Conjure: Music For The Texts Of Ishmael Reed CD

COMPOSITIONS WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY TAJ MAHAL, ALLEN TOUSSAINT, DAVID MURRAY, STEVE SWALLOW, CARLA BLEY, LESTER BOWIE, KIP HANRAHAN, CARMAN MOORE, OLU DARA, JAMAALADEEN TACUMA, PUNTILLA, MILTON CARDONA, KENNY KIRKLAND, EJAYE TRACEY, DON JAY, JEAN-PAUL BOURELLY, BILLY HART, FRISNER AUGUSTIN, OLUFEMI CLAUDETTE MITCHELL, ROBERT JASON, MOLLY FARLEY, BRENDA NORTON, ELYSEE PYRONNEAU, ANDY GONZALEZ, PETER SCHERER, SAL CUEVAS, ARTO LINDSAY Ishmael Reed has long been one of the baddest wordsliners in the land!... Combine some motor booty lyrics with fine music from the likes of Allen Toussaint, Lester Bowie and Carla Bley and you have something special. Hanrahan's Desire develops an Edge is still one of the most special international style records ever, and Conjure compares well to that classic set.' One of the top 10 albums of the year.

Performers include: Taj Mahal, Lester Bowie, Carla Bley, Allen Toussaint, David Murray, Steve Swallow, Kip Hanrahan, Carman Moore.
Recorded in August-September, 1983.
Essentially the brainchild of Kip Hanrahan, the loose-knit group known as Conjure brings to bear all the elements that he had fused so successfully in the various projects released under his own name: avant-garde jazz, Latin (especially Afro-Cuban) rhythms, and a deep, funky blues sensibility. Here, using texts from the contemporary author Ishmael Reed, he distributes the composing duties to everyone from Lester Bowie to Taj Mahal to Allen Toussaint, mixes a heady instrumental gumbo, and allows things to percolate to a fine boil. The cast of musicians is certainly of all-star quality, but special mention should be made of trumpeter Olu Dara for some heart-rendingly beautiful playing, Taj Mahal for his wonderful, raspy vocal delivery, and the entire cast of percussionists, astounding in their diversity of attacks. The pieces tend toward relaxed pop forms with vocals and approachable structures but always sporting a sharply honed edge, both in their musical form and in the pointed lyrical observations that are philosophical while retaining street-level grit. As on other Hanrahan productions, there are several pieces (like Bowie's "Fool-Ology") which might be popular hits in a more benevolent universe. Highly recommended for all listeners. ~ Brian Olewnick
After a couple of albums using his own lyrics, Kip Hanrahan recorded this project utilizing the writings of Ishmael Reed. It's a wonderful set that calls upon a diverse range of players.
The first and most noticeable is Taj Mahal, whose vocals add a deep and friendly resonance to the lyrics. The rollicking New Orleans vibe is attributable to the presence of Allen Toussaint, who anchors a band which includes Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, and soloists David Murray on tenor saxophone and Lester Bowie on trumpet ("Untitled II" is a showcase for the former, "Oakland Blues" for the latter). While this album isn't typical of the rest of Hanrahan's work, which often explores human passions and sexuality with poetic grace and fervor, it is nonetheless one of his most easily accessible releases.