Linda Sharrock & The Three Man Band (CD2078)

One voice, three men and plenty of groove. Singer Linda Sharrock teams up here with her long-time partner Wolfgang Puschnig on saxophones, flutes and electronics, Jamaaladeen Tacuma on electric bass and Frank Samba on drums. The album was recorded on February 21–26, 1991 at Studio Benkö in Vienna.

The music sits between free funk, avant-garde jazz and song. Tacuma’s slapping, melodic bass and Samba’s drums, with acoustic and electronic sounds, drive the band forward. Puschnig adds alto sax, piccolo, keyboards and programmed sounds, and above it all floats Sharrock’s expressive voice with her own lyrics. “39 Steps” and “Japan” groove hard, “Blue Song – Sing Along” invites you to join in, and the 11-minute “Ode to the Degeneration of the White Mind” shows the band’s political edge. The album ends with the two-part “And a Different Shape … Them Changes”.

This is a must for fans of Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time, of the Pat Brothers and of jazz with funk and attitude. Released on Moers Music. When you buy here, you’re buying directly from the label, and we only sell originals.

The Side Story

The star guest is Jamaaladeen Tacuma. He grew up in Philadelphia, and at just 19 he was introduced to Ornette Coleman, who made him the electric bassist of his harmolodic funk band Prime Time. On Coleman’s 1982 album Of Human Feelings he became known as one of the most distinctive bassists since Jaco Pastorius. He also played with James Blood Ulmer and David Murray, and his album Jukebox was nominated for a Grammy in 1989.

For Linda Sharrock and Wolfgang Puschnig, this album continued what they started in 1986 with the Pat Brothers(Pat Brothers No. 1, CD2052). Sharrock, once the wild voice on Sonny Sharrock’s Black Woman, had lived in Vienna since the late 1970s and worked closely with Puschnig there. With Tacuma, the music moved further towards funk. It was American groove meeting the Vienna avant-garde.

Tracklist

1. 39 Steps – 7:45

2. Japan – 9:24

3. Blue Song – Sing Along – 6:48

4. World Apart – 7:57

5. Linda – 6:54

6. Ode to the Degeneration of the White Mind – 11:00

7. And a Different Shape … – 6:22

8. … Them Changes – 0:22

Total running time: approx. 57 minutes

Personnel

• Linda Sharrock – vocals, lyrics

• Wolfgang Puschnig – alto saxophone, piccolo, flute, keyboards, synthesizer, programming

• Jamaaladeen Tacuma – electric bass

• Frank Samba – drums, electronic drums

Details

• Format: CD

• Label: Moers Music

• Catalog no.: CD2078

• Recorded: February 21–26, 1991, Studio Benkö, Vienna

• Price: €14.00