Charles Brackeen - Bannar (Silkheart, 1987)

This post is by Dan

Charles Brackeen (ts, ss, voc); Dennis González (tr, voc); Malachi Favors (b); Alvin Fielder (d)

Recorded February 13, 1987

This wonderful album is performed in the spirit of records made 20 years earlier by members of the New York City loft scene. As a refugee of that scene, Charles Brackeen had only occasional opportunities to record. Two of those were in Paul Motian's band, a collaboration that yielded a pair of excellent albums for ECM: Dance (1977) and Le Voyage (1979). That's when Brackeen first came to my attention.  

In 1987, trumpeter Dennis González invited Brackeen to record on the Swedish Silkheart label. As González put it: "I found him mowing lawns in Los Angeles. He said that was the only way he could earn a living" (Penguin Jazz Guide, p. 513). Brackeen liked what González had to offer and joined him in Dallas's Omega Audio studio for a week of recording. The output was four full albums: Bannar, two led by González, and one by Ahmed Abdullah. Later in 1987, Brackeen returned to Dallas to record two additional albums - Attainment and Worshippers Come Nigh. Sessions in 1988 and 1989 yielded two more González albums on which Brackeen played.

Bannar offers an eclectic mix of musical emotions. The opening "Three Monks Suite" is a through-composed sequence of seven short pieces that are closely connected (no dead air between them). Brackeen plays a bright soprano sax on these cuts. The suite is followed by the high-energy "Open" on which Brackeen switches to the more expressive tenor sax. "Allah" follows and features Brackeen and González literally singing praises of the almighty, sandwiched around an outstanding tenor solo. 

The second side of the LP ventures into more familiar territory and emphasizes the free soloing of both Brackeen and González on two long cuts. This is the side I usually play for myself. The solos are all outstanding and represent a slightly more "regulated" version of free jazz, post loft scene. More regulated, in this instance, refers to the quality of the production and the careful programming. This helps to bring this type of jazz to more people who may have shied away from less regulated versions back in the day.

Jazz can be a fickle business, as Brackeen's story illustrates. Following his burst of Silkheart recordings, he apparently receded from recording again. I'm grateful that his music made a positive impact on the jazz world during the late 1980s. His recordings and the entire Silkheart catalogue remain available for streaming or download.

Any comprehensive assessment of jazz in the 1980s needs to engage this music. It's that compelling.