Northwoods Improvisers - Raft (CD)

The Northwoods Improvisers return with a new album comprising their first release in 10 years. The music is all acoustic and skillfully recorded with a version of Faruq Z. Bey's "19 Moons" as well as a version of Mike Johnston's "Tasbih", a piece dedicated to Bey. The connection to Bey and the Detroit Jazz community is strong, as both Nick Ashton and Johnston were key performers in the seminal work Bey completed in the twilight of his life. The group touches on the spiritual in many ways, and they bring forth fire in the form of the young winds duo of Dominic Berenga and Donovan Boxey who are wise beyond their years.