ideas about the music (I'm referring to a recent DVD about the downtown scene where it is all hippie BS and nothing meaty about the music) is because speaking about such beautiful drumwork is absolutely redundant. Each solo is lovingly placed in context and emphasized in a way that illuminates the rhythm in the melody.
There is so much more to this album. 23 of my RYM friends rated it, but only 60 other people have rated it. I've always been under the impression that this is widely regarded as a perfect album. If you don't have this, get it now. This is probably the best album that will ever be posted on KiC.
This music is FREE, but not in the sense of a blowout, but moreso freely lyrical. Indeed, Cooper-Moore amazes me. I love no other collection of piano solos more than those that exist on here, and I just posted work from a master and idol, Andrew Hill. That deserves praise for how wonderful it is, and where it is in the timeline of music, but this album's density, complexity and precision, obliterate most of what came before it. If you've ever heard Susie Ibarra pontificate on the music, you'd think she was a token or sluggish. If you've ever heard her play, you'd realize that her inability to pass off interesting ideas about the music (I'm referring to a recent DVD about the downtown scene where it is all hippie BS and nothing meaty about the music) is because speaking about such beautiful drumwork is absolutely redundant. Each solo is lovingly placed in context and emphasized in a way that illuminates the rhythm in the melody.
There is so much more to this album. 23 of my RYM friends rated it, but only 60 other people have rated it. I've always been under the impression that this is widely regarded as a perfect album. If you don't have this, get it now. This is probably the best album that will ever be posted on KiC.
PS. William Parker. That is all.
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