''Ant Farm'' is the third album by the jazz group

8 Bold Souls 8 Bold Souls is an American jazz ensemble, led by reedist Edward Wilkerson. The group was founded in 1985 by Wilkerson, also associated with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. They began at Chicago Filmmakers, a performanc ...

. It was recorded in July and August 1994 in Chicago, and was released later that year by

Arabesque Records Arabesque Records is an American record company and label specializing in jazz and classical music. It was founded by Caedmon Audio as a classical music label. In 1988 it was bought by Ward Botsford and Marvin Reiss, becoming an independent lab ...

. 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 ...

, 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 Jackson, tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley.

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 databa ...

, Brian Olewnick wrote: "All the pieces are by leader Wilkerson, tending toward a jaunty swing spiced with a tinge of down-home rhythm and blues and a taste of gospel. Once again, his ensemble is made up of all fine instrumentalists, playing the written parts with verve and improvising imaginatively." 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 by ...

'' awarded the album 3 stars, calling it "a fine continuation" of the band's previous release, ''

Sideshow In North America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair, or other such attraction. Types There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions: *The Ten-in-One offers a program of ten ...

''. They noted that Wilkerson's "debt to Henry Threadgill's early work is... clear," and commented: "the group has its own democratic character: Jackson, Bowden and Griffin impress as individual voices, growing in stature, and the leader's writing always seems to have a surprise up its sleeve."

Track listing

All compositions by Edward Wilkerson. # "Half Life" – 8:52 # "A Little Encouragement" – 9:29 # "Ant Farm" – 16:07 # "The Corner of Walk and Don't Walk" – 10:12 # "Furthest From My Mind" – 9:35 # "The Big Dig" – 8:21

Personnel

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

– baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, voice * Robert Griffin, Jr. – trumpet, piccolo trumpet, voice * Isaiah Jackson – trombone, timbales, voice * Aaron Dodd – tuba, voice * Naomi Millender – cello, voice * Harrison Bankhead – bass, voice * Dushun Mosley – drums, congas, voice

References

{{Reflist 8 Bold Souls albums 1994 albums Arabesque Records albums