Sounds Of Liberation - New Horizons (1972) Dogtown (2010) Porter - Rare Jazz Funk Fusion (FLAC)

In the years following saxophonist John Coltrane's death and the related opportunities to perform and record the New Music stateside, a significant body of musicians relocated to Europe, to ply their art in a more receptive atmosphere. Reedman Byard Lancaster was one of the second wave of American free jazz musicians to relocate to Paris in the late 1960s, recording and gigging as part of drummer Sunny Murray's Acoustical Swing Unit and leading his own ensembles with musicians like pianist Francois Tusques, conguero Keino Speller and Congolese guitarist Francois Nyombo. But Lancaster always maintained a connection to his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as a staunch commitment to playing music that was both avant-garde and decidedly "for the people" hence his oft-repeated tagline "From A Love Supreme to the Sex Machine." Lancaster and vibraphonist Khan Jamal were the artists primarily represented on the Philly free-soul label Dogtown, which released three titles before disappearing into the record collecting ether. The Sounds of Liberation was a collective ostensibly creditable to both Jamal and Lancaster; joining the proceedings are bassist Billy Mills, guitarist Monnette Sudler, drummer Dwight James and percussionists Rashid Salim and Omar Hill. Sudler, Mills and James also appeared on Jamal's excellent psychedelic free-funk fantasia, Drum Dance to the Motherland (Dogtown, 1972) which i have plans to post up in due course. Sounds of Liberation's sole LP, New Horizons, is the rarest of the Dogtown series;  The band appeared on the scene long enough to play opposite Kool and the Gang at the 1974 Miss Black America pageant, before petering out by the late 1970s. Lancaster's alternately syrupy and feral alto saxophone is at its best when supported by a tight ensemble situation. The Sounds of Liberation is a decidedly loose outfit, but reliant on massive and relentless vamps that at their most open offer the kind of support that gives compulsion to the sound.
This is an absolutely wonderful slice of border-trouncing improvised music from the Philly jazz heyday. This is a Limited edition of 300 copies...So Dog Rare!

AMM

                                                                         The Taster!       

                                     

 

                                                        Tracks & Line Up Below (FLAC)