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Infinite Spirit Music: Live Without Fear
By
Nat Birchall
saxophone, tenorb.1957

Emanative
band / ensemble / orchestraJazzman rarely puts a foot wrong (the ninth volume of Spiritual Jazz, a perplexingly off-target trawl through Blue Note's mid-1960s hard bop catalogue, was a one-off glitch). With Chicago-based " data-original-title="" title="">Infinite Spirit Music's Live Without Fear, the label has once more hit the motherload. Originally self-released on keyboard player Soji Adebayo's Ancient Afrika label in 1979, the album is a deep-strata delight positioned on the porous Afrofuturist border between spiritual and political concerns.
The album kicks off with two four-minute, chant and percussion-based invocations. Track three, "Bright Tune," is the first of three extended pieces featuring Adebayo's trippy electric keyboards, a percussion trio led by

Kahil El'Zabar
drumsb.1953

Sun Ra Arkestra
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1956

John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
Shamek Farrah
saxophone, altoOf the seven musicians heard on Live Without Fear, only Adebayo and El'Zabar are still active. The others have either passed or retired. El'Zabar has recorded prolifically, with

David Murray
saxophone, tenorb.1955

Wadada Leo Smith
trumpetb.1941

Pharoah Sanders
saxophone, tenor1940 - 2022

Archie Shepp
saxophone, tenorb.1937

Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1973
Live Without Fear was reissued in Japan in 2014, but only on CD. Making it available again on vinyl is a public service. Jazzman say they have actually improved on the vinyl sound-quality, too (this listener has only heard the CD). Playing times on both sides of the Ancient Afrika LP pressings are not far short of 30 minutes, beyond contemporary vinyl's ability to deliver optimal audio. With that in mind, Jazzman is releasing Live Without Fear as a double album cut at 45rpm. ">
Track Listing
Disc 1 Side 1 : Children’s Song; Ritual. Disc 1 Side 2: Bright Tune. Disc 2 Side 1: Father Spirit Mother Love; Rasta. Disc 2 Side 2: Soul Flower; Live Without Fear.
Personnel
Henry Huff: reeds; Soji Adebayo: keyboards; Mchaka Uba: bass; Kahil El’Zabar: congas, vocals; Aye Aton: percussion; Ibo: congas; Ka T’Etta Aton: vocals.
Album information
Title: Live Without Fear | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Jazzman Records
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