Hagiga Sextet New Directions

The title of the Meters' final album is hopeful, and New Directions does indeed represent if not a new direction, at least a shift from the disco dead end of Trick Bag. From the second "No More Okey Doke" kicks off the record, it's clear that the Meters are gritty again, kicking out some really funky grooves – maybe not as dirty as their Josie recordings, maybe a little cleaned up, but still pretty funky. The slower numbers betray their era, but in a pleasing way, something that's also true of generic numbers like "My Name Up in Lights," which may have too much talk-box guitar, but still grooves effectively. That may not be a new direction, per se, but it is a welcome change-up after the dud Trick Bag. It wasn't enough to save the Meters and it's not really a lost treasure, but it's a far more dignified way to bow out.

John Coltrane will have his recordings from 1963 collected in one 3CD set due for release as 1963: New Directions on Impulse! Records on 16 November, 2018.

Rashied Ali Quartet - New Directions In Modern Music (1971) {Knit Classics KCR-3022 rel 1999}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 256 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 104 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 29 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 1999 Knit Classics | KCR-3022
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Percussion

Recorded live at the East: A Cultural and Educational Center for People of African Descent, New Directions in Modern Music is yet another rewarding recording from the Survival archives. "As-Salaam-Alikum" begins with the quick statement of a memorable theme, which fades into a fiery Carlos Ward improvisation ranking amongst the finest moments in spiritual avant-garde playing. In fact, the album calls to mind Alice Coltrane's P'tah the El'Daoud and Franklin Kiermyer's Solomon's Daughter, with Fred Simmons' punchy, sparse chords and Tyner-inspired runs complementing the group well.

Drummer Jack DeJohnette's New Directions tended to promise much more than it delivered. The quartet (comprised of the leader on drums and piano, trumpeter Lester Bowie, guitarist John Abercrombie and bassist Eddie Gomez) was certainly full of talent, even if their performances often rambled before finding purpose. This live set has four lengthy pieces, three of which are DeJohnette originals (including "Where or Wayne") and a free improvisation by the band.

This album was indeed a new direction for drummer Jack DeJohnette, by then an ECM mainstay who with this effort flirted with the free-flowing atmospheres then characteristic of the label’s popular European projects. John Abercrombie—another household name whose amplified strings do wonders for DeJohnette’s impulses—forms, along with Chick Corea veteran Eddie Gomez on bass, a triangular foundation upon which trumpeter Lester Bowie—the album’s shining star—builds his towering sentimentalism.

You can place this into the category of great albums that you (probably) have not heard. Insight is a late 80's release that has an instrumental pop flavor with a sophisticated foundation. David is somehow a shadow master who is one of the finest players that has graced my ears but still seems to be unknown to most. To touch on his credentials he has toured with top acts including Tower of Power, Christopher Cross, James Taylor, and Paul Simon.