| recorded 11 february, 1998, nyc
There are few sessions to rival this one for sheer urgency and gusto. it's as if something pent-up in these four musicians waited for this combination of players to unleash it--the music explodes into action. pianist john blum is a secret hero of new york's free jazz community, known as a proficient & forceful improviser in the tradition of his mentors, borah bergmann & cecil taylor. blum's performance on astrogeny is his shining moment on disc to date. The legendary denis charles was at his best when paired with william parker; together they formed one of the great, yet under-documented, rhythm-sections in the music. antonio grippi, a shadowy figure in free-jazz history, makes an appropriately rousing contribution on alto saxophone.
"special note should be taken of blum. the dude is sick; he's like a free-jazz frank hewitt, only much younger --a monster player shamefully ignored by the new york city critics and overlooked by the labels. he should be heard." --chris kelsey, jazztimes |