Search - Ronald Shannon Jackson, Original Decoding Society :: Earned Dreams

Fantastic recording marred by horrible production.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 09/23/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps one of the most frustrating recordings ever released, "Live in Warsaw" finds the last incarnation of Ronald Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society-- then consisting of session guitarist Jef Lee Johnson (everyone from Billy Joel to McCoy Tyner), monster tenor saxman James Carter (Donald Byrd, Lester Bowie, and a host of solo records) and bassist Ngolle Pokossi with their leader at the drums-- in full flight. The problem is, someone made the bizarre and horrible decision to cut off virtually every track with a fadeout. This results in anti-climatic feel for the music, and took an otherwise brilliant live performance and totally wrecked it.



But what a performance it is-- I often feel Jackson's live records fail to convey something they should, this one is just bristling with energy and power-- check out drum/sax duet "Front Seat Frisco". Carter pulls out all the stops, showing a John Zorn-like array of technique on the instrument, flutters, clicks, overblows, harmonics-- after several unaccompanied minutes, Jackson joins him and the two just burn until... oh look! Someone figured this was a good time to fade the record out. Even with this, the record ranges from free jazz to funk (opener "Christmas Woman"), an almost Carribean vibe (the funky "Camaroon Morning") and in between-- Carter and guitarist Jef Lee Johnson do steal the show more often than not (guitar feature "Night in Seville" is brilliant-- although a couple minutes into the unaccompanied guitar coda, you guessed it, it fades out).



So in short, for fans, there's enough burning, powerful music here to make it worthwhile, but the presentation is so horrible it ruins it for the more casual listener."

I agree with the guy below

Llenrad James | New York, New York | 08/03/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Just like the guy below said, the playing on the CD is brillant (guitarist Jeff Lee Johnson, saxophonist James Carter, bassist Ngolle Pokossi, and drum leader Ronald Shannon Jackson), but whoever edited the CD faded out in some other the worst places, especially on Front Seat Frisco.



Playing wise, the best tracks are Christmas Woman (free-funk tune), Front Seat Frisco (Carter and Jackson duet, Cameroon Morning (African-funk tune), and Opinions (avant-garde)."