barabara sounds sez:
More excavated Tribe sounds. It's been over 20 years since Disk Union brought this out here – and it was originally recorded ten years before that, back in 1982. But – like the David Durrah/qpsm album I posted – it kind of fell through the crack into the abyss of oblivion, at least it did on these shores. And that is really too bad. Because like everything else the Tribe tribe and their offshoots have created, it shines with its own distinctive brilliance.allmusic.com sez
Drummer Doug Hammond leads an odd ensemble of drums, two alto saxes (Steve Coleman and Byard Lancaster, who doubles on flute), occasional piano (Kirk Lightsey), and cello (Muneer Abdul Fataah). Steve Coleman contributes four of the 11 oppositions, including the brief but powerful "Uhren," which a few years later would lead off the Dave Holland Quintet's Seeds of Time album. Hammond was practically a sixth member of Holland's group of the time, contributing a number of fine compositions. "Figit Time," which ends this session and also Holland's 1987 classic The Razor's Edge, is a good example. There's a marked Dolphy-esque flavor to this band, with their alto/flute/cello constellation bringing Out There to mind on occasion. But the heady rhythmic concepts of Hammond and Steve Coleman were a whole new thing.
personnel:
Doug Hammond drums, voice; Steve Coleman alto sax; Byard Lancaster alto sax, flute; Muneer Abdul Fataah cello; Kirk Lightsey piano
tracks:
Spaces and Things (suite) 1) Lopin'; 2) Water Moves; 3) Spell Dance − Meno Mosso; To My Family; Cüd Ba-Rith; Snakepit Strut; Mini Ensemble; Rizz Biz; Uhren; Murdxas; Figit Time
Doug Hammond's website has a whole lot more info about his work and albums.
