| From the River to the Ocean | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2007 | |||
| Studio | Soma Studios, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 63:43 | |||
| Label | Thrill Jockey | |||
| Fred Anderson chronology | ||||
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From the River to the Ocean is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson with drummer Hamid Drake, which was released in 2007 on the Thrill Jockey label.
For this project Anderson and Drake drafted three fellow Chicagoans: guitarist Jeff Parker and bassists Harrison Bankhead and Joshua Abrams, both of whom double on other instruments.
"Planet E" is an Anderson composition which appears previously on The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1 and Fred Anderson / DKV Trio . "Strut Time" is a classic set-closing blues by the saxophonist. "For Brother Thompson" is a modal piece dedicated to the late trumpeter Malachi Thompson and featuring Bankhead on piano and Drake chanting in Arabic. The title track and the closer, “Sakti/Shiva”, find Abrams moving to guimbri, a three-stringed acoustic bass associated with the Gnawa music. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
In his review for AllMusic, Sean Westergaard states "They might be known as avant-garde players, but this album is totally approachable and extremely soulful. From the River to the Ocean is not only among Anderson's finest albums to date, it has to be among the top jazz albums of 2007." [2]
The All About Jazz review by Troy Collins notes that "The resonant, mature beauty found on From the River to the Ocean proves that contemporary free jazz doesn't always have to burn white-hot to generate emotional heat; simmering intensity can yield the same results." [3]
The JazzTimes review by David Whiteis says "This set emphasizes subtlety over show, group interplay over individual scenery chewing, and ideas over pyrotechnics. In other words, it demands your full attention — it’s not background music for multitasking." [4]
Hamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist.
Fred Anderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who was based in Chicago, Illinois. Anderson's playing was rooted in the swing music and hard bop idioms, but he also incorporated innovations from free jazz. Anderson was also noted for having mentored numerous young musicians. Critic Ben Ratliff called him "a father figure of experimental jazz in Chicago". Writer John Corbett referred to him as "scene caretaker, underground booster, indefatigable cultural worker, quiet force for good." In 2001, author John Litweiler called Anderson "the finest tenor saxophonist in free jazz/underground jazz/outside jazz today."
Birdhouse is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson, released in 1996 on Okka Disk.
Live at the Velvet Lounge is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson with German free jazz bassist Peter Kowald and long-time collaborator drummer Hamid Drake. The record documents a June 1998 performance at the Chicago club owned by Anderson, the Velvet Lounge, and was released on the Okka Disk label.
On the Run, Live at the Velvet Lounge is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson, which was recorded in 2000 at his Chicago club, the Velvet Lounge, and released on Delmark. He's backed by his regular rhythm section of bassist Tatsu Aoki and drummer Hamid Drake.
Timeless, Live at the Velvet Lounge is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson, which was recorded in 2005 and released on Delmark. It was the third live recording on Bob Koester's label made at Fred's own club, the Velvet Lounge, shortly before the original venue's demolition and a month after Anderson was honored at the 2005 Vision Festival. He's backed by long-time associates, bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Hamid Drake. The event was also filmed and issued on DVD.
21st Century Chase is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson, which was recorded in 2009 and released on Delmark. This fourth live recording on Bob Koester's label made at Fred's own club, the Velvet Lounge, documents the finale to a week of concerts honoring Anderson's 80th birthday. He is joined by New Orleans saxophonist Kidd Jordan, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Chad Taylor. The last piece is dedicated to the AACM drummer Alvin Fielder. The event was also filmed and issued on DVD with a bonus track, “Gone But Not Forgotten”, with guess bassist Henry Grimes.
Back Together Again is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson with drummer Hamid Drake, which was recorded in 2003 and released on the Thrill Jockey label. They played together for more than 30 years, but this was their first duo recording. A bonus CD-ROM includes footage of three of the tunes along with interviews in which Anderson and Drake dissect the process of how the songs evolve and the different styles and approaches the two use.
