 |
The Full
Metal Revolutionary Jazz Ensemble (FMRJE) was formed by Dennis Warren in 1989 but the
FMRJE’s roots go back to the early 1970s. Percussionist Dennis Warren was a student
of Cecil Taylor in the Black Music Program of Antioch College.
Since 1989, the ensemble has recorded four times, the
previous CD being “7 In One” issued by FMRJE Music in 1998. The title of the new
album, Horizon Event, refers to the characteristics of black holes where gravitational
forces pull in everything within its proximity. The quintet’s hypnotic music has a
similar power. Free-form jazz fans welcome this release.
Over the years this group has been a
launching pad for such luminaries as trumpeter Raphe Malik and guitarist, Tor Snyder. The
leader will never compromise his vision of the music and the ensemble remains true to its
intentions. Now associated with a revolutionary jazz label, Drimala Records, the FMRJE is
ready to capture a new generation of devotees. |
Jazz Review
Richard
Bourcier |
|
|
Somewhere
in the world, it's still 1969, and jazz musicians are creating protracted improvisations
that reference the unknowns of outer space and the percussive tradition of ancient
civilizations. For two days in late 2001 and early 2002, 1960 was located in a club in
Somerville, Mass., where the Boston-based Full Metal Revolutionary Jazz Ensemble (FMRJE)
recorded this disc.
First constituted under the leadership of drummer Dennis Warren in
the late 1980s, the FMRJE has grown and shifted personnel over the years with such
outstanding players as saxophonist Glenn Spearman, trumpeter/composer Raphe Malik and
guitarist Tor Snyder in the fold. In concept and performance, the FMRJE's closest
antecedent would seem to be Sun Ra's multi-faceted Arkestra, and similarly, over the
years, it has released self-produced sessions. Yet, the three long jams that make up this
disc also recalls times in the 1960s when percussion-heavy aggregations led by the likes
of Gary Bartz, Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders would appear in concert and perform
seemingly endless vamps of molten, intoxicating sound.
Warren, who studied with Black
music theorists like trumpeter Bill Dixon and drummer Milford Graves, was around to
experience the tail end of that Free Jazz psychedelic epoch. The FMRJE draws on those
ideas to produce a gyrating, hypnotic sound, which as he says "demonstrates our
ancient roots and our future communications, swirling through our biochemical spheres and
igniting our souls for the hope of love in humanity."
These sentiments aside, the
most remarkable circumstance about the FMRJE on this, its first release in four years, is
how few members it has. Besides Warren on drums and timbales, the massive, surging output
is created by only four other musicians: Jose M. Arroyo on congas and percussion; Chris
Florio on guitar and electronics; Albey Balgochian on electrified stand-up bass; and the
over-the-top saxophone lines of Andy Voelker.
Balgochian, who has also played
in drummer Jackson Krall's Secret Music Society and is a veteran R&B, blues and reggae
performer, has been with the band since 1997. The idea of every one of the tunes here, is
for him and Arroyo, who has been a Full Metaler for about two years, to combine with
Warren to create a resolute pulse over which Voelker's harsh, overblown notes explode and
Florio's flailing, repetitive adornments soar. Although there are brief solos, no one
member ever creates in isolation. So, for instance, if the guitarist explores some
high-pitched, neo-acid-jazz fingering, he's shadowed by the bassist's constant rolling
motion and Warren exercising all parts of his kit.
Voice samples from Martin
Luther King Jr., a choir, and someone who sounds suspiciously like LSD guru Timothy Leary,
appear on a couple of tracks among the electronic wiggles, guitar freak-outs and dense
rhythms, giving the session even more of a 1960s feel. Also, with what band members
describe as a total commitment to the maximum possibility of sound, there's very little
breathing room here. It's sort of taking both "Ascension" and "A Love
Supreme" on step further at the same time. At times, in fact, you begin to feel as if
you're hearing one of those legendary all-night blowouts in which half Energy jazz/half
heavy metal pioneers like guitarist Sonny Sharrock, an avowed FMRJE icon, participated.
