The OGJB Quartet: Bamako

Consisting of Oliver Lake/as-ss, Graham Haynes/cornet, Joe Fonda/b and Barry Altschul/dr and using their first names to form the title, the OGJB quartet sounds like a return to the early days of Ornette Coleman’s legendary 1959 Change of the Century albums and beyond. Except for the exotic title track which includes Lake reciting a poem and the West African instrumentation adding mystery to the atmosphere, you get a mix of free and advanced bebop as on “Listen to Dr. Cornel West” and the angular “Be Out S’Cool.” The team swaggers on the blueish “Is It Alright” with some squawking by Lake, and some muted trumpet and advanced harmonics by the horns make for an adventurous “OGJB #2.” Alschul’s cymbals ride the whip for “3 Phrase 09” and the team is assertive on “Stick” with some glowing trumpet on the clear and pretty “Just A Simple Song.” The Shape of Jazz That Came!

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