SAM RIVERS' RIVBEA ALL-STAR ORCHESTRA
Inspiration (RCA)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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Six saxophones, four trumpets, three trombones, tuba, bass, and drums playing at the same time. It HAD to be avant-garde! The charts these players worked from must have looked like impressionistic art, because there are no easy sections here. At times the players form brief, loose rhythmic alliances, usually ending in a loud exclamation note by all of them at once, followed immediately by either a stellar solo or a chaotic and exhilarating explosion with each musician flying in different directions.

Doug Matthews (bass) and Anthony Cole (drums) keep it percolating for the soloists, letting the thread stretch but never break. Steve Coleman (alto sax, and also the record's producer), Greg Osby (alto sax), Chico Freeman (tenor sax), Gary Thomas (tenor sax), Hammiet Bluiett (baritone sax), Ray Anderson (trombone), Joseph Bowie (trombone), Art Baron (trombone), Ravi Best (trumpet), Ralph Alessi (trumpet), James Zolar (trumpet), Baikida Carroll (trumpet), Joseph Daley (baritone horn) and Bob Stewart (tuba), along with Matthews and Cole, put on a smorgasbord of new ideas and musical energy. At the head of the table is 77 year old Sam Rivers, the man who replaced John Coltrane in Miles Davis' group and was let go for being "too advanced." An unsung giant of the avant-garde, Rivers contributes his unique sax and flute voices in an ensemble where a lesser player would shrink away to nothing.

As a leader of this huge ensemble, Rivers' biggest challenge, reportedly, was in keeping the running time of each song under 15 minutes when every player had so much to offer. He managed, but he didn't have to. We could go on listening to this music for hours.

(C) 1999 - DJ Johnson