Bones and Tones

Bones and Tones
Freedom Art Records

Bones & Tones was formed after Lloyd Haber was invited to put together a group for the Long Beach Jazz Festival. Haber wanted a group with a different sound and with Marimba and vibraphone as the lead voices. The group consists of Abdou Mboup on percussion, vocals and kora; Haber on marimba, bells and percussion; Jaribu Shahid on bass and percussion; and Warren Smith on vibraphone and percussion. Haber and Shahid have produced this group’s first eponymously titled recording for Freedom Art Records that should have appeal to fans of jazz and world music.

The opening track, “Breathing Water,” a collaboration between Haber and Mboup, brings an Asian tinge to the African rhythms and percussion as Mboup adds haunting vocals. Smith’s “228” mixes percussion interludes with segments featuring the vibes and marimba. Haber’s own “Dance For Suwoo” has a bouncy ambiance from the interplay by the vibes and marimba over bass and percussion, while his “Configuration” has Mboup and Shahid providing a mesmerizing rhythm for Haber and Smith. The beginning of “Songs For the Old Ones” is suggestive of the Art Ensemble with the use of little percussive instruments before Mboup gets a driving rhythm started before the theme is presented.

Smith and Ray Mantilla wrote “Carajillo Con Mantilla” originally for the percussion group “M’Boom.” The lively Latin rhythms add spice to this performance. Smith’s “MR7” is built upon an insistent vamp upon which Smith develops his vibes solo. I presume it is Mboup that takes the percussion solo on this leading into more mallet play. Mboup’s kora playing and vocal lends “In the Valley of Dreams” with a delightful African flavor to close this delightful recording.

I received a review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the May 1-June 15, 2011 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 335). Here is a performance of  “In the Valley of Dreams.”