Spirit Walk

I'm going to change it up a bit today and post one of my favorite cuts from Steve Reid Ensemble's Spirit Walk album. This experimental track, titled "Lions of Juda", blends Reid's signature funky jazz sound together with the free-form electronics of Kieran Hebden (aka Four Tet). The album Spirit Walk, which was released by Soul Jazz Records back in 2005, is basically an entire albums worth of music devoted to bringing these two music sounds together. Interestingly enough, this is actually the second time Reid has recorded "Lions of Juda", with the original being recorded back in 1976 with Reid's at the time group The Legendary Master Brotherhood. That version then went on to be released on the group's landmark album Nova . The two versions are very different, with Hebden certainly making his presence felt with some experimental electronic sounds near the final minutes of the newer version, while the original is a bit more stripped down and focused more heavily on the different individual solos and overall jazz groove that the piece possessed. That being said, both are very good and unique in their own right. On a side note, I unfortunately just started to get into Reid's music around the time of his passing this past April. He was an artist I had always been interested in checking out, however for one reason or another never did. Once I started hearing some of his records, I became absolutely hooked and have continued to seek out each and every recording Reid and many of the members of The Brotherhood have been a part of. Spirit Walk was one of those albums that I kind of came across by accident, as I mostly focused on his earlier jazz material. That being said, it's an amazing unique record that is truly well worth owning. Enjoy!

Steve Reid Ensemble - Lions of Juda

Steve Reid (1944 - 2010)

Legendary jazz drummer Steve Reid sadly passed away last Tuesday (April 13, 2010) at the age of sixty-six. I sit here writing this wishing I can say that I've been enjoying Reid's brilliant music and recordings for years now, however unfortunately I've only just recently gotten into the experimental jazz musician. And even though I'm still very new to the music that he wrote and composed, I can quickly see how groundbreaking he was for jazz and experimental music. Albums like Nova, Rhythmatism, and Odyssey Of The Oblong Square, which were originally released in the mid-to-late seventies sound well ahead of there time as they blend together funky jazz fusion grooves with experimental electronics and arrangements. In his later years, he continued with his experimentation with electronic music and that led him to teaming up with one of the genre's finest in Kieran Hebden, whom some might better know as Four Tet. The two released a series of solid records titled The Exchange Sessions which combined Hebden's electronics with Reid's free-jazz indulged signature percussion sound. One of my favorite releases of Reid's was his 2007 album Daxaar, which was recorded in Africa by a group he put together, that also included Hebden, called the Steve Reid Ensemble. When it comes to this American jazz artist, there is plenty of songs, albums, recordings, and performances to discuss and admire, however being someone who has only recently been introduced to his music I would like to sit back and just enjoy his work. The day he died I was saddened by the fact that I never saw him perform and that it took me so long to be introduced to his music. That being said, the great thing about music is that even though artists live and die, the music that they wrote gets left behind for everyone to enjoy. When it comes to Steve Reid's music, it's safe to say that future generations will definitely enjoy for years to come. Here is to you Steve Reid, for a great life and brilliant music career. You will be surely missed.

Steve Reid - Lions of Judah



Steve Reid Ensemble - Daxaar



Other Notable Posts Discussing Steve Reid's Passing:
Wax Poetics - RIP Steve Reid
Remembering An Oblong Odyssey: Steve Reid