Sabir Mateen Trio – Divine Mad Love

Overall Rating: 8.2 (out of 10)            Label: Eremite

Freedom. Exploration. I don’t know why Sabir isn’t more well-known and acclaimed, at least within the avant-jazz-free-improv community. His work with Daniel Carter in groups like Test, One World Ensemble, and Tenor Rising Drums Expanding is sublime. Perhaps it is people’s inability to distinguish between the two – who is playing what at what time – or to pigeonhole them into a specific style. In my experience, people generally pin Daniel as the more lyrical, “Ornette-like” one and Sabir as the angrier, more voluble “Ayler-esqe” player. I think that both of these characterizations are unfair. And while I would rather listen to a record with Daniel and Sabir playing together, I’m glad that this record exists to refute these claims and showcase Sabir’s range, lyricism and musical exploration.

From the first track on, this is obviously Sabir’s record. Bassist Jon Voigt and drummer Laurence Cook seem to be the house rhythm section for early Eremite recordings, and they do a fine job, playing well together and with a variety of musicians, and this release is no exception. They work well together and obviously have great ears, as their work really enhances and amplifies whatever Sabir is doing.

What is Sabir doing? Exploring, it seems. Moving slowly from lower register melodies to high-pitched sax-whistles with sudden jarring foghorn-like bleats. Playing a familiar melody and then going out into space (with Cook or Voigt somehow supplying a cosmic background of percussion and sounds that can only be described as sci-fi laser/space b-movie sound effects). Playing dirge-like lines full of soul and sadness. Playing uplifting ecstatic music of celebration. Playing serious composition-sounding stuff that at times could pass for a selection from Peter and the Wolf. One thing that I don’t find here, except perhaps in the final, 2-minute track “WhyDidJaDoIt” is the aforementioned unfair stereotype of “angry” playing. And, quite frankly, “WhyDidJaDoIt” always makes me smile or laugh, reminding me of Test’s “What R U Going 2 Due?” and sounding much more cathartic than anything else.