Rabbit Holes: Luís Vicente & John Dikeman
Some paths I took while and after listening to Luís Vicente’s new quartet album
In January of this year, trumpet player Luís Vicente released the first proper album of his 4tet with John Dikeman, Luke Stewart, and Onno Goevart. The band’s been playing together since 2021, but Vicente and Dikeman go back even further; they have become one of the great trumpet/sax pairings in free jazz.
As Stef Gijssels wrote in the Free Jazz Blog review of this album, there’s a definite through-line from the classic Coleman/Cherry quartet. In addition to that, I went down a rabbit hole with a few more albums while listening to this one.
Now, I didn’t end up writing a review of this album, time just got away from me, but I thought it might be interesting to share where my head was at while listening and where that led me.
I started, naturally, with:
Goes Without Saying But It’s Got To Be Said a phenomenal Vicente/Dikeman quartet featuring William Parker and Hamid Drake
Chanting In the Name Of Vicente’s trio album with Gonçalo Almeida and Pedro Melo Alves
From there, I went through a number of Vicente and Dikeman albums:
Salao Brasil Vicente and Dikeman with Hugo Antunes, and Gabriel Ferrandini
Ideal Principle and Live at Zaal 100 Vicente and Dikeman with Dirk Serries, George Hadow, and Martina Verhoeven
The Double Trio Dikeman with Jeb Bishop, Joshua Abrams, Jason Roebke, Mike Reed, and Frank Rosaly
Holy Rollers - Confessions Dikeman and Goevart with Rory Brown
When the Time Is Right Dikeman with Roy Campbell, Raoul van der Weide, Peter Jacquemyn, and Klaus Kugel
The 2nd Path To Nowhere Dikeman with Lina Allemano, Leo Svirsy, and Marcos Baggiani
Then, I started thinking a lot about the late Dennis Gonzalez—who was hugely influential for the Portuguese scene—especially the albums he made with Charles Brackeen, and that led me to albums Brackeen made with Ahmed Abdullah:
Bannar Brackeen and Gonzalez with Malachi Favors, and Alvin Fielder
Attainment and Worshippers Come Nigh Brackeen with Olu Dara, Fred Hopkins, and Andrew Cyrille (produced by Gonzalez)
The Desert Wind Gonzalez and Brackeen, Michael Session, Kim Corbet, Michael Kruge, Henry Franklin, and Alvin Fielder
Debenge-Debenge Gonzalez and Brackeen, with Marlon Jordan, “Kidd” Jordan, Malachi Favors, Henry Franklin, Alvin Fielder, and W. A. Richardson
Namesake Gonzalez, Brackeen, and Abdullah with Douglas Ewart, Malachi Favors, and Alvin Fielder
Melodic Art-Tet Brackeen and Abdullah with William Parker, Roger Blank, and Tony Waters (Ramadan Mumeen)
The Group Live Abdullah with Marion Brown, Billy Bang, Sirone, Fred Hopkins, and Andrew Cyrille
Liquid Magic Abdullah and Brackeen with Malachi Favors, and Alvin Fielder
Ahmed Abdullah & the Solomonic Quintet Abdullah with David S. Ware, Masuhjaa, Fred Hopkins, and Charles Moffett
Hope you enjoy seeing a bit of the aural crazy wall. I’ve got more of these in store, especially with some reviews starting to run soon. Up next: Albert Ayler and Steve Swell. Stay tuned!