| A large ensemble improv album, featuring Ken Vandermark, Rob Mazurek, Kevin Drumm, Rick Rizzo, Darin Gray, etc. "O'Rourke decided to pair up Loren with Alan Licht. A full day of improvising was recorded, selected, and then arrangements were later added by O'Rourke in a sort of Gil Evans/Miles Davis move, or more appropriately Teo Maceo meets Mazza-Licht. Organized like a continuum of music that brings new meaning to 'suite' (or at the very least, a flexible new spelling), the record is at once a psychedelic brew of fuzzed-out free jazz and howling blues that at times will make your head spin. The truly out and shout nature of the music that day took everyone by surprise, and it'll be no surprise when it takes you too. As in 'O-U-T'. Comparisons: From the free jazz of Pharaoh Sanders and Bill Dixon to the early 70s electric space of Miles Davis' 'He Loved Him Madly,' to the molasses blues of Connors' classics like In Pittsburgh. This record has the distinction of sounding distinctly unlike any of these recordings."
The Wire (1/99, p.27) - Included in Wire's "50 Records Of The Year [1998]"
The Wire (02/99, p.53) - "...HOFFMAN ESTATES occupies its own ground, and may well prove to be a landmark in its own right."
CMJ (12/21/98, p.25) - "...turns away from the pair's earlier duets to navigate the waters of post-minimalist, orchestral semi-rock....Despite its two-man billing, this enthralling work is a triumphant group effort."
Down Beat (2/00, p.74) - 4 out of 5 - "...a high cooperative, collective affair, all apparently freely improvised and with no single figure overshadowing the others..." |