Free Radicals: Outside the Comfort Zone

On this one disc you get 23, count ‘em, 23 songs in rapid fire succession delivered by a core nonet along with a rotating collection of guests on vibes, tablas, strings , horns and various exotica. The foundation of Jason Jackson/as, Aaron Varnell/ts, Pete Sulivan/as-bs, Matt Serice/tp-key, Tom VandenBoom/tb, Jacob Breier/b, Al Bear/g, Nick Cooper/dr, and Nick Gonzalez/sous mix frenetic sax lines with wild percussion on pieces like “Solidaridad de la Sierra” and “Screaming” while sounding like a Second Line parade on “Chicha Revolucion” and “Carry Me To My Grave.” Some soul sixtie’s get grooving on “Freedom of Consumption” and “Beyond Vietnam” and with each song a concise tidbit, even if the solos are stratospheric, they return to earth quickly. Fun and frantic!

www.freerads.com

Leave a Reply