Staying in the Game is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson, which was recorded in 2008 and released on Engine Studios, a small independent label operated by Steven Walcott. Anderson leads a trio with the rhythm section of bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Tim Daisy.
The Great Vision Concert is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson with bassist Harrison Bankhead, which was recorded live at the 2003 Vision Festival and released four years later on Ayler Records, a Swedish label founded by Jan Ström and Åke Bjurhamn.
A Night at the Velvet Lounge Made in Chicago 2007 is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson which, despite its title, was recorded live in Poznań, Poland, at the second Made in Chicago Festival, and released by Estrada Poznańska, a small Polish cultural arts agency. Anderson is accompanied by bassist Harrison Bankhead and 8 Bold Souls drummer Dushun Mosley.
Velvet Songs, is a double album by Chicago Trio, a collective jazz group consisting of saxophonist Ernest Dawkins, bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Hamid Drake. It was recorded live in 2008 at the Velvet Lounge, the club owned by saxophonist Fred Anderson, and released on the French RogueArt label.
Joshua Abrams is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist who plays the double bass and guimbri.
Harrison Napoleon Bankhead III was an American jazz double-bassist.
Last Option is the fourth album by the jazz group 8 Bold Souls. It was recorded in August 1999 in Chicago, and was released in 2000 by Thrill Jockey. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah Jackson, tubist Gerald Powell, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley.
Frequency is the debut album by Chicago-based collective jazz quartet Frequency, featuring saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, flutist Nicole Mitchell, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and percussionist Avreeayl Ra. It was recorded at Riverside Studio in Chicago, and was released in 2006 by Thrill Jockey. The album includes compositions by all four musicians, along with group improvisations.
Since Time Is Gravity is an album by the Natural Information Society Community Ensemble, led by double bassist and guimbri player Joshua Abrams. It was recorded on May 18, 2021, at the Graham Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, and on August 24, 2021, at Electrical Audio in Chicago, and was released in 2023 as a double-LP set by both Eremite Records, based in the United States, and Aguirre Records, a Belgian label. On the album, Abrams is joined by alto saxophonists Nick Mazzarella and Mai Sugimoto, bass clarinetist Jason Stein, cornetists Josh Berman and Ben Lamar Gay, harmonium player Lisa Alvarado, harpist Kara Bershad, percussionists Mikel Patrick Avery and Hamid Drake, and a guest artist, tenor saxophonist Ari Brown.
Shed Grace is the second album by the collaborative free jazz trio Sticks and Stones, featuring saxophonist Matana Roberts, double bassist Josh Abrams, and drummer Chad Taylor. It was recorded during 2003, with no overdubs or edits, at Semaphore Recording in Chicago, Illinois, and was released in 2004 by the Thrill Jockey label. The music consists of original compositions by each player, plus three covers.
Blissful is the second album by drummer Hamid Drake and his group Bindu. It was recorded on July 12 and 13, 2007, at Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, Illinois, and was issued on CD in 2008 by Rogueart. On the album, Drake is joined by vocalist Dee Alexander, guitarists Joe Morris and Jeff Parker, and double bassists Josh Abrams and William Parker. Lyrics were written by the 18th-century poet Ramprasad Sen, and were excerpted from Mother of the Universe: Visions of the Goddess and Tantric Hymns of Enlightenment by Lex Hixon.
Reggaeology is the third album by American drummer Hamid Drake and his group Bindu. Tracks 1 through 6 were recorded during May 6–8, 2009, at Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, Illinois, while the remaining track was recorded on July 28, 2009, at Sape Shoppe Studio in Chicago. The recording, which blends jazz and reggae, was released on CD in 2010 by Rogueart. On the album, Drake is joined by vocalist Napoléon Maddox, who also provided most of the lyrics, trombonists Jeff Albert and Jeb Bishop, guitarist Jeff Parker, and double bassist Josh Abrams.
