''From the River to the Ocean'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson with drummer Hamid Drake, which was released in 2007 on the

Thrill Jockey Thrill Jockey is an American independent record label established by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards and based in Chicago. History Richards started the label in 1992 with $35,000 of family and personal capital, while ...

label.

Music

For this project Anderson and Drake drafted three fellow Chicagoans: guitarist Jeff Parker and bassists Harrison Bankhead and Joshua Abrams, both of whom double on other instruments. "Planet E" is an Anderson composition which appears previously on '' The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1'' and '' Fred Anderson / DKV Trio''. "Strut Time" is a classic set-closing blues by the saxophonist. "For Brother Thompson" is a modal piece dedicated to the late trumpeter

Malachi Thompson Malachi Richard Thompson (August 21, 1949, Princeton, Kentucky — July 16, 2006), was an American avant-garde jazz trumpet player. In addition to his own work as a bandleader, Thompson was known for his work in the brass ensemble led by fellow tr ...

and featuring Bankhead on piano and Drake chanting in Arabic. The title track and the closer, “Sakti/Shiva”, find

Abrams Abrams may refer to: * Abrams (surname), a list of notable people with the surname * '' Abrams v. United States'', 250 U.S. 616 (1919), U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war * M1 Abrams, main battle tank * Abrams, W ...

moving to

guimbri The sintir ( ar, سنتير), also known as the guembri (), gimbri or hejhouj or Garaya in Hausa language, is a three stringed skin-covered bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people. It is approximately the size of a guitar, with a body carv ...

, a three-stringed acoustic bass associated with the

Gnawa music Gnawa music (Ar. ) is a body of Moroccan religious songs and rhythms. Its well-preserved heritage combines ritual poetry with traditional music and dancing. The music is performed at ''lila'', communal nights of celebration dedicated to prayer ...

.''From the River to the Ocean''
at

Reception

In his 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 ...

, Sean Westergaard states "They might be known as avant-garde players, but this album is totally approachable and extremely soulful. ''From the River to the Ocean'' is not only among Anderson's finest albums to date, it has to be among the top jazz albums of 2007." The

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

review by Troy Collins notes that "The resonant, mature beauty found on ''From the River to the Ocean'' proves that contemporary free jazz doesn't always have to burn white-hot to generate emotional heat; simmering intensity can yield the same results."Collins, Troy
''From the River to the Ocean'' review
at

The ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

'' review by David Whiteis says "This set emphasizes subtlety over show, group interplay over individual scenery chewing, and ideas over pyrotechnics. In other words, it demands your full attention — it’s not background music for multitasking."Whiteis, David
''From the River to the Ocean'' review
at ''

Track listing

# "Planet E" (Fred Anderson) - 14:43 # "Strut Time" (Fred Anderson) - 21:15 # "For Brother Thompson" (Harrison Bankhead) - 7:44 # "From the River to the Ocean" ( Josh Abrams, Hamid Drake) - 13:36 # "Sakti/Shiva" (Fred Anderson, Josh Abrams, Hamid Drake) - 6:25

Personnel

* Fred Anderson -

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the Alto saxophone, alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key ...

* Hamid Drake - drums,

frame drum A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. It is one of the most ancient musical instruments, and perhaps the first drum to be invented. It has a single drumhead that is usually made of rawhide, but man-made mate ...

* Jeff Parker -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

* Harrison Bankhead -

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, bass * Josh Abrams - bass,

References

{{Authority control 2007 albums Fred Anderson (musician) albums Thrill Jockey albums