Robin Kenyatta - Encourage the People (2013)

Though an often fierce and spirited alto saxophonist, Robin Kenyatta enjoyed a rather uneven career, particularly in terms of recordings. His best material was in the hard bop and free vein, where his solos were both intense and imaginative. Other times he played more contemporary material that was over-produced and rather unmemorable. Kenyatta played with Bill Dixon in the mid-'60s, and was featured during a series of New York concerts Dixon co-sponsored called "The October Revolution in Jazz." He recorded with the Jazz Composer's Orchestra, Roswell Rudd, Sonny Stitt, Dixon, Archie Shepp, and Barry Miles in the mid- and late '60s, before heading his own bands. Kenyatta recorded with Alan Silva and Andrew Hill in the '70s. During the late '70s, he flirted with instrumental pop; in the '80s and '90s he tried to find a comfortable middle ground between fusion, instrumental pop, and his hard bop and free music roots. Kenyatta recorded for Vortex/Atlantic, ECM, ITM and Jazz Dance. © Ron Wynn