With one of the tunes almost
hitting the 34 minute mark and the other two not that much shorter, this disc, which is
only available from www.drimala.com will no doubt appeal to those who miss the 1960s and
music that was experienced as a communal, quasi-religious, cleansing experience. There's
no doubting the sincerity of Warren and the FMRJEers. However whether such naïve art can
co-exist in the cynical 21st century is another question. Decide for yourself. |
Jazz Weekly
Ken Waxman |
|
|
Drummer
Dennis Warren has been a steady presence on the Boston jazz scene for several years now,
providing the lifepulse for his own Full Metal Revolutionary Jazz Ensemble and innumerable
other projects. For his first FMRJE recordings in over four years, Warren premieres a new
version of his long-standing unit that includes a host of new faces to the improvised
music world. While longtime fans of the FMRJE might be tempted to lament the absence of
heavy-hitters like trumpeter Raphé Malik and guitarist Tor Snyder, the recorded debut of
this new band shows a reinvigorated Warren leading his young troops into the improvised
jungles for which they've always been renowned.
More than ever before, the FMRJE has incorporated the
free-funk ideologies of Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman's working bands of the 1970s.
However, the virtual percussion troupe formed by the confluence of Warren and Jose Arroyo
keeps the group far less rhythmically confined than even Agharta / Pangaea
era Miles. Electric bassist Albey Balgochian has a proclivity for keeping the bottom end a
little too busy, but he aligns himself well enough with Warren's rapid-fire drumming to
fuel the band upward and outward. Similarly, saxophonist Andy Voelker may not be a player
on par with past FMRJE-ers Malik or Marco Eneidi, but he fills the horn chair with
youthful vigor and passionate sensitivity. But it's guitarist Chris Florio that appears to
be the glue that holds everything together over the course of these three live recordings
- be it the Harmolodic riff that submerges and resurfaces throughout "Event
120401A," the spacious, jazzy chords that offer airy counterpoint to the rest of the
group's frenzied blowing at the beginning of "Event 120401B," or the searing
display of zealous geometry that kicks "Event 012202" into final gear. As an
ensemble though, this version of the FMRJE functions as collectively as any of its
predecessors - instead of a succession of windy solos, the music morphs together to form
layers of intrigue for the duration of these lengthy improvisations.
Even if at certain points of
this disc Warren and company come off as not being able to choose between freedom and
groove, there's no reason they should have to. While they may have moved on from the more
strict jazz trappings of their earlier work, the FMRJE is extending the tradition of some
of the most exciting, genre-bending bands in the music's history. |
One Final
Note
Summer/Fall 2002
Scott Hreha |
|
|
What in the early 1980s
used to be called "punk funk" (the first few James Blood Ulmer albums, the early
offerings of Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society...) never quite lived up to its potential
-- the plasticity of free jazz always had a hard time adapting to funk's metrical
precision. While Blood and Shannon have ended up spending more time with the
latter, drummer Dennis Warren has preferred a more eclectic approach.
The current line-up of his FMRJE features Andy Voelker
on alto sax and Chris Florio on guitar and electronics, along with old FMRJE hands Albey
Balgochian (since 1997) on bass and Jose Arroyo on congas and percussion, and Horizon
Event documents their appearance at Skybar in Somerville MA in December 2001 and January
2002 (FMRJE enthusiasts may like to know several jams are available for downloading at
fmrje.com).
Live recordings are, as we all know,
often more exciting than studio dates (the highs here are genuinely thrilling), but also
run the risk of getting bogged down, even lost. With Dennis Warren behind the kit the band
can usually steer itself out of tight spots with breathtaking results, but things are not
always totally convincing: Florio's synth doodling and Martin Luther King samples (no
prizes for guessing from which speech) near the end of "Event 120401A" sound a
bit tired until Warren and Arroyo return to the attack and manage to conclude proceedings
with conviction.
In Arroyo, Warren has a percussion
partner who's quite happy to lay down straight African rhythms, leaving Dennis free to
explore the outer reaches of his rhythmic universe. If rhythmic regularity appears,
it's welcomed into the music, worked with and then discarded when no longer necessary
(case in point, the opening killer groove of "Event 12041A" which self-destructs
after barely a minute, and also "Event 120401B" after about six minutes).
Andy Voelker's alto playing, though
never quite as incendiary as that of his FMRJE predecessor Glenn Spearman (could it ever
be?) reveals a wide knowledge of the instrument and its practitioners, though even he gets
a bit stuck toward the end of the second track.
What we're left with is a fascinating
sonic space full of contrasting gravitational forces (the black hole cover photograph is
quite appropriate) -- pulses, hooks, motives all pull the music this way and that.
It's quite a hike, and even if the view along the trail is often obscured by trees and
clouds, the panorama from the mountaintop is well worth the effort. |
Signal to Noise
Fall 2002
and
Paris Transatlantic
Dan
Warburton |
|
|
Our friends at Drimala
are definitely "upping the ante" with some of the albums they've been releasing
lately (ed: of course, we knew they'd gone over some serious edge when they signed us).
FMRJE is 21st century fusion before it's time... this is what they'll be listening to in
the 22nd, no doubt! There are only 3 cuts, but 2 of them are over 25 minutes long... they
call their tracks "events", & you'll understand that immediately upon
listening (in th' old days, we called 'em jams, methinks). This goes much further/deeper
than just a jam session, however... think Mahavishnu, then perhaps Weather Report, maybe
even Sharrock; or any other group with opera length jazz fusion laced with heavy
percussion.
On
first listen, you'll want to reserve the full 74 minutes with no interruptions to the
flow. Tension/release & build/ebb are a natural part of this kind of music, & you
won't want to miss any of the excitement they generate. They did an amazing job with the
mix, you can hear each & every nuance, without any stepping on each other. I'm highly
impressed... this is one of those classic albums that will stay in the collection for
eons! Just GREAT jazz, with unbounded energies... gets a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from us! |
Improvijazzation Nation,
Issue #57
Dick
Metcalf |
|
|
Jump in to the flow of
Dennis Warren’s music any place you desire. His music, the music of the Full Metal
Revolutionary Jazz Ensemble (FMRJE) is a continuously flowing river of sound with
(seemingly) no starting or ending points.
The drummer Dennis Warren is a disciple of Milford
Graves and has studied with Cecil Taylor. His FMRJE, begun in 1989 has included jazz
luminaries Raphe Malik, and Glenn Spearman. The current lineup like all others features an
additional percussionist with conga player Jose Arroyo. The rhythm concentrated music is
constantly propelling forward. Driving the powerful engine of Warren’s drumming. This
is the music born out of the electric Miles Filmore and Agharta years, it is the original
jamband concept.
Warren’s prior self-produced
FMRJE recordings can be found at his website and his previous label release was Watch Out!
for Accurate Records.
Horizon Event is an accurate
representation of what the FMRJE music is all about. The quintet sounds more like a large
ensemble here filling space with powerful stroke throughout. Alto saxophonist Andy Voelker
provides the out-spark throughout with engagingly spirited play.
For his part Warren keeps the motion
continuously moving around. His drumming is the stuff riddilin was invented for. But lets
not slow him down just yet. |
All About Jazz
Mark
Corotto |
|
|
Joe McPhee´s
"Nation Time" (1970), recently recovered by Unheard Music Series reissue
project, lead the way. McPhee, himself, didn´t follow it, but there were other
musicians who, sooner or latter, would step into it. Dennis Warren is one of those
musicians. He plays a kind of funk/rhythm & blues/jazz that balances intense groove
and creative freedom, making interesting use of electronic and latin percussion, two
worlds that go along very seldom.
There are a few weak points in this recording (some cliches, easy
solutions, misunderstandings by guitarist Chris Florio), but the sheer energy of the
compositions (we must pay attention to alto saxophone player Andy Voelker) and the strong
rhythmic pulse (percussionist Jose Arroyo shares merits with Warren and bass player Albey
Balgochian) grab the listener´s attention almost immediately. The name of this band takes
us to the years of all revolutions (the 60s and 70s), when this kind of music was
politically committed, agitating and intervening. What we are still to find here is
whether it represents a memory of old times or a new "hard rain is gonna fall".
We are sure much in need of that. |
Rui Eduardo Paes
translation
by
Eduardo Chagas |
|
|
