Search - Alex Blake Quintet, Sanders Pharoah :: Now Is the Time

Alex Blake Quintet, Sanders Pharoah
Now Is the Time
Genres: Jazz, Pop

Track Listings (7) - Disc #1
1. On the Spot
2. Intro - Alex Blake, Clark, Neil
3. The Chief
4. Little Help Solo - Alex Blake, Lennon, John
5. Intro
6. Now Is the Time
7. Mystery of Love - Alex Blake, Warren, Guy

CD Details

All Artists: Alex Blake Quintet, Sanders Pharoah
Title: Now Is the Time
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Bubble Core
Original Release Date: 10/10/2000
Release Date: 10/10/2000
Genres: Jazz, Pop
Styles: Modern Postbebop, Bebop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 600116003027

Synopsis

Amazon.com

Panamanian bassist Alex Blake has provided the musical pulse for such artists as Randy Weston, Pharoah Sanders, Dizzy Gillespie, and even Astrud Gilberto and Manhattan Transfer. Here, Blake steps into the spotlight to lead an upbeat live session where he's backed by tenorman Pharoah Sanders, pianist John Hicks, drummer Victor Jones, and percussionist Neil Clark. Sanders sounds particularly good here, playing with a kind of fire that's often missing from his own dates. Blake plays up-front throughout, pushing the music and forcing the players to keep up with his galloping lines and tricky asides, and he even indulges himself with a wild solo version of the Beatles' "Little Help" on electric bass. The band, on the other hand, is at their cookin' best on closer "Mystery of Love," which goes from a bass and percussion intro to a powerful groove, before finishing with a stirring chant. Certainly something to be proud of, this is a very good album from a musician who has spent years working in the shadows of the rhythm section. --Tad Hendrickson

CD Reviews

There's A New Sheriff In Town....& His Name Is Alex Blake

Russel Blake | Chula Vista, Ca USA | 10/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was anticipating this release for a long time given the fact that I have been a fan of Mr Blake's work for many years as he performed with one musical giant after another, including but not limited to; Nancy Wilson, Lee Morgan, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Betty Carter, Sun Ra, McCoy Tyner, Randy Weston, Billy Cobham, Stan Getz, etc.... I was not disappointed.Alex Blake has a revolutionary playing style and technique second to none. His innovative combination of strumming, rapid lyrical notations and percussive slaps on the Acoustic Bass are on a level par excellence and distinctly Alex Blake. His Electric Bass Solo on the Beatles classic "With A Little Help From My Friends" exemplifies Alex's mastery of that instrument while giving the listener shades of Jimi Hendrix.His compositional skills reveal a composer with a unique third eye for melodic originality. Mr Blake has chosen an incredible supporting cast for his date at the Knitting Factory and I recommended this CD highly for all those interested in listening to a Artist/Musician whose talent transcends the boundaries of his chosen instrument."