Pope, Odean / Universal Sounds
Album: Universal Sounds   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Pope, Odean   Added:Feb 2011
Label:Porter Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2011-02-20 Pull Date: 2011-04-24 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Mar 27 Mar 20 Feb 27
Airplays: 1 1 3

Recent Airplay
1. Aug 19, 2011: No Cover, No Minimum
Go Figure
4. Feb 26, 2011: Music Casserole
Go Figure
2. Mar 26, 2011: Music Casserole
Go Figure
5. Feb 25, 2011: No Cover, No Minimum
She Smiled Again
3. Mar 18, 2011: No Cover, No Minimum
Blues
6. Feb 24, 2011: Orangeasm
Custody Of The American Spirit

Album Review
Fo
Reviewed 2011-02-20
ODEAN POPE: Universal Sounds
Porter, 2011

AVANT-GARDE – With two saxes, three drummers(!) and bass, this new group from Philly titan Odean Pope (best known in recent years for his saxophone choir) can sound like a trio on steroids or a larger group stripped bare. The first half is hard-hitting, with a vaguely afrocentric air that can get raw and intense in the solos, but not in an abrasive or antagonistic way. The second half is calmer overall, maybe more artsy and explorative.

Odean Pope : tenor saxophone
Marshall Allen : alto sax, EWI
Lee Smith : bass
Warren Smith, Craig McIver, Jim Hamilton: drums & percussion

Fo’s Picks: 1, 3, 4, 5

1. 5:44 – tight sax spirals, abstract vocalizing, resolves to an intense drum circle
2. 3:20 – rough Africanized melody drops into catchy (but quiet) bass solo
3. 12:54 – uptempo improv: drums really go at it as saxes scribble: tenor sax is cerebral, but alto goes primal; intricate bass & drum solos, big finish
4. 5:49 – slow, pensive sax in loose, open atmosphere w/chimes; fine bass solo
5. 4:21 – very cool: just bass riffing over quiet drums, no horns
6. 8:05 – electronic tones and xylophone drift like jellyfish, spin in mad orbits
7. 7:55 – jazzy stroll, relatively straightforward and relaxed but well off-center
8. 7:01 – several FCC violations (“bullshit”) … this is a variation of track #1

[ Fo ] 02/20/11

Track Listing
1. Custody Of The American Spirit   5. Go Figure
2. Mwalimu   6. The Track
3. The Binder   7. Blues
4. She Smiled Again   8. Custody Of The American Spirit (Bullshit Version)