Yusef Lateef & Adam Rudolph - The World at Peace (1995)

This double-disc set is taken from a live concert at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles. It joins multi-woodwind instrumentalist Lateef and percussionist Rudolph with members of Eternal Wind and prominent L.A.-based musicians including Charles Moore (trumpet percussion), Ralph "Buzzy" Jones (reeds), Eric Von Essen (acoustic bass), David Johnson (vibes/marimba/percussion), Marcie Brown (cello), Susan Allen (harp), Jeff Gauthier (violin), Federico Ramos (guitars), Bill Roper (tuba), and Jose Luis Perez (drums/percussion). The music takes on many world music and jazz-oriented inflections. The first CD has some rather arresting stylistic changes, from neo-classical to beat oriented. Sun Ra-like interstellar overdrives informed by village percussion focus "Ramifications," whereas "Coltrane Remembered" features oriental classicism with strings in a benevolent 3/4 time frame. "Chaos 3" is dark rather than frantic or polyphonic, while the trance-like "Beloved," with Allen's hypnotic harp in 5/4, leaves nothing to shamanic chance. "Like a Secret Argosy" comes across as an avant little symphony, while "Masara #2" takes the 6/8 conga rhythm to heart. The second CD features smaller combinations of musicians. "A Feather in the Bright Sky" showcases Luis Perez's furious hand percussion as a foundation for suspended flute, soprano, and string figures. On "Ourobouros," Jones and Lateef get into a shenai-musette battle inspired by the lovely harp of Allen. The next two pieces, "Beyond Futility" and "Dreaming of the Skyway," use 6/8 rhythms, the former in rubato counterpoint, the latter with bass ostinato. Moore's warm trumpet leads off "Peace & Love," which is framed in a beautifully orchestral setting, again with oriental trappings. "Overlay" is dense, chaotic improvisation. "Wheel of Life" is funky and fanciful, with layers of mosaic sound stacked high. The closer, "Encore," features flute and soaring string sounds. This is a recording that needs to be heard, not only by fans of Lateef and Eternal Wind, but by progressive music lovers everywhere. It cannot be recommended highly enough.