It is had to think of a more explosive and experienced group
of American free jazz musicians than tenor saxophonist and pianist Charles
Gayle, bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake. They have played with
each other many times over the years in different configurations and they are
peers with the utmost respect for one and other. “Fearless” is the perfect name
for the opening track, a twenty-eight minute blowout of collective
improvisation and tremendous power. Drake and Parker make an extraordinary
team, but they go much farther that a standard rhythm section would go,
stretching and molding the time and rhythm of the music, and alternatingly
supporting and weaving Gayle back into the music. The saxophonist sounds great,
leaving aside his alter ego Streets and keeping his holy roller ranting under
control, Gayle devotes his whole energy into the music, not falling into any
patterns but committing with Parker and Drake to create in real time over an
epic scale. After this massive slab of music they shift gears and Gayle moves
to the piano, shifting back to his spiritual roots on “Gospel” where he engages
with Parker and Drake beautifully, developing a piano sound akin to Thelonious
Monk, with a strong physicality to his playing and a sense of the mysterious
and the unexpected, which is accentuated but a wonderful bass solo by William
Parker. On “Texturen” Gayle stays with the piano, seeming to tease “Well, You
Needn’t” just a hair before moving into a much freer trio improvisation. Parker
is the linchpin to this performance too; his bass playing is so supple and
assured as to reach sublime heights. A slow opening tune, “Angels” builds pace
until there is an astonishing bowed bass solo by William Parker, whose playing
on this album has become transcendent. Gayle does move back to tenor saxophone
for the take no prisoners “Encore” where he lets loose concentrated peals of
sound with Parker and Drake offering an ever changing landscape underneath.
They are truly playing in the moment and creating in real time as the spirit
moves them and it is a thrilling thing to hear. They keep the strong collective
improvisation up all they way to the finish line. This was a very exciting
album, the musicians were locked in with each other throughout and the empathy
and compassion that they have developed with each other and for music as a
whole are heard in every note of this excellent album. 
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