Brotherhood

back in stock. the great second album from chris mcgregor's brotherhood of breath - a record that's much more obscure than the group's debut, and which has them moving into even deeper territory! as before, there's a wonderful post-colonial groove going on here - one that builds from mcgregor's roots in south african jazz, but inflects it with some of the bolder, more modern modes of the london jazz scene in chris worked after leaving africa in 1964. but unlike before, some of the more free-thinking london styles take even stronger roles here - stretching out in solos that are a bit looser and more exploratory, and which point the way towards the more avant-oriented direction that mcgregor and contemporaries would take in the ogun years - yet not in ways that leave behind the inherent sense of rhythm in the music. the album starts out with rolling south african jazz piano lines that are quite familiar - but then soon opens up into much less structured territory, with solo work from players who include mongezi feza, harry beckett, alan skidmore, mike osborne, harry miller, gary windo, dudu pukwana, and nick evans.