Steve Reid

Rhythmatism

★★★

Steve Reid's second release as a bandleader takes him into the funk realm more than his previous outing. Drummers as bandleaders can be really quite amazing, commanding and encouraging to the rest of the players. Some of those leaders include Art Blakey, Max Roach, and Ralph Peterson. They are more than just their drumming; they're represented by the flavor and intensity that everyone pours in. Or the drum leaders can be fairly average, and just allow each player to go their own way and see what the results are. Reid leans more towards this style of leadership and the results are mostly mixed. I don't think one style is better than the other, but for me personally, I really enjoy the cohesiveness and power that seems to come with the more authoritative leaders. But Reid focuses more on his own playing and making it as funky and rhythmically diverse as possible in this environment. 

There's not only a definite sense of funk, but even some bluesy playing from Les Walker the piano player and David Wertman on bass. Especially on the song "Rocks (For Cannonball)". But that can easily be replaced on songs that become more spiritual and uplifting in nature, almost like a preacher entering an open field and being received with absolute love and appreciation, sun shining brightly down. I think Les Walker is one of the more underrated players on this album in general. His playing isn't cutting edge or that avant, but it's full of soul and meaning. He helps create a mood that Arthur Blythe can easily follow along. That's mostly displayed on the song "Center of the Earth" as well as portions of "C You Around". 

"C You Around" is a very confusing piece to me. It's very traditional sounding which is already a bit separate from the rest of the content that's being showcased on this album, but also the drumming is completely off from what it should be. Reid seems to be drumming just for himself; to create the most satisfying breaks possible. Maybe I'm interpreting it off but he sounds completely disjointed and out of place compared to the star musicianship of people like Les Walker and Arthur Blythe. I guess one might argue that he was experimenting with the idea of set traditionalism in jazz through his drumming, but it really didn't work for me. And it doesn't help that the track immediately after and the finale of the album, called "One Minute Please", is just some lame drumming wankery that leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

 Overall that facet of the music doesn't make this a bad album, I enjoyed the majority of it. Do I think I'll come back to it in the near future? No. If anything it would be for the album art. I can say though that this album's quality really dips for me as it trudges forward, without any real meaning or structure to follow. While the playing here is noteworthy, it doesn't stick together enough for the music to sound notable or enduring. Rather you get bits and pieces of a puzzle that doesn't actually come together, and you have to entertain yourself with what you can make from the fragments. It may be fun for a while, but that source of pleasure wears off quite quickly. 

Favorite Song: Center of the Earth