Conjure Bad Mouth CD

ISHMAEL REED, DAVID MURRAY, KIP HANRAHAN, LEO NOCENTELLI, ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART, FERNANDO SAUNDERS, ANTHONY COX, YOSVANNI TERRY, PEDRO MARTINEZ, BILLY BANG, HORACIO EL NEGRO HERNANDEZ, ROBBY AMEEN, RICHIE FLORES, DAFNIS PRIETO Musical director Kip Hanrahan instigates some of the most visionary, funky, bluesy modern world music amalgams on record with Bad Mouth, alongside his sonic congregation, Conjure. ...a stew of R&B, blues, Haitian music, jazz, rock and Latin grooves that makes the word 'eclectic' seem a poor adjective....A huge elevating factor in the sound is Billy Bang's violin, rising like a snake out of the guitar grooves, followed by David Murray's unrestrained tenor sax, going for broke and roaring in an inspired fashion over the rock-steady bass/guitar drums rhythm. Hear this recording and you'll be thanking the earth for Kip Hanrahan, Ishmael Reed, David Murray and Conjure. Magnificent! Ishmael Reed is the Charlie Parker of American fiction.'- Max Roach

Conjure/Kip Hanrahan: Alvin Youngblood Hart (vocals, electric guitar); Yosvany Terry (vocals, alto saxophone); Fernando Saunders (vocals, electric bass); Pedro Martinez (vocals, congas, percussion); Leo Nocentelli (guitars); Anthony Cox (electric guitar); Horacio "El Negro" Hernández, Robby Ameen (drums).
Who but Kip Hanrahan could take the finest percussionists in New York (some might say the world), a few highly respected authors, and one or two incredibly well-respected fusion musicians to fill in the gaps, and make them sound like stoned Midwestern high-school students? Though there are some genuine moments of "cool," the overwhelming impression left by Hanrahan and company is one of post-boheme self-importance. The surprise presented by the American Clavé label is that the clavé barely makes a guest appearance. The body of this two-disc set consists of funky, laid-back bass guitar vamps over a backbeat, laying the ground for the prose of Ishmael Reed and Hanrahan himself floating freely over the top. There are moments in the 12 long tracks that touch upon something truly profound, or at least interesting. Unfortunately, the poetry, in reaching for something great, often overextends and falls flat. The musicians, all of whom have the power to push, pull, and bend time like magicians, are seriously underused. With players like Dafnis Prieto, Robby Ameen, and Horacio "El Negro" Hernández on deck, a wise producer would have laid down something other than 12 tracks of P-Funk-style backbeat. Is Bad Mouth a bad record? No, it's not, but it certainly was not very well thought through, or well developed. Hanrahan has a talent for bringing together truly amazing musicians. The next step would be to include a truly great producer on that list. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez

Global Rhythm (Publication) (p.44) - "The depth of Reed's poetic expression has remained constant, as has the caliber of musicians with whom Hanrahan has aligned himself."