Recorded in the land of “fruits, nuts and flakes”, in San Francisco 1966, Rudd’s debut album as leader. The almighty Allmusic assign it the kiss of death on both cheeks, damned with the faintest of praise: “.. rambles a lot…but has some moments of interest. Rudd plays reasonably well…an intriguing but far from essential date” Sort of thing you would not want to read on your feedback from a Lonely Hearts Agency, or indeed on your tombstone: “He played reasonably well”. In review-speak I think it means they didn’t like it, but you be the judge. The trombone is a powerful emotive instrument in a free jazz setting. The brassiest of the brass instruments, brooding, dark and full of menace. It creates a pungent harmony with Kenyatta’s alto, quite different from the usual elegant instrument pairings, almost modern-classical in its atonal rendering. Charlie Haden’s bass adds a note of ambient waywardness.
- LondonJazzCollector
Roswell Rudd (trombone) Giuseppi Logan (flute, bass clarinet) Robin Kenyatta (alto saxophone) Charlie Haden, Lewis Worrell (bass) Beaver Harris (drums)
