''Root Assumptions'' is a solo percussion album by

Jerome Cooper Jerome Douglas Cooper (December 14, 1946 – May 6, 2015) was an American free jazz musician. In addition to trap drums, Cooper played balafon, chirimia and various electronic instruments, and referred to himself as a "multi-dimensional drummer, ...

. It was recorded in April 1978 in New York City, and was released by Anima Productions in 1982. On the album, Cooper performs on a variety of percussion instruments, including African

balaphone The balafon is a gourd-resonated xylophone, a type of struck idiophone. It is closely associated with the neighbouring Mandé, Senoufo and Gur peoples of West Africa, particularly the Guinean branch of the Mandinka ethnic group, but is now f ...

, bass drum, and sock cymbal.

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 ...

, Brian Olewnick wrote: "On ''Root Assumptions'', with a balaphone (an African antecedent to the marimba) featured prominently, Cooper creates an amazing and beautiful variety of percussive sounds, rhythms, and melodies... making the session an unforgettable one. His main source of inspiration appears to have been the West African percussive tradition and, possibly, the minimalism of Steve Reich, himself heavily influenced by Ghanaian drumming. The pure musicality of Cooper's sound is astonishing and the listener quickly forgets that he/she is listening to a 'mere' drummer. ''Root Assumptions'' is one of the finest solo efforts by any jazz musician, regardless of instrument, and is very highly recommended to listeners of progressive jazz, minimalism, and traditional African music." Nate Chinen, writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', described Cooper as "an alert, rigorously precise drummer who drew from a wide palette of textures," and noted that ''Root Assumptions'' "evoked both tribal music and minimalism." A reviewer for ''New Age'' magazine wrote: "Using an African balaphone, a bass drum, and a sock cymbal, oopercreates mysterious modern rituals which produce nice psychic effects for the attentive listener."

Track listing

All compositions by Jerome Cooper. # "Root Assumption Part I" – 17:55 # "Root Assumption Part II" – 14:35

Personnel

– balafon, cymbal, drums, percussion, bass drum

References

{{Reflist Jerome Cooper albums 1982 albums Percussion music