Pianist
Joel Futterman leads a trio of vastly under-recorded and underrated giants of the free-music genre through a stimulating live set of seven pieces.
Futterman's debt to
Cecil Taylor is evident, but he stamps his own personality on the proceedings with some outrageously adventurous voicing, spectacular technique, and frenetic style. Tenor saxophonist Kidd Jordan is compellingly powerful throughout, able to sustain long innovative solos, while drummer
Alvin Fielder, a founding member of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, is a marvelous whirlwind of energy. Together, the threesome keeps the listener guessing, with
Futterman doubling on sopranino and some sort of flutelike wind. Their third recording as a trio, and first for the Drimala label, is a winner all the way, indicative of the high quality to be expected from these neglected musical virtuosi. ~ Steven Loewy