Medicine Wheel

Ben Allison | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 7, 1998)
• Original Release Date: April 7, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Palmetto Records
• ASIN: B000006BG7
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #413,853 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sounds to delight and intrigue, plus music that swings, June 10, 2001

By 

Ian Muldoon (Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Medicine Wheel (Audio CD)

Very early on in this music my ears became sensitized to the range of sounds being made by these seven musicians. In particular it was the rhythm instruments that dominated, cello, bass, drums and piano. Whether it was hints of Indonesian, Indian, or Middle Eastern, the music still sounded of a piece, never fragmented or eclectic. Echoes, as behind the bass solo on track two, are created by a bowed piano. Multi-phonics on the saxophone are reminiscent of John Coltrane's Harmonique. Intriguing city sounds on Buzz remind one of Bud Powell's Parisienne Thoroughfare and Duke Ellington's colouring. In other words this is music very much in the tradition, but original and exciting enough to warrant many listenings. I've had this CD for some time now and though it may not create a great impact on you on first hearing, it is music that you will return to time and again. It has the "sound of surpise". Some highlights by the horns include Ted Nash's sax solo on Buzz. Mr Horton's trumpet solo on Apostle of the Ugly is thoughtful, well structured, passionate and full of clarity. All the compositions and arrangements are by the leader and bassist Mr Ben Allison. It is a very well programmed and well thought out hour of music. For some really deep grooving swing, dig the last track, Tiny C. All the musicians are at the top of their game and really do justice to the writing. Beautifully recorded with the bass not too forward with excellent balance between the instruments. Well worth acquiring.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Is What The Future Sounds Like, April 27, 2000

By 

B. Mattison (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Medicine Wheel (Audio CD)

This album is quite possibly the best example of 1990s post-avant-garde-jazz. It breaks down the boundaries between the orthodoxies of the uptown neo-traditionalists and the downtown free jazzers in a completely un-selfconscious fashion, moving comfortably from funky bass motifs to howls and squeaks to Basie-inflected brass riffs. In fact, sax man Ted Nash plays with Wynton Marsalis _and_ Allison, and Marsalis and Eric Reed have guested with Allison's Jazz Composers Collective. Allison and friends know the tradition inside and out, and they know it includes a spirit of invention and fun.