One of the loosest, most open albums from
Ronald Shannon Jackson & The
Decoding Society – and a set that's a great antidote to some of the later records for bigger labels!
Jackson's still got a very inspiring sound at this point – a polyrhythmic groove that's virtually the blueprint for the post-loft scene in New York – driven onward here by performances from key contemporaries who include Billy Bang on violin, Byard Lancaster on soprano sax and alto, Charles Brackeen on tenor and soprano, Vernon Reid and Bern Nix on guitars, Melvin Gibbs on bass, and Erasto Vasconcelos on percussion. Tracks are all tightly structured, but well up with free sounds from the musicians – and titles include "Sortie", "Nightwhistlers", "Eastern Voices/
Western Dreams", "Shaman", "Dancers Of Joy", "Arising", and "Orange Birthday".
(Cover has light wear and is bent a bit at the spine.)