An Offering from the Temple Caves
Pharoah S. Wail | Inner Space | 01/04/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Texturalized with shimmering, singing bowls, frame drums and percussive, stringed instruments from Africa, this cd is a quiet incantation.
Could it be that Katrina's sadness caused this album to sound like this? At least not conciously so, given Kidd's stance in the liner-notes. Then again, maybe William and Hamid did have the idea of giving Kidd a quiet, textural backdrop within which to sing the songs of his emotions. However it came about, this is an outstanding album. Buy this and The All-Star Game (Marshall Allen, Kidd Jordan, Alan Silva, William Parker, Hamid Drake) and you'll have lots of new inner-space within which to travel, different as these 2 fantastic albums are from one another.
I've been unhappy with William Parker and the Little Huey's new album For Percy Heath so far (darnit!!) but this cd leaves me feeling blessed to have found it. Track 1 comes and goes in a minute or 2, and gives the listener no hint of what is to come. It's as if the album begins with a snip of what was (before Katrina), and then travels through the innermost hopes and fears of what is and will be.
Kidd Jordan has stepped into a huge spot in my musical world in these past couple years. His spirit is seriously heavy. He has something of immense power. That doesn't necessarily mean immense volume or immense outbursts of sound, it just means immense power. When he's playing, I feel like I'm listening to one of the truly world-class human beings. How is he not rich and famous? How can he play like THIS and not be known/revered by half the country? He's like a human personification of one of the really good hallucinogenic drugs.
Intimacy, solace, and introspection. That's Palm of Soul. It's as if we've been granted access to experience the sounds of these 3 masters praying together."
Kidd Jordan's finest
John C. Graham | toronto, ontario Canada | 06/19/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Extremely significant offering from Kidd Jordan, William Parker, and Hamid Drake. The playing is slow and ballad like for the most part with Parker and Drake contributing in a delicate and unorthodox manner. Parker,especially,is heard on a variety of percussive instruments as well as his customary bass. It's a wonderfully calming spiritual soundscape for Kidd Jordan to play within and over top of.
We read in the liners that Kidd Jordan had lost his home to hurricane Katrina just three weeks before this recording took place. The impact of that devastation and the renewed hope for a strong and positive future are focal points along this musical journey. There are cries of despair coupled with the cries of birth and rebirth. Jordan's tenor sounds naked and alone, breathing with calm and then with fire, saying all that needs to be said.
I sat in silence for a while after I listened to this disc for the first time. It was if I was unaware that it was over. I somehow felt cleansed and free of the shackles that society insists I wear. I was calm and clear headed. It was only when my infant son tugged at my pantleg that I realized I was back.
I've listened many times now and with each visit I am rewarded in a new and delightful way.
Another stellar offering from Steven's little Brooklyn label...something we've come to expect every year now. This magnificent disc is highly recommended. Cheers!
"
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1