''Marionettes on a High Wire'' is an album by trumpeter and composer

Baikida Carroll Baikida Carroll (born January 15, 1947) is an American jazz trumpeter. Carroll studied at Southern Illinois University and at the Armed Forces School of Music. Following this he became a member of the Black Artists Group in St. Louis, where he dir ...

. It was recorded on September 14 and 15, 2000, at Systems 2 in Brooklyn, New York, and was released in 2001 by OmniTone, Inc. On the album, which features original compositions, some of which were drawn from theater works, Carroll is joined by saxophonist Erica Lindsay, pianist Adegoke Steve Colson, double bassist

Michael Formanek Michael Formanek (born May 7, 1958) is an American jazz bassist born in San Francisco, California, United States, and associated with the jazz scene in New York. Career In the 1980s, Formanek worked as a sideman with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Hender ...

, and drummer Pheeroan akLaff.

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 ...

, David R. Adler wrote: "There's a beautiful kind of daring in the music -- a rough tenderness in Carroll's trumpet tone, a palpable spiritual commitment from all the players involved... Carroll and his group unleash a highly adventurous sound while remaining within certain jazz parameters: planned solo rotation, distinct harmony and form, straight swing tempo." 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 ...

'' stated: "It's hard to locate Carroll on the continuum from traditional blues-based jazz to the free idiom, because he constantly balances elements of the two... Colson is excellent in accompaniment, and akLaff as ever provides powerful rhythmic support." Glenn Astarita of ''

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 ...

'' noted that, on the album, Carroll "demonstrates acute technical skills along with his stature as a gifted composer who here, reaps the benefits of a power house ensemble." He commented: "Carroll's latest release equates to one beautifully fabricated production, that imparts a lasting impression... Recommended!!" ''JazzWords Ken Waxman remarked: "this fine CD shows that despite setbacks, Carroll has lost neither his chops nor his inventiveness. A strong freebop quintet session, it could be seen as extending the modal conception Miles Davis abandoned when he turned to electronic fusion in the early 1970s." Writing for ''Bells'',

Henry Kuntz Henry Kuntz is a free jazz saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. In 1979 he founded Hummingbird Records and Tapes, which released, among other things, live recordings of his free jazz trio, Trio Opeye. Cadence Magazine described his multitrack ...

stated that the album features "music that's fresh, intelligent and dynamic, tight yet open," and wrote: "It swings, sings, probes, and has more of the engaging group interplay Baikida Carroll the musician and composer inspires."

Track listing

Composed by Baikida Carroll. # "Ebullient Secrets" – 5:00 # "Griot's Last Dance" – 7:29 (dedicated to

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. He played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins. After concluding a playing career in the A ...

) # "Marionettes on a High Wire" – 8:08 # "Miss Julie" – 9:06 (from the play "

Miss Julie ''Miss Julie'' () is a naturalistic play written in 1888 by August Strindberg. It is set on Midsummer's Eve and the following morning, which is Midsummer and the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist. The setting is an estate of a count in Sweden. ...

" by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

) # "Our Say" – 5:32 (from the Broadway play "Having Our Say" by Emily Mann) # "A Thrill a Minute" – 6:36 # "Velma" – 7:21 (dedicated to Velma Porter) # "Flamboye" – 5:44 (dedicated to

Julius Hemphill Julius Arthur Hemphill (January 24, 1938 – April 2, 1995) was a jazz composer and saxophone player. He performed mainly on alto saxophone, less often on soprano and tenor saxophones and flute. Biography Hemphill was born in Fort Worth, Texas, ...

) # "Down Under" – 5:04 # "Cab" – 1:54 (from "Having Our Say")

Personnel

– trumpet * Erica Lindsay – tenor saxophone * Adegoke Steve Colson – piano *

– double bass * Pheeroan akLaff – drums

References

{{Reflist 2001 albums Baikida Carroll albums