This limited-edition double-CD (sold for less than the price of a single disc) is a compendium of the second annual
Vision Festival held in New York City. Many of the artists who performed also record for
AUM Fidelity, but many here do not. Strictly speaking, a compilation such as this one should stand on its own merit, divorced entirely from its context. Volume one does so nicely, offering us a glimpse of artists caught in the heat of performance, offering us their finest work at that moment. Many of the acts on this disc were created just for this festival. Take for instance
the Hurricane Trio comprised of bass god
William Parker (who is all over these two CDs), tenorman
Glen Spearman, and drummer
Paul Murphy. They exist as a trio for this date only, their signature scrawled indelibly over the proceedings with their ribbons of sound approach, deep African witness and frightening vocal improvisation. There is also the
Mark Dresser Quartet, playing its own brand of improvisational chamber music, which is a relief after the pyrotechnics of
Hurricane.
John Zorn and
Susie Ibarra play a nothing less than astonishing duet of wild counterpoint and arpeggiated accents. Large ensembles are also present
Butch Morris'
big band,
William Parker's
Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra and
the Patricia Nicholson Ensemble.
Sonic Youth's
Thurston Moore makes an appearance with
Matthew Shipp,
Rob Brown,
Jon Voight, and
Laurence Cook. It's a pounding screech fest, but there are solid moments when
Moore connects with
Shipp and
Brown, spiraling into a new metalingual space. Mind-blowing are the
David S. Ware Quartet with
Shipp,
Parker, and
Ibarra,
Rashied Ali's
Prima Materia doing
Coltrane's
"Meditations," and
Assif Tashar's band with very special guest altoist
John Tchicai. Essentially, these discs are edited for diversity and power -- which is the right thing to do. The sequencing is impeccable, the sound is phenomenal, and, in sum total,
Vol. 1 is a massive dose of textured, wildly varied
free jazz and spontaneous composition. It's an excellent introduction to a truly great independent label, and a salivating taste of what being there might have been like. ~ Thom Jurek
![Pharoah [Expanded Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0680899800822_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Pharoah [Expanded Edition]")
![Universal Consciousness [Limited Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/4988031430217_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Universal Consciousness [Limited Edition]")
