Arguably the
Anthony Braxton
of the guitar,
Scott Fields
is among
avant-garde jazz
's unsung innovators. The guitarist, now based in Madison, WI, was part of the Chicago
scene during the '60s and '70s and, much like
Larry Young
brought
modal
post-bop
to the organ,
Fields
' guitar playing was influenced by the pioneering work of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM). An improviser as important as
should have a huge catalog but, regrettably, the electric guitarist has only recorded sporadically over the years. Recorded in 2000 and released in 2001,
Mamet
finds him putting his spin on the works of playwright
David Mamet
. Although there are no words or lyrics,
was thinking of
's plays when he composed instrumentals like
"Oleanna,"
"The Woods,"
and
"American Buffalo."
But one doesn't have to be an expert on
's work to appreciate this excellent release. And, for that matter, being a lover of
's plays doesn't guarantee that you will love
'
CD (which employs
Michael Formanek
on acoustic bass and
Michael Zerang
on drums). Ultimately, the thing that will determine whether or not you find
meaningful is how much you appreciate and comprehend outside improvisation. If you're an admirer of fearless AACM explorers like
,
Lester Bowie
, and
Roscoe Mitchell
, you owe it to yourself to hear
-- a CD that is enthusiastically recommended to anyone with a taste for AACM-style
. ~ Alex Henderson