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Earth People - Now Is Rising - Reviews

Liner Notes by Chris Forbes

It was all in place for magic in the studio! The varied members of Earth
People were wailing in spontaneous creativity. Elliott Levin’s sax was hitting
screaming heights. The percussive rhythm section was swirling, and above it all,
M was raising the spirits. The sounds coming into the control room of the
audio school were indeed electric to any who were open to the magic.
Unfortunately, not all people are ready for magic. This album is a document
of what was almost another tragedy in progressive music. This disc’s music
was nearly destroyed, like the legendary television tapes of Albert Ayler or Trane.

In early October 2004, Earth People had been offered a verbal contract
for three recording sessions and two mixing sessions at an educational
institution for audio recording. During the first two sessions, for which I
was present, there was no inkling of a problem. The music was hot and
the sessions seemed to go smoothly to all of us. But in the control room,
it was a different story. The students of the school, raised on hip hop and
pop music, were initially baffled and finally contemptuous of the music.
In a classic “wag the dog” situation, they wrote a petition demanding
that the sessions cease and they be allowed to go back to “good” music.
The school caved into the student demands and cancelled the contract
with Earth People. They offered the band a poor mix of the material that
had been recorded, and refused to release the masters. At one point they
even threatened to destroy the entire two days of recording. After months
and months of negotiation, the school administration agreed to give the
sessions a proper mix. Thankfully, this has resulted in this current album,
possibly the group’s finest to date.

The present album reflects the times in which it was created and even
more the time in which we now live. A streak of protest is mingled with a
creation-centered spiritual viewpoint resulting in a potent brew of outrage
and love. Red Clay finds the group in a groove reminiscent of early 70s
Pharoah Sanders, with M as the focal point. Small Distraction Mass
Confusion is an all out free jazz jam, dominated by the wild altissimo
blowing of Sabir Mateen. The third track, Now Is Rising, is a departure
for the group, at least on record. It features a spoken word performance
by guitarist Doug Principato, a Gregorian style chant by the band, and
an almost Captain Beefheartish poem by Elliott Levin, all tinged with
protest and outrage at the state of the world. M Train Samba features
Mark Hennen in an amazing piano solo…and in a mix in which you can
finally hear his incredible skill on the instrument. Thematically, Time To
Vote! may be the centerpiece of the album. It contains all the urgency
and sense of purpose that drove the last election, and now, in the wake
of continuing bad news in Iraq and the hurricane disaster in the Gulf,
it takes on an even more ironic edge. Sweet Peas is a wonderful little
breather. Starting as a take on a Monk tune it slowly morphs into
something that resembles a 60s Blue Note classic. The track is a
particularly good example of the band’s method of “spontaneous
composition”, as you can hear the piece literally come together in the
playing of it. The final tune, Draft Dodger, is all out rock in the manner
of Hendrix but with a typical Earth People twist.

This album will take you on an incredible journey. And it’s even more
precious knowing that it was snatched from destruction through the
determined dedication of band members and their passion for this music.
We listeners are blessed indeed to hear this, the next evolution of
Earth People.

Chris Forbes
Cosmik Debris Magazine
September 2005

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