Wounded Bird Records
1967
Until
About This Album
Recorded and released after a two-year stint in Europe, Until marks alto saxophonist Robin Kenyatta's American debut as a leader, after sideman tenures with Sonny Stitt, Bill Dixon, and Archie Shepp. For anyone (of the few) who followed the rather obscure reedman's career, this set -- originally released on the Atlantic jazz subsidiary Vortex and produced by Joel Dorn -- is indicative of the restless nature of Kenyatta's career on his own records: he was not only interested in, but attempted to play, the entire range of jazz. For starters, there are three different units scattered across the album. The opener, "Until," written by Barry Miles, is a tender, straight-ahead ballad that showcasesKenyatta's alto accompanied by pianist Fred Simmons, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Horace Arnold. The lyricism Kenyatta possesses here is celebratory; it's a near perfect union of technical mastery and soulfulness. "This Year," written by trumpeter Mike Lawrence, is an adventurous piece informed by the vanguard lyricism of Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry, as it meets the swinging hard bop tradition. It is performed by a pianoless quartet that includes Lawrence.
Track List (try tracks 1,2 and 3)

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