Emusic
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"The tracks condense rage, desperation and intelligence in an amazingly beautiful music which really seems to know no boundaries in his sensual and - at the same time - staggering force."
- MASSIMO RICCI

Jim Ryan's Forward Energy
Where Are They?
EDT4025

Looney's Lead - MP3

This highly controversial release from one of the jazz masters of the beat generation presents his powerful group Forward Energy in "Where Are They?" In one of Jim Ryan’s best musical recordings to date, you get full bodied jazz explorations from lyrical flute work to full force high energy driving free wheeling swing. Guests include the legendary former Blue Note trumpet player Eddie Gale as well as young Los Angeles lionesses tenor saxophonist Alicia Mangan. Employing his unique classic poetry and slamming saxophone work, Jim presents thought provoking music that will keep you on your toes.

Jim Ryan alto/tenor sax, flute, voice
Eddie Gale trumpet
Alicia Mangan tenor sax
Scott R. Looney piano
Kristjan Bondesson bass
Marshall Trammell drums

CONTROVERSIAL REVIEWS
"The Right" seeps into the underground and tries to uproot dissent. Some scared rabbits here (see review quotes):

How many people do we have to kill before it becomes an issue?

"...the title track, an eight-minute-ish spoken word rant about "power-wielding fiends" (the list of whom includes Bush and Nixon as well as Hitler, Stalin and Saddam). Now, I'm as liberal as the next unpaid music critic, but I can't help but point out that neither H.W.'s nor Dubya's death tolls have climbed into the millions (yet)." Splendid