''Marionettes on a High Wire'' is an album by trumpeter and composer Baikida Carroll. It was recorded on September 14 and 15, 2000, at Systems 2 in Brooklyn, New York, and was released in 2001 by OmniTone, Inc. On the album, which features original compositions, some of which were drawn from theater works, Carroll is joined by saxophonist

Erica Lindsay Erica Lindsay (born June 5, 1955 in San Francisco, California, United States) is an American jazz saxophone player and composer. Music career Lindsay's parents, both teachers, lived in Europe in the 1960s. She began her studies in composition w ...

, pianist Adegoke Steve Colson, double bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Pheeroan akLaff.

Reception

In a review for AllMusic, David R. Adler wrote: "There's a beautiful kind of daring in the music -- a rough tenderness in Carroll's trumpet tone, a palpable spiritual commitment from all the players involved... Carroll and his group unleash a highly adventurous sound while remaining within certain jazz parameters: planned solo rotation, distinct harmony and form, straight swing tempo." The authors of '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings'' stated: "It's hard to locate Carroll on the continuum from traditional blues-based jazz to the free idiom, because he constantly balances elements of the two... Colson is excellent in accompaniment, and akLaff as ever provides powerful rhythmic support." Glenn Astarita of '' All About Jazz'' noted that, on the album, Carroll "demonstrates acute technical skills along with his stature as a gifted composer who here, reaps the benefits of a power house ensemble." He commented: "Carroll's latest release equates to one beautifully fabricated production, that imparts a lasting impression... Recommended!!" ''JazzWords Ken Waxman remarked: "this fine CD shows that despite setbacks, Carroll has lost neither his chops nor his inventiveness. A strong freebop quintet session, it could be seen as extending the modal conception Miles Davis abandoned when he turned to electronic fusion in the early 1970s." Writing for ''Bells'', Henry Kuntz stated that the album features "music that's fresh, intelligent and dynamic, tight yet open," and wrote: "It swings, sings, probes, and has more of the engaging group interplay Baikida Carroll the musician and composer inspires."

Track listing

Composed by Baikida Carroll. # "Ebullient Secrets" – 5:00 # "Griot's Last Dance" – 7:29 (dedicated to Don Cherry) # "Marionettes on a High Wire" – 8:08 # "Miss Julie" – 9:06 (from the play " Miss Julie" by August Strindberg) # "Our Say" – 5:32 (from the Broadway play "Having Our Say" by Emily Mann) # "A Thrill a Minute" – 6:36 # "Velma" – 7:21 (dedicated to Velma Porter) # "Flamboye" – 5:44 (dedicated to

Julius Hemphill Julius Arthur Hemphill (January 24, 1938 – April 2, 1995) was a jazz composer and saxophone player. He performed mainly on alto saxophone, less often on soprano and tenor saxophones and flute. Biography Hemphill was born in Fort Worth, Texas, ...

) # "Down Under" – 5:04 # "Cab" – 1:54 (from "Having Our Say")

Personnel

* Baikida Carroll – trumpet *

– tenor saxophone * Adegoke Steve Colson – piano * Michael Formanek – double bass * Pheeroan akLaff – drums

References

{{Reflist 2001 albums Baikida Carroll albums