· 4 STARS DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
· 4 STARS ALL ABOUT JAZZ
· 4 STARS ALL MUSIC GUIDE
An historic live, unedited snapshot of a crucial moment at the after-hours basement club Smalls, a 1990s petri-dish for a generation of Manhattan talent. No small part of that was Israeli bassist Avital’s unusual sextet four horns, bass and drums, which combined the greasy soulfulness and raw elasticity of Mingus with the light-footed experimentalism of cool jazz. The mysterious, multidirectional ‘Devil Head’ is worth the ride.
PERSONNEL:
OMER AVITAL, bass
MARK TURNER, tenor sax
GREGORY TARDY, tenor sax & flute
CHARLES OWENS, tenor sax
MYRON WALDEN, alto sax
ALI JACKSON, drums
New York, April 18, 1996
"This album demonstrate that the Omer Avital Group was one of the strongest ensembles of the decade". - Thomas Conrad (Jazz Times)
TRACKS:
01. Know What I Mean?!
02. Lullaby of the Leaves
03. Ballad
04. Devil Head
05. 12 Tribes
06. Kentucky Girl
07. The Field