Marionettes On A High Wire Baikida Carroll (OmniTone)
 

SIGNAL TO NOISE
summer 2001
by Michael Rosenstein

 
 
        Few recognize the name Baikida Carroll, which is a shame. Carroll was a charter member of the St. Louis-based Black Artists Group and a key contributor to seminal records by musicians like Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, Muhal Richard Abrams, John Carter, and David Murray, to name just a few. He also recorded a scant few sessions under his own name. In 1987, he was struck with Bell’s Palsy, which left half of his embouchure paralyzed, and during much of the ‘80s and ‘90s he slipped out of site, though he continued to practice and write for theater, dance and film. Through consistent work and dedication, Carroll built back his technique, developing a haunting, dark, fluid tone and full control of the horn. These experiences have given him the substance to come up with a personal approach to improvisation that is rich with an understated, complex lyricism. Carroll’s writing displays an adventurous melodicism and edgy sense of timing that lets the musicians stretch out with soaring freedom while still maintaining a flowing pulse that swings like mad. The ten originals that make up this recording are a combination of haunting ballads; driving pieces with shifting momentum; and flowing, lyrical explorations. The quintet assembled here is always in perfect tune with each other, giving the music a dynamic sense of elasticity. The leader’s probing trumpet, with a full, rounded attack and soulful passion, is at the core throughout. His lines have a piercing precision, able to transform the singing melodies into soaring abstractions while always retaining the harmonic thread. Tenor player Erica Lindsay is the perfect compliment to the leader’s trumpet. She has a smokiness to her tone and she burrs her attack with just the slightest gruff edge. Her lines skirt around the harmonic center of the themes with solos that are economical abstract statements. Pianist Adegoke Steve Colson is another under-appreciated master. His angular, percussive playing charts out the harmonic outlines of the tunes with an elegant muscularity. With a rhythm section like Michael Formanek and Pheeroan akLaff, you can expect the improvisations to be grounded with an open swing. The two are able to keep a steady flow while leaving an organic, open sense to the meters. This stellar release hearkens back to the classic albums that Andrew Hill and Sam Rivers created for Blue Note. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another six years for Carroll’s next recording.