Album Review
As a part of New York City's free jazz scene, multi-instrumentalist Zusaan Kali Fasteau has exposed her highly interactive style to legions of fans. With Oneness, her 14th release as a leader, she creates more spontaneous music enriched with musical elements from other cultures. All but six songs were recorded "live" at various festivals in 2001 and 2002, and throughout the sets she plays various instruments including the piano, soprano & alto saxophones, mizmars, nai reed flutes, drums and vocals! As if that isn't enough to generate a new free jazz movement in itself, Fasteau is joined by several interesting world music instrumentalists to further the momentum of the world/jazz fusion effort. The music is melodic, tonal, and rhythmic, but when Fasteau combines some of the elements of jazz such as syncopation and improvisation to the mix, the listener is taken to further corners of the globe through her musical imagery. She also explores the voice and transcends some of the polarities in world music on "Whales Reverie," and provides a level of spirituality and peace on "Some Peace." On "Advice and Dissent,"Lee Mixashawn Rozie replicates those terms in his amazing tenor saxophone voice with the strength and determination of a fierce political debate. Overall, this 16-song program, which was solely composed by Zusaan Kali Fasteau, exceeds the dynamics heard on Vivid due to her expansion of the sonic dimensions from the various instruments she plays.
