Wright, Frank / Unity
Album: Unity   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Wright, Frank   Added:Jan 2007
Label:Esp  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2007-02-25 Pull Date: 2007-04-29 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Apr 29 Apr 8 Apr 1 Mar 18 Mar 4
Airplays: 1 1 1 4 1

Recent Airplay
1. Apr 27, 2007: Memory Select
Unity Part 1 [excerpt]
4. Mar 17, 2007: Cognitive Overload
Unity Part 1
2. Apr 06, 2007: Memory Select
Unity Part 1
5. Mar 17, 2007: Making Touble
Unity Part 1
3. Mar 31, 2007: Cognitive Overload
Unity Part 2
6. Mar 16, 2007: Memory Select
Unity Part 2

Album Review
Craig Matsumoto
Reviewed 2007-02-23
Live 1974 session from an underdog of the '60s/'70s free-jazz scene. Led by saxophonist Wright, who goes into the usual skronky spasms. Bobby Few on piano adds a nice lushness -- chaotic, but more McCoy Tyner than Cecil Taylor. A good lengthy outburst of energy.

Live session; lots of applause after solos. It's one continuous performance split into two tracks.

For excerpting, try playing the early parts of either track. Track 1 would make more "logical" sense, since it has a real beginning; track 2 can be faded in, jumping you right into the action. The weirdly polka end of #2 works too. Instrumental; FCC clean.

1- Crashing opening, not too fast, w/lush chaotic piano. Wright comes in with angular, grunting sax. A rich swirl without becoming a white-noise blur. Gets into a nice intensity. Gets blurrier halfway (12-14 mins. into it), as the piano takes over and Wright tosses strange car-horn bleats into the mix.
Dynamic bowed bass solo, drum solo ends it. SEGUES into #2.

2- Jumps right in (continuation of #1) with sparkling, fast, dynamic playing, strong and free. Liberating feel. Big and crashing. Settles into a calmer but still strong flow.
Crashing intensity ends at around +18:00 to applause, as drum solo starts up again. +23:00 starts a weird punk-polka two-step, into a blur of cymbals and increasingly oddball sax.

Track Listing
1. Unity Part 1   2. Unity Part 2