AZAR LAWRENCE

Prayer For My Ancestors

2009-10-06

Having performed and/or recorded for decades with the likes of Miles Davis, Stanley Turrentine, and later for Earth, Wind, and Fire, tenor saxophonist, Azar Lawrence has finally assembled a quartet and put out an album of his own (his first since the seventies). Some of this is almost bop such as "The Baker's Daughter", which is upbeat and features a short drum solo. Some of this is smooth jazz, such as "Open Sesame" and the quiet "Under Tanzanian Skies". The piece, "Prayer For My Ancestors", seems to be leading somewhere, but never quite seems to get there. However, the song "Thokole" steals the show. It's a quiet piece featuring nice interplay between guests Ibrahima Ba on vocals and guitar and Amadou Fall on the kora. This one song is definitely the highlight of the entire album and well worth a listen. Rebecca Ruth

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Jazz

  • reviewed 07/2004

    Various Artists
    Upstairs at Larry's: Lawrence Welk Uncorked

  • reviewed 09/2015

    Bob Merrill and Roswell Rudd
    Cheerin' Up The Universe

  • reviewed 06/2006

    THE CHEEBACABRA
    Exile in the Woods

  • reviewed 10/2007

    FOUR80EAST
    Enroute

  • reviewed 03/2012

    JEFF LORBER FUSION
    Galaxy

  • reviewed 10/2009

    DIGITAL PRIMITIVES
    Hum, Crackle, and Pop

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.