''Actual Proof'' is an album by trumpeter

Ahmed Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah (born Leroy Bland; May 10, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter who was a prominent member of Sun Ra's band. Biography He began playing the trumpet at age 13 in his native New York City. One of the first groups he performed with wa ...

. It was recorded on January 18 and 19, 1999, at the Spirit Room in Rossie, New York, and was released in 1999 by

CIMP Creative Improvised Music Projects, usually abbreviated CIMP or C.I.M.P., is an American jazz record company and label. It is associated with ''Cadence Magazine'' and Cadence Jazz Records. The label is noted for its minimal use of electronic proc ...

. On the album, Abdullah is joined by members of the band called NAM: saxophonist and clarinetist Alex Harding, bassist Masa Kamaguchi, and drummer Jimmy Weinstein.

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, Steve Loewy wrote: "Abdullah is not so much a radical interpreter as an individualist with an old-time approach to the trumpet applied to modern harmonics. He growls, 'gets down,' and often sticks to a blues aesthetic, yet he also incorporates a style that hearkens to early Ornette... Much of the CD amounts to almost a highly effective blowing session, with the horns taking lengthy solos."

Peter Margasak Peter Margasak is a music critic, journalist, and artistic director of the annual Frequency Festival in Chicago, an event that grew out of his longstanding work programming the weekly Frequency Series for experimental, improvised, and contemporar ...

of ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of grow ...

'' noted that "Abdullah never loses sight of how his contribution fits into the performance at large," and stated: "Taking on a wonderfully diverse program... this group... keenly investigates the avant garde's periphery." Writing for ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

'', Derek Taylor called the album "another resplendent feather in the cap for CIMP," and commented: "The quartet elects a diverse songbook of tunes for the date that draw both on jazz traditions and on South African musical styles which have long been a source of erudition for Abdullah." The authors of ''

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled by ...

'' noted that "Abdullah's interest in the nexus of New Orleans and Africa is a dominant concern," and praised "Song of Tenderness," stating that his "muted solo floats over a bass-line that old Fred opkinswould have loved."

Track listing

# "Magwalandini" (

Miriam Makeba Zenzile Miriam Makeba (4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she w ...

) – 9:35 # "Blues for Barbara Jean" (Alex Harding) – 11:05 # "Sketch" (

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...

) – 7:39 # "Serenade for

Marion Brown Marion Brown (September 8, 1931 – October 18, 2010) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, writer, visual artist, and ethnomusicologist. He was a member of the avant-garde jazz scene in New York City during the 1960s, playing alongs ...

" ( Gunter Hampel) – 8:43 # "

Naima "Naima" ( ) is a jazz ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959 that he named after his then-wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs. Coltrane first recorded it for his 1959 album '' Giant Steps'', and it became one of his first well-known works. History Co ...

" (

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and rai ...

) – 12:35 # "Song of Tenderness" (Ahmed Abdullah) – 6:19 # "Song of Time (For

Fred Hopkins Fred Hopkins (October 11, 1947 – January 7, 1999) was an American double bassist who played a major role in the development of the avant-garde jazz movement. He was best known for his association with the trio Air with Henry Threadgill and St ...

) / Shaka Zulu" (Ahmed Abdullah, Bob Smith) – 12:39

Personnel

– trumpet * Alex Harding – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet * Masa Kamaguchi – bass * Jimmy Weinstein – drums

References

{{Reflist 1999 albums Ahmed Abdullah albums CIMP albums