Joel Forrester & Illustrious Others: Pre Microscopic Music Circa 1980

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The fact that this collection of Joel Forrester compositions sounds a trifle muddy in its production should only be noted in passing. Forrester's music is some of the post-free-jazz era's most compelling, full of weird melodic curves and always hearkening back to some fictional jazz squiggle where swing, bebop, and hard bop all coexisted in a playful mix. Forrester's compatriots in the Illustrious Others are awesome, especially vocalist Shelley Hirsch, whose warbly pitch-shifts entertain and spur the band--especially its horn-wielders--to surprising heights of mischief, always in the context of a tune (as opposed to a full-on avant-garde blast). Forrester's clipped fingerings on the piano get good props, too, with "Mary" inviting comparison to so much of the Downtown 20th-century classical music scene. All in all, the flexing of this band is best captured when the full roster of seven musicians is swinging and, not surprisingly, soprano saxophonist Phillip Johnston sounds spectacular. --Andrew Bartlett

Joel Forrester & Illustrious Others: Pre Microscopic Music Circa 1980,Joel Forrester & Illustrious Others,Koch Records,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

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