RASHIED ALI QUINTET: Judgment Day, Vol. 2
Survival, 2007

SEARING POSTBOP – A very strong but relatively straightforward session for drummer Ali, best known for his work on John Coltrane’s last recordings and usually thought of as a free-jazz guy. This sounds to me like the kind of burning session you might have heard in the 1970s, with a heavy-hitting attack and vaguely spiritual vibe. The recording itself is a bit hazy, but the band’s energy cuts right through.

Try if you like: McCoy Tyner, Woody Shaw, Elvin Jones

Fo’s Picks: 3, 4, 5, 7

1. 7:09 – uptempo burner, hot solos for everybody: trumpet, piano, drums nice
2. 9:50 – standard ballad: surges like ocean waves, then chugs along
3. 8:03 – uptempo, furious; drums all over it, hot trumpet & sax, dense piano
4. 8:20 – catchy theme, soaring solos push & stretch, riding on skittery drums
5. 6:09 – relaxed, angular groove: fast, snaky sax solo
6. 7:40 – slow, standard ballad: loose & informal jam sound, gentle solos
7. 5:28 – speedy rush: twisty sax & trumpet solos, rolling drums
8. 6:42 – oddly mixed: slow jumbled surge alternates with a little latin groove

[ Fo ] 3-Oct-07