Critic's Review
Brian Olewnick, All Music Guide
Fans of Joe McPhee were no doubt surprised to hear a tight reading of Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" burst forth on the opening track of this disc, and perhaps surprised yet again when, after stating the theme, Raymond Boni's wah-wah guitar suddenly sprawled over the proceedings. But McPhee was ever the adventurer and Oleo was a statement of sorts, signaling his reluctance to be pigeonholed into one area of the avant-garde. "Oleo" is followed with a suite dedicated to three Pablos -- Picasso, Casals, and Neruda -- and features bassist François Méchali in Spanish-tinged mode, providing a lovely arco lead-in for the ensemble. The entire piece is a thing of restrained beauty. Much of the remainder of the album also features McPhee coming face to face with "the tradition," either explicitly, as in his cover of Benny Golson's "I Remember Clifford," or in the relatively straightforward thematic material of his own pieces. There's even the occasional injection of a trace of funk! Special mention should be made of reed player André Jaume, a longtime associate of McPhee's, who is outstanding here, especially on tracks like the gorgeous "Astral Spirits," a deep, touching paean to Albert and Donald Ayler. Oleo was released on disc along with a solo recording of McPhee's under the title of Oleo & A Future Retrospective. It remains not only a wonderful session in its own right, but also one of the more approachable entries into this superior musician's realm. Highly recommended. [This version of the album includes bonus material.]
