First Dance
by Mwanji Ezana16 August 2004 Given the names of the quartet and the album and the album's cover art, one could be excused for expecting free jazz with mystical overtones. Instead, one gets hard bop that goes out a bit, which, while firmly rooted in the...
On Spirits Awake, the Freedom Art Quartet immediately announces its overall dedication to groove and funky second-line beats with "In the Thick of It," as Jaribu Shahid’s ripely swinging bass gives way to Abraham Burton’s lush, confident tenor and Omar Kabir’s incisive and radiant trumpet....
Led by the out-front tenor of Abraham Burton, The Freedom Art Quartet is a throwback to the old Blue Note days. I'm sure Miles is somewhere smiling when Omar Kabir riffs his trumpet with Doug Yates on Kimbunga or reaches for the sky on Love...
(Down Beat 01/04) This debut disc from New York’s Freedom Art Quartet swings from Monkish games to Ornette Coleman and Horace Silver with admirable proficiency. Drummer Lloyd Haber’s seven, neatly drawn songs are played in a sensible string, letting the tightly sheltered solos and easy architecture...