Steve Coleman - The Way Of The Cipher Live In Paris (1995)

Steve Coleman deserves a great deal of respect and credit for developing a strikingly original way of improvising which has a different logic than bebop. However, purists should be warned that this CD allows the contributions of three rappers to dominate the focus. Listeners whose ears are attuned to jazz/rap fusion may find this live set (one of three CDs taken from a week-long engagement by Coleman at Paris's Hot Brass Club) enjoyable, but for purists, it is extremely difficult to sit through, especially since the three rappers (Kokayi, Sub-Zero and Black Indian) are featured on all but one brief extract, and the contributions of altoist Coleman and his band are in a purely supportive role.© Scott Yanow /TiVo