Byron, Don – “Nu Blaxploitation ” – [Blue Note C/O Capitol]

A wave of Existential Dred overcomes Byron,
and he no longer keeps his sidekick Sadiq at
Bey. Byron’s clarinet lines are a lot more
subtle here than the strident thought-flow
lines from Sadiq. The album has a def’knit
Blue Note groove, very inviting but you step
in & must contemplate some of the “ish” that
Sadiq is dishing. (yep this is a radio-edit
version so EVERYone can play this powerhouse).
“Furman” and “Dodi” decapitate the headlines.
I actually preferred the Blax-Files flow on
“Alien” and “I Cannot Commit.” Sakim Bey’s
voice gets that good preacher waivering Gil
Scott is my hero tenor at