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AMG Review by Rob Ferrier
Like many an album
on the ESP label, this one takes work to enjoy. Also like many an album on the
ESP label, it's the drummer who saves things and brings order to what would
otherwise be a chaotic mess. The avant-garde jazz scene was ruled by
percussionists. In a music whose whole thing was freedom, it was left to the
drummer to drive things along, to provide direction while the soloists tried to
put themselves across, an act that took enormous concentration. J.C. Moses
cracks the whip here, proving throbbing backgrounds and spare, pneumatic fills
to emphatically state what the music only implies. When things get too far
afield, it's Moses who lays down a sharp beat to get the band back on track.
Soloists include the ubiquitous Clifford Thornton on trombone, the workman-like
presence of Karl Berger on vibes, and the leader on a variety of instruments.
This is a powerful artistic statement by a man one wishes had recorded more
often. Unfortunately, like his labelmate, Guiseppi Logan, it seems Watts will
exist more as a reputation than a musician. Those into the time and place (i.e.,
New York in the mid-'60s) can't get enough of this stuff and are sure to enjoy
this too. For others with open ears, this is a peek into a chapter of American
music that is still criminally underappreciated.
Tracks
1 Backdrop
for Urban Revolution 19:18
2 Ia
10:10
3 Geno
7:34
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