Odean Pope Trio – Almost Like Me (CD 1092)

Almost Like Me is the first album Odean Pope recorded as a leader. Philadelphia’s powerhouse tenor saxophonist is best known as a long-time member of Max Roach’s quartet. In 1982 he recorded this album in Germany for Moers Music, with a trio and no piano or guitar. That means there’s nowhere to hide, and nothing needs to be hidden.

The rhythm section is on fire. Gerald Veasley on electric bass plays as a lead voice, with funky, muscular lines that are melodic and often in the spotlight. Cornell Rochester on drums drives the band with a hard, danceable groove. Over that, Pope plays with a big, soulful tone, combining free jazz intensity with funk and fusion energy. All eight pieces are Pope originals. They range from the short opener “Elixir” to the title track with Veasley’s standout bass work and the atmospheric “Multiphonics”.

This is a hidden gem for fans of free funk, M-Base and the edgier side of jazz fusion. Recorded at Procom Studio and released on Moers Music. When you buy here, you’re buying directly from the label, and we only sell originals.

Tracklist

1. Elixir – 2:19

2. Almost Like Me – 7:31

3. Multiphonics – 4:46

4. Scorpio Twins – 4:11

5. No Air – 4:30

6. Kyle’s Theme – 3:01

7. Mwalimu – 4:33

8. Good Question – 5:00

All compositions by Odean Pope. Total running time: approx. 36 minutes

Personnel

• Odean Pope – tenor saxophone, vocals

• Gerald Veasley – electric bass

• Cornell Rochester – drums

Details

• Format: CD

• Label: Moers Music

• Catalog no.: CD 1092

• Recorded: 1982, Procom Studio, Germany

• Price: €14.00

The Side Story

Odean Pope’s path to this album is a story in itself. He was born in South Carolina and grew up in Philadelphia, where he took lessons with Ron Rubin, principal woodwind player of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Later he studied in Paris under jazz drummer Kenny Clarke. Still in his late teens, he took John Coltrane’s chair in organist Jimmy Smith’s band. In the following years he played in soul and R&B settings with stars like James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

In 1977 he founded his Saxophone Choir, a band of nine saxophones inspired by the church choirs he sang in as a boy. After a Saxophone Choir gig in New York in 1979, Max Roach invited him to join his quartet. Pope stayed with Roach for many years. Around that time, Moers Music gave him the chance to record his first album as a leader, and the result was Almost Like Me.

The trio’s story continued on Moers Music too. Drummer Cornell Rochester later replaced Ronald Shannon Jackson in James Blood Ulmer’s Music Revelation Ensemble. Fittingly, the complete Almost Like Me album also appears as bonus tracks on the Music Revelation Ensemble CD No Wave (CD1072). In 1990 Moers released Out for a Walk, another album by the same trio, apparently from the same period.