DKV Trio

This February 1997 studio recording of the DKV Trio finds them in fully energetic and passionate form. Hamid Drake (drums), Kent Kessler (bass), and Ken Vandermark (reeds) kick it off with the fast and fiery "Double Holiday," which drops off into the near-silent opening of "Soft Gamma Ray Repeater," with quiet clarinet meandering. The title track of Baraka begins on slightly frenetic extended techniques from the trio with Vandermark on the sax, then gives way to hot, upbeat trio action. Nearly unaccompanied clarinet is heard later in this lengthy (nearly 36 minutes) piece, as well as an extremely quiet drum solo and a bowed bass solo; the full trio kicks back in with about ten minutes left. The album closer, "Consequence," is a nice bluesy, downbeat number that grows into a dark groove. Baraka may suffer a bit in comparison to the later, extraordinary Live in Wels & Chicago (1999), but it's still a terrific showcase of the trio and, overall, a great adventurous jazz album. ~ Joslyn Layne, All Music Guide