''Dedication'' 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 June 17 and 18, 1997, at the Spirit Room in Rossie, New York, and was released in 1998 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 pr ...

. On the album, Abdullah is joined by members of his band Diaspora: saxophonist and flutist

Carlos Ward Carlos Ward (born May 1, 1940, in Ancón, Panama) is a funk and jazz alto saxophonist and flautist. He is best known as a member of the Funk and disco band BT Express as well as a jazz sideman. Biography Ward was raised in Panama City, and at a ...

, guitarist Masujaa (Hugh Riley), bassist

Alex Blake Alex Blake (born Alejandro Blake Fearon Jr., 1951) is a jazz bass player. Biography Blake was born in 1951 in Panama and moved to the United States at the age of seven, growing up in Brooklyn, New York. He began his career with Sun Ra's band A ...

, and drummer Cody Moffett, son of

Charles Moffett Charles Moffett (September 6, 1929 – February 14, 1997) was an American free jazz drummer. Biography Moffett was born in Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended I.M. Terrell High School with Ornette Coleman. Before switching to drums, Moffett ...

, to whom the album is dedicated.

Reception

In a review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Scott Yanow wrote: "The close interplay between the musicians makes the frequently avant-garde music seem more accessible than expected and Abdullah is heard throughout in prime form." Bill Shoemaker of ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print 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 ...

'' called the group "one serious band," and stated: "there is close to an hour of cogent, undiluted music on ''Dedication'', a claim that too few albums in this glutted market can make." 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 commented: "Tributes, particularly musical ones, can be a tricky enterprise and reconciling a reverence for the dedicatee with one's own creative vision is often a delicate balance. Abdullah and his bandmates attain such a harmony on this disc juggling their love for Moffett with their own restlessly creative energies to produce a testament of moving depth and passion." 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 b ...

'' remarked: "the music has a cheerful, celebratory feel, old-fashioned like a free-bop date of 25 years before, and it's quite a warming experience."

Track listing

# "Amanpondo" (Ahmed Abdullah) – 14:43 # "Brazil One" (Ahmed Abdullah) – 7:53 # "Song of the Force - Take 4" (Ahmed Abdullah) – 5:15 # "Deja's View" (Masujaa) – 10:35 # "Song of the Holy Warrior" (Ahmed Abdullah) – 11:22 # "

La Vie en rose ; ) is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the United States in 1950, when seven versions reached the ''Billboard'' cha ...

" (

Louiguy Louis Guglielmi (3 April 1916 – 4 April 1991), known by his pen name Louiguy (), was a Spanish-born French people, French musician of Italian descent. He wrote the melody for Édith Piaf's lyrics of "La Vie en Rose" and the Latin jazz com ...

Mack David Mack David (July 5, 1912 – December 30, 1993) was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning the period between the early 1940s and the early 1970s. David was credited with writing ...

) – 3:37 # "Song of Love" (Ahmed Abdullah) – 6:16 # " I'll Be Seeing You" (

Sammy Fain Sammy Fain (born Samuel E. Feinberg; June 17, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American composer of popular music. In the 1920s and early 1930s, he contributed numerous songs that form part of The Great American Songbook, and to Broadway theatr ...

) – 5:23 # "Song of the Force - Take 2" (Ahmed Abdullah) – 7:19

Personnel

– trumpet, flugelhorn, voice *

– alto saxophone, flute * Masujaa (Hugh Riley) – guitar *

– bass * Cody Moffett – drums

References

{{authority control 1998 albums Ahmed Abdullah albums CIMP albums