Shawn Icecold, Vernon Reid, Matthew Garrison, Calvin Weston: Future Prime
 One of the most famous Sea of Tranquility quotes is: “We all hear things differently”. As my journey into jazz fusion continues, I saw a post for this album, and the names Vernon Reid and Matthew Garrison immediately caught my eye. I remember hearing “Cult of Personality” for the first time, and just hearing that solo from Reid that just seemed so aggressive and played with such abandon. Bassist Matthew Garrison has played with the likes of Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, and Dennis Chambers to name a few. So, before we go any further, you know these guys are players. Rounding out the band, you have Shawneci Icecold on synths and Grant Calvin Weston on drums.
Back to the SOT quote from above, I often hear people say they can’t listen to Fusion, and inevitably the discussion turns to guys just showing their chops, sounds noodley, and where’s the song? Well, after listening to Future Prime, I can honestly say those same thoughts were floating through my brain. Put the skilled musicians aside for a second, we all know these guys can play, but I am not a fan of this kind of improvisation. “A Night in Tunisia” starts off promising, the jazzy piano and Reid’s guitar are a nice combination until the Star Wars sound effects hit. Thankfully, they are brief, and the music begins to gel. There are some left turns that head straight into the noodle zone, but overall the track does hang together. “Zawinul” opens with a quick drum solo, and has a spacey atmosphere from the keys as Garrison’s bass pops underneath. Reid steps up with some light speed riffage, but for me things go south and continue that way. My interest wains quickly as “The Space in Between” just sounds like noise, Reid is aimlessly wailing and there is nothing solid going on underneath. “Cosmos Redshift 7” brings back the Star Wars sound effects (please make it stop), an atmospheric synth wash plays over the top as Garrison and Weston seem to just flail about.
If this is improvisation, then I’ll just say that is not for me. There’s no denying we have a talented group of musicians here, but I’ll say pass on Future Prime.
Track List:
1. A Night In Tunisia
2. Zawinul
3. The Space in Between
4. Cosmos Redshift 7
5. Final Destination
Added: November 21st 2024
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score: 
Related Link: Artists @ Bandcamp
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Language: english
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