Kali. Z. Fasteau, Making Waves, 2004

From time to time in the past months I have been covering some of the more interesting releases of Kali. Z. Fasteau. She is an multi-instrumental artist and music leader who deserves more recognition, and her rather extensive body of recorded examples equally deserves to be heard.

Today we have her 2004 release Making Waves (Flying Note 9010). It's a formidable four-artist lineup of Kidd Jordan on tenor, Bobby Few at the piano, the late Sirone on bass and Kali on synth, soprano, cello, drums, vocals and mizmar. The album is comprised of several sessions recorded in 2000 and 2004.

The flow of the music is fast-paced, thanks in part to the 15 relatively short to very short improvisations and thanks to the great variety of instrumental combinations and moods addressed. Not everybody plays at all times, and so there are varying configurations of personnel as well--with much in the form of a series of duet exchanges.

This is cosmic music, as you come to expect with Ms. Fasteau, free new improv of genuine interest.

Kidd Jordan sounds fantastic, as does Bobby Few. Sirone is a fine lower presence when he is in the mix, and Kali gives the music lots of texture and torque with her very appropriate synth work, her atmospheric electronically enhanced vocals, post-Trane soprano, skittering cello, very respectable free drumming and droning mizmar.

It's a fascinating, very listenable exploration of the free zones Kali often dwells within, with a few new twists besides. And this one has the added attraction of a miniaturization that makes time go by quickly. Recommended!

Kali Z. Fasteau, Animal Grace, 2010

There is one thing about Kali Z. Fasteau's music of which you can be sure. She cannot be easily pigeonholed into a single stylistic category. Her music has free elements, world elements and her own expressive elements that set her apart. Plus she chooses wisely and carefully the artists she collaborates with on any given recording.

Today's CD is a great example of all this. Animal Grace (Flying Note 9014) combines highlights from two live sessions. The first, "Live in Harlem" finds Kali on the piano, mizmar, nai flute, voice, violin and soprano sax, in tandem with drumming legend Louis Moholo-Moholo.

There is a dynamic interaction going on, Kali playing some very nice post-Trane piano against Louis's recognizably distinct free drumming, followed by the echoed nai flute and more space for Louis. Kali uses a signal splitter in the next segment, enabling her to sing chords. A violin excursion follows, then a strong soprano-drum duet to close off the set. Moholo's attentive surges of drums give Kali a great sounding board to play off against, and in the piano and soprano segments she shines particularly brightly.

The second segment, "Live in the Alps," gives Kali a larger group to work with: Bobby Few on piano, Wayne Dockery on bass, and Steve McCraven on drums. Here Kali again shines on soprano and nai, as well as split-signal voice, mizmar, sanza and drums. It's the segments where Few does his inimitable thing, the rhythm section cooks/explodes and Kali gives forth with post-Trane sopranoisms that especially captivate. But it is captivating music all around thanks to all concerned. Kali and Bobby Few stand out the most consistently, not surprisingly, in exciting ways.

Suffice to say that this is an outing well worth your listening time. While it's not easy to pin Kali Fasteau down, it is easy to like her brand of freedom. This is a very good place to hear it.