M-BASE COLLECTIVE — Flashback On M-Base (review)

M-BASE COLLECTIVE — Flashback On M-Base album cover Boxset / Compilation · 1993 · Eclectic Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
snobb
Different from M-Base Collective's "Anatomy of a Groove", their only studio album, "Flashback On M-Base" released a year after (in Japan as well) is a compilation of M-Base Collective member's already released material, taken from their own albums. As with a lot of M-Base music, same or similar artists participate on almost any song of their movement's colleagues.

Both albums, being framed musically within M-Base concept, are quite different though. "Anatomy of a Groove" is groovy inspired monolith release, "Flashback On M-Base" is a bulky collection of some strong and some not so good numbers, covering stylistically widest possible variety of the sub-genre. As a result, "Flashback On M-Base's" separate songs do not always fit together, the programming looks a bit strange in moments and the whole album sounds very much as a collection of different songs.

The opener, "Micro-Move", comes from Strata Institute project, or in fact, from M-Base's two main ideologists, altoists Steve Coleman and Greg Osby, as their bare-naked groovy two-saxes soloing duel.

Trombonist Robin Eubanks "Never Give Up", is a drummer's framed funk jazz with some vocals and Greg Osby on alto among others. Steve Coleman's "To Perpetuate The Funk" is one of the strongest songs on the album with interesting lesser known Denise Karen Dyson on vocals (varying from operatic to r'n'b). "Silent Attitude" is a mid-tempo spacey keyboards driven duet with Greg Osby and keyboardist Geri Allen.

Singer Cassandra Wilson's "Rock This Calling" is a funky ballad of sorts with Steve Coleman on alto among others. Greg Osby's, "Gyrhythmitoid", contains a groovy bass line from Lonnie Plaxico and mechanistic drumming from Paul Samuels. Osby's alto soloing adds some life to the music though. Steve Coleman's, "I'm Going Home", with Cassandra Wilson (and Coleman himself) on vocals sounds as a free-funk-rock piece with Kelwyn Bell's electric guitars soloing and Geri Allen's heavy synths.

Third Greg Osby composition, "Mischief Makers", recalls early synth-based "robotic" hip-hop. Cassandra Wilson's "Never", with Steve Coleman on alto is dreamy and passionate, and like all the music on this album - funky. Second Robin Eubanks song, "Midtown", is a funky fusion number with lots of nice soloing trombone. Album closer - Steve Coleman Group's "Another Level" (the group itself is a duo of Coleman on alto and Marty "Smitty" Smith on drums) is a minimalist rhythmic song with lots of Coleman sax soloing over Smith's relaxed mechanistic drumming.

In all, this album is quite an interesting sampler of early M-Base music, collected in one place, but because of the eclectic nature and not always successful programming, it just doesn't sound like a whole.
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