A group of virtually unknown New York musicians,
Earthbound was a five-piece collective dedicated solely to the art of spontaneous composition and free improvisation. This 1992 recording was done live in the studio, without overdubs, edits, or remixing. Centered on Alexandros' piano and Alex Foster's soprano saxophone, the group's main theme also employs a conga player on two selections. The centerpiece of the album is a four-part, 33-minute suite called "Unity." Here, colliding rhythms shift back and forth over a steady bassline anchored in E flat as piano and soprano tie one another up in knots and break free to percolate with the drummers. At one point Alexandros joins the polyrhythmic cycle and adds accents to each spare line offered by Foster -- it's a thrilling call and response period in an otherwise strictly journeyman cycle. The bottom line is this:
Earthbound would have worked so much better as a percussion and bass ensemble without the piano and horn to muck things up.
Unity is a clear example of musicians playing far beyond the scope of their abilities. ~ Thom Jurek