CD/LP Review: Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow - Electrical Field of Love

Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow

Electrical Field of Love

(Pi Recordings) pirecordings.com/albums/electrical-field-of-love/

It's hard to feel the floor on Electrical Field of Love. Which is to say that beats, voices, bass lines and guitar leads float in and out of one another as the album moves forward. On first blush, it can be hard figure out how these sonic elements fit together, if at all. But much like a walk through a dark room, clarity offers shape as time passes, that mysterious floor gradually becomes more visible, with a welcoming path that has curiosities on the way.

Harriet Tubman in this case is the trio of Brandon Ross (guitar), Melvin Gibbs (bass) and JT Lewis (drums). Together for over a quarter century, these three lay claim to backgrounds that range from Henry Threadgill's Make a Move to the Rollins Band. Gibbs, who co-founded the Black Rock Coalition and just published a book titled How Black Music Took Over the World, is arguably one of the most visible bassists in forward-thinking music coming out of New York. (Several years ago, I saw him at Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum with Arto Lindsay, and more recently in solo set at Winter Jazz Fest.)

Georgia Anne Muldrow has released numerous albums under her own name and, for her more jazz-oriented work, under the name Jyoti. She has collaborated with artists that include J. Dilla and Robert Glasper and saxophonist Darius Jones interpreted Muldrow's "Figure No. 2" on Demoon Alchemy (a lone operation). On Electrical Field of Love, Muldrow occupies an interesting space, working like an additional instrument with the Tubman trio, without ever attempting to imitate what an instrumentalist might play in a free setting. Lyrics often appear, adding to the intrigue. 

Gibbs moreso than Lewis often acts as the connective tissue here. The drummer flexes a bit in "Don't Stand A Chance, After the Boom," trying out a thrash beat before returning to a slow dub groove. Muldrow's wailing adds to the intensity. "Assata" builds around Gibbs' double-stops, with Ross eventually adding expanded jazz harmonies. The guitarist cuts his own path throughout the album, and when he shreds during a track like "When You Rise," his overdriven sound still floats on an equal level with his bandmates, never attempting to overpower them or Muldrow.

"Hands" closes with Muldrow singing over Gibbs's smooth plucked chords. "Are your hands like potters/ is your heart throbbing for your life/ Do you get caught up just because you're in the next electrical field of love?" After posing the questions, her husky moan vanishes in a cloud of tremolo, with the inquiry lingering on until next time.

Many of the tracks cut off suddenly or feel like a fragment of a bigger passage. Producer Scotty Hard, apparently a protege of Teo Macero, utilized the lessons of his guru in constructing the album with the band. It gives each track room to come to life without giving it time to meander. If college radio DJs still creates sets with a sense of adventure, this album (12 tracks in 38 tight minutes) should satiate them.