MIRAGE (LIMITED, REMASTERED BLUE WITH BLACK SWIRL VINYL)

The only "group" on the Black Jazz
roster, The Awakening today should be
heralded as one of the great bands in early
'70s jazz. That they're not is the result of
the Black Jazz label's distribution woes;
witness the fact that original copies of
both of their records for the imprint
command prices in the hundreds of
dollars if you can find them at all. Mirage
is their second (1973) album, the last one
they made together; it boasts the same
Chicago-based, AACM-centric line-up as the first, with the notable addition of bassist Rufus Reid
on a couple of tracks. Spiritual jazz, free jazz, soul jazz, fusion jazz, you name it-The Awakening
take all those threads common to early '70s African-American music and, like any great ensemble,
weave them into a beautiful sonic garment that's greater than the sum of its parts. Mirage is a bit
less political/pan-African than Hear, Sense and Feel, its predecessor, which definitely owed some
of its feel to the band's Art Ensemble of Chicago/AACM roots; this record is a little more abstract,
a little more varied in its moods and textural coloring, yet no less powerful and transporting. This
limited (to 500 copies) blue with black swirl vinyl edition comes with liner notes by Pat Thomas. A
record to discover, savor, and treasure.