''A Magical Approach'' is a live 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," ...

. The first track was recorded in April 1978 at Environ in New York City, while the remaining tracks were recorded in September 2007 at an AACM concert in New York City. The album was released by Mutable Music in 2010. "My Birds" is dedicated to Cooper's former

Revolutionary Ensemble The Revolutionary Ensemble was a free jazz trio consisting of violinist Leroy Jenkins (1932–2007), bassist Sirone (Norris Jones, 1940–2009) and percussionist/pianist Jerome Cooper (1946–2015). The group was active from 1970–1977, and reuni ...

bandmates Sirone and Leroy Jenkins. The album as a whole is dedicated to the memory of Captain Walter Dyett of

DuSable High School Jean Baptiste Point DuSable High School is a public four-year high school campus located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. DuSable is owned by the Chicago Public Schools district. The school ...

in Chicago.

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 databas ...

, arwulf arwulf wrote: "''A Magical Approach''... is recommended as an introduction to the inspired individualism of percussionist Jerome Cooper, who plainly states that his music cannot be categorized.... His primary innovation was to augment the standard American drum kit with the balafon... Placing this instrument securely on top of the snare drum, Cooper weaves rhythmic patterns and generates crosscurrents with a combination of balafon, bass drum, and hi-hat or sock cymbal. That is what was used to generate the remarkable sounds heard on the first track." Writing for ''

All About Jazz-New York All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

'', Francis Lo Kee called the album "a remarkable artistic statement," and commented: "it is extraordinarily absorbing with no dead spots. If we consider Max Roach the progenitor of solo drumset music... Cooper has not only expanded Roach's language by including other instruments, he's expanded on Roach's sense of rhythmic joy and excitement... Embrace the mystery, embrace the magic and do not miss a chance to see Jerome Cooper perform live." In an article for ''The Sound Projector'', Ed Pinsent stated: "Terrific percussion CD... Fred Brown did the cover painting, and inside you'll find a photo of Cooper's old high school band, where even the way he tilts his snare to the camera is a gesture of righteous attitude."

Track listing

All compositions by Jerome Cooper. # "Root Assumptions" – 17:37 # "A Melody" – 10:07 # "My Birds" – 7:48 # "3 is to 1 as 4 is to 2" – 4:41 # "Munich" – 7:42 # "For the People - In Fear - In Chaos" – 19:10 * Track 1 recorded at Environ in New York City, on April 17, 1978. Remaining tracks recorded at an AACM concert in New York City on September 7, 2007.

Personnel

– drums, balaphone, chirimia, keyboards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magical Approach Jerome Cooper live albums Percussion music 2010 live albums