Ever since his time with Sun Ra's Arkestra during the late fifties/ early sixties, Phil Cohran has been one of the leading artists when it's come to the overall exploration of the spiritualism and artistic growth of jazz. When Sun Ra moved east in 1961, Cohran stayed in Chicago and helped establish the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative MusiciansAssociation), a non-profit organization that featured some of jazz music's most creative artists including Art Ensemble of Chicago, Jack DeJohnette, Anthony Braxton, Chico Freeman, Muhal Richard Abrams and many others. During this same time, Cohran and The Artistic Heritage Ensemble released a number of landmark recordings on his own Zulu Records that included On The Beach (1967), The Malcolm X Memorial (1968), The Spanish Suite (1968), Armageddon (1968), as well as a number of limited 45 singles. When he wasn't playing music or recording, Cohran's time was spent raising a fairly large family which now results in eight of the nine members that make up the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. This month, Honest Jon's Records has released an amazing new collaborative album between Cohran and the funky ensemble, resulting in one of the best records of the year and easily one of the best brass records I've ever heard. Where some brass records, at times, can sound redundant or slightly generic, this record successfully blends the "New Orleans-style" brass band energy with Cohran's complex and innovative compositions. Some of the album's highlights include "Cuernavaca", "Stateville", "Frankincense And Myrrh", "Aspara", and "Spin" among others. Cohran and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble simply moved the ball forward by coming together and releasing one of the most innovative brass records of all-time. ENJOY!
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