Dogon A.D.

Dogon A.D. marks the now-classic debut by saxophonist, flutist, and composer Julius Hemphill; it was recorded in St. Louis in December 1972 with cellist Abdul Wadud, drummer Phillip Wilson, and trumpeter Baikida Carroll as accompanists. Originally issued with three selections on the musicians Mbari label (the complete session wouldnt fit on an LP), it was re-released by Arista Freedom, which relegated the fourth track, "The Hard Blues," to the 1975 follow-up Coon Bidness as its opening cut. The track was restored to Dogon A.D. during the CD era. The "A.D." in the albums title stands for "adaptive dance," drawn from the spiritual creation story of the Dogon people of Mali, in West Africa. At the time of its original release, the recording drew laudatory reviews from jazz critics for its seamless escape from the trap of jazzs then-dominant binary: fusion or the free, post-Ayler/Coltrane vanguard. Hemphill attempted to reconcile aesthetic differences between the New Thing, fusion, and "peoples music." Its one of the first records of the era that reflects a jazz artist melding the emotional candor of popular Black musical traditions -- blues, soul, R&B, and gospel -- with the vocabulary and spirit of free jazz without compromising either in the process. The title track offers an earthy groove created by the rhythm section as the horns erect a hip vamp via time, stretching circular phrasing and vamps to the point of near hypnosis. Hemphill solos first, testifying in the musical labyrinth across R&B and gutbucket blues. His gritty alto is framed by Wilsons eternally loose groove and Waduds playing arco and plucking his cello. At nine-and-a-half minutes, Carroll, with a vampy pulse, asserts his own groove before tearing open the tracks seam in a passionate solo. "Rites" offers an incendiary interplay of counterpoint and the call-and-response affirmations so present in the Black church. Wadud bows frantically, while Wilson (ex of the Butterfield Blues Band and the Art Ensemble of Chicago), clatters, rolls, accents, and fills the spaces between. Carroll and Hemphill are tight, expressive, and explosive in a lopsided groove. "The Painter," dedicated to multidisciplinary visual artist Oliver Lee Jackson, initially sounds speculative as Hemphills flute whispers, sings, and floats between plucked cello and slippery brushed and hammered drums. He enters a dialogue with Carroll as Wadud plays a poignantly strummed bassline. The flutist offers complex sprawling lyricism as Carroll plays in a free yet focused solo before conversing with his bandmates. The 20-minute closer "The Hard Blues" bookends the title track with uninhibited raw expression and buoyant improvisational power. The conversation between Hemphill, Carroll, and guest baritone saxophonist Hamiett Bluiett (the leaders future bandmate in the World Saxophone Quartet) is creatively heightened. They frame blues in rhapsodic form amid back-and-forth interplay as the rhythm section creates a fluid musical frame that cuts through dirty blues, swinging improv, and finger-popping post-bop jazz. Dogon A.D. not only lives up to its rep but continues to influence jazz musicians internationally. ~ Thom Jurek

This historic album features four then-unknowns on three lengthy avant-garde explorations that were quite influential not only in St. Louis (where they were recorded) but eventually on such diverse players as altoists Tim Berne and David Sanborn. Julius Hemphill (on alto and flute), trumpeter Baikida Carroll, cellist Abdul Wadud, and drummer Philip Wilson are in superb form, both as soloists and in ensembles where they react instantly to each other. This important music is better to be heard than described. ~ Scott Yanow