Oneness by Kali Z. Fasteau

01 Mar

Written by Mark Keresman
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Kali Z. Fasteau is perhaps the un(der)-recognized Queen of Jazz’s free/avant wing (something of a boy’s club though it’s getting better, c.f. Ellen Christi, Myra Melford, etc.), and has been so since the 60s and 70s, when she played with Archie Shepp, Joseph Jarman and Noah Howard - further, she’s studied music in various cultures all over the globe. Her latest, Oneness consists of various live recordings from NYC during 2001 and studio recordings from ’02, and though it’s a tad inconsistent, it’s still a fine representation of her eclectic, spiritual African/Indian/Middle Eastern/free jazz fusion. For the uninitiated, there’s not a lot of theme/solos/theme to be found here - the music evolves freely and intuitively in the manner of late-period John Coltrane and some of Don Cherry’s pan-cultural tapestries (Codona, for example). There's churning, clattering drums, wailing, piercing saxophones and sublimely serene flute (the latter recalling Japanese shakahuchi). The only downside is the sound quality - it varies somewhat from track-to-track, from decent to muddy. Oneness is not recommended for the free music beginner, but rather for the smitten True Believer in the Pentecostal rave-ups of Peter Brotzmann, Wadada Leo Smith and Pharaoh Sanders.

Additional Info

Artist / Group Name: Kali Z. Fasteau
CD Title: Oneness
Genre: Free Jazz / Avante Garde
Year Released: 2003
Record Label: Flying Note
Musicians: K.Z.F.: voice, piano, alto & soprano saxes, nai redd flute, mizmars, drums; Lee M. Rozie: tenor sax, bamboo flute, djembe; Newman Taylor Baker: drums, Theramin, djembe; Marvin "Bugalu" Smith: drums, djembe; Okkyung Lee: cello; Ron McBee: djembe, perc.
Label Website: http://www.kalimuse.com/FN.htm
Rating: Two Stars