Product Review

The compositions on this 1973 studio recording demonstrate some of the individual directions that its members brought to the Art Ensemble. Lester Bowie's "Barnyard Scuffel Shuffle" suggests a key source in the music of Charles Mingus with a kinetic mix of swing, R&B, bop, and free-jazz elements, with Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell providing great honking tenors. "Nonaah" is an intriguing early performance of a permutational composition that Mitchell has continued to recast to the present. Jarman's title piece is a driving free-jazz anthem, highlighted by the composer's blazing alto solo. Muhal Richard Abrams, a crucial early mentor, is added to the Ensemble for much of the date. His piano is a striking complement to the group, thoughtfully expanding the music's harmonic languages. --Stuart Broomer