Eddie Gale: Afro-Fire

Trumpeter Eddie Gale has played with the likes of Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra and Larry Young, and in the ’60s he recorded the highly regarded Blue Note albums Ghetto Music and Black Rhythm Happening. More than 30 years later, Gale has released Afro Fire (Black Beauty), the follow-up to those seminal recordings. Here, he combines his adventurous soloing with electronic rhythms and effects, like the jazz-electronica hybrid “Welcome to Silicone Valley,” which is enhanced by an electronically altered voice sample. Gale salutes Sun Ra on “Free You-Free Me,” wherein he solos as a rubbery rhythm percolates underneath his trumpet and otherworldly effects soar overhead. A busy but mixed-down piano rhythm underlies Gale’s muted trumpet on “New York After Hours,” and “Inner Peace to You” combines an understated rhythm with a quasi-celestial choir and a trumpet melody that is, by turns, lyrical and idiosyncratic. At just under 38 minutes, Afro Fire is a brief outing, but it’s filled with compelling, forward-looking music.

Originally Published November 1, 2004