November 1997

Raphe Malik
The Short Form
Eremite Records

By John Murph

Former Cecil Taylor associate Raphe Malik continues to fan the flames of free jazz with this scorching outing, The Short Form.

Complemented by avantgarde gladiators saxophonist Glenn Spearman, drummer Dennis Warren, and bassist George Langford, Malik's terse tone, blurry trumpet flurries blast through an arresting set of originals that boils with eruptive intensity. Loose-knitted, oblique and uncompromisingly turbulent for the most part, this set does however feature the ensemble opting for more restrained lyricism on the sunny mid-tempo "Gem Stone," and the breezy intro on "Civilization After Coltrane."