Disc 11. Nebula 2. Grandma's Shoes 3. Pentahouve 4. First Love 5. Lito (Part 1,2 & 3): Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
Label: Enja (USA) Release Date: 06/28/1994 Original Release Date: 1994 Recording Mode: Stereo Producer: Kunle Mwanga Engineer: Lee Brenkman Recording Type: Live Distributor: IDN Distribution
Personnel: Ed Blackwell (drums); Carlos Ward (alto saxophone, flute); Don Cherry (trumpet); Graham Haynes (cornet); Mark Helias (bass). Recorded live at Yoshi's, Oakland, California on August 8, 1992. Includes liner notes by Stanley Crouch. Personnel: Ed Blackwell (drum); Carlos Ward (alto saxophone); Don Cherry (trumpet); Graham Haynes (cornet); Mark Helias (bass instrument). Ed Blackwell made a name for himself in the early '60s drumming with Ornette Coleman's band (Blackwell plays on the free jazz classics THIS IS OUR MUSIC, FREE JAZZ, and ORNETTE ON TENOR). His distinctive approach to timekeeping, which highlights tribal rhythms and New Orleans marching band cadences, is on excellent display on WHAT IT BE LIKE, one of his few dates as a leader. "Nebula," the opener, features a tumbling horn melody with Blackwell providing almost martial accents on the snare, and is an excellent example of his style. The compositional palette on WHAT IT BE LIKE is broad, with tones, textures, and atmospheres shifting throughout the track list. In "Pentahouve," exuberance prevails with a fragmented Latin shuffle providing the context for a dazzling rhythmic dialogue between Blackwell and flautist Carlos Ward. On the album's closer and set piece, the almost 30-minute "Lito (Parts 1, 2 & 3)," trumpeter Don Cherry joins the ensemble for an evocative exploration of fractured melodies and snake-charmer motifs over a repeated rhythmic pattern. After each band member has soloed, Blackwell's strictly metered flourishes over the snare and tom-toms close out the tune, which in turn closes out this fine set of vital, adventurous jazz.
Down Beat (11/94, p.62) - 5 Stars - Excellent - "...a great supporting cast...[Blackwell] plays it straght, plays it wicked, lets it rip, and lets it breath, and you can hear the smile across his face as he deals. Constantly searching the skies. Nobody ever played like him, nobody ever will..."
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