Reward Music

1997.  In the dark haze of pre-revolutionary America, dimly visible through the smoke of burning dreams stands a tall Black man with an upright bass in hi hands.  Bells dangle from him as he shines a light that penetrates the smog and battle haze.  Before a rapt convocation of local music afcianados, he proclaims the truth in a voice as serious as a heart attack and plays the bass as if Leroy Vinnegar and Malachi Favors Maghostus had a spiritual jam baby in 1964 and it had grown up to be this improvisor, composer and interpreter of spirituals in New York's boiling hot free jazz universe.He connects the line stretching back into time between spirituals and free jazz.  Projected forward, this line becomes our escape trail out of the world of necessity.  Abard for hard times when a line is drawn between class and color, mother and brother, he explores tone and rhythm, color and line and freedom, glorious freedom in its shimmering cloak of changing colors.  When he says, "An' befo' I be a slave I be buried in my grave, you knowthis is the only way to sane the USA, total commitment. "Being in love is not always what it seems to be, usually it's more", he relates later on the disk, which was recorded on th egreat sounding vintage machines at the Musuem of Sound Recording and mastered by the Master of mastering, Zod.  Fallin love with this recording, and it will reward you more each time it's played.  Thenmaybe you can go back and check out his recordings with other artists, or see him in one of many gigs at Downtown venues, where he's doing the hard and necessary work of musical Research and Development on the front lines of the culture wars.  His name is Vattel Cherry. Burn it into your brain. 

Love,

Gary Heidt,

Brooklyn, New York

Recorded live by Dan Gaydos at the Museum of Sound Recording, Brooklyn, NY April 12, 1997

Mastered by James P. Nichols at BMG Studios New York, NY

Executive producer Gary Heidt

Artwork Bishr Ibn-Farouq

F. Vattel Cherry :: double bass, percussion and voice

Four Haikus read by Laura Ludwig