''8 Bold Souls'' is the debut album by the jazz group of the same name. It was recorded in 1986 in Chicago, and was released in 1987 by Sessoms Records. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer

Edward Wilkerson Edward L. Wilkerson Jr. (born July 27, 1953 in Terre Haute, Indiana) is an internationally recognized American jazz composer, arranger, musician, and educator based in Chicago. As founder and director of the cutting-edge octet 8 Bold Souls, and th ...

, saxophonist

Mwata Bowden Mwata Bowden (born October 11, 1947 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States) is an American jazz reeds player associated with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and an instructor in improvisational Jazz at the University of C ...

, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah S. Jackson, Jr., tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Richard Jess Brown, Jr., and drummer Dushun Mosley. Wilkerson founded Sessoms Records in 1986 in order to release an album by his big band, Shadow Vignettes. He recalled: "I had a car trunk filled with records and all of these dudes would laugh at me, but I didn't care. I had to sell my stuff."

Reception

The editors of

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 databas ...

awarded the album 4 stars. Writer

John Corbett John Joseph Corbett Jr. (born May 9, 1961) is an American actor and country music singer. On television, he is best known for his roles as Chris Stevens on ''Northern Exposure'' (1990–1995), Aidan Shaw on ''Sex and the City'' (2000–2003), ...

stated: "The record has things in common with the group of jazz composers writing 'architecturally' for chamber-sized ensembles, like David Murray, John Carter, Anthony Davis, and especially enryThreadgill. But it is unique, both in Wilkerson's singular compositional style and in its evidence of the developing group dynamic. Evocative textures float elegantly through shifting meters, easily slipping into another funky world." In an article for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', Mike Joyce noted that the group "features a vibrant and occasionally incendiary reed and brass section," and commented: "Several tracks veer from traditional big bang harmonies into braying cacophony and explosive solos, spurred on relentlessly by drummer Dushum Mosley and bassist Robert Jess Brown Jr."

Track listing

All compositions by Edward Wilkerson. # "The Hunt" – 9:22 # "Shining Waters" – 9:09 # "Dervish" – 7:10 # "Chapel Hill" – 11:29 # "Through the Drapes" – 7:44 # "Favorite Son" – 6:31

Personnel

– alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, alto clarinet, clarinet *

– baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet * Robert Griffin, Jr. – trumpet, flugelhorn * Isaiah S. Jackson, Jr. – trombone, ram's horn * Aaron Dodd – tuba * Naomi Millender – cello * Richard Jess Brown, Jr. – bass * Dushun Mosley – drums, percussion

References

{{Authority control 8 Bold Souls albums 1987 debut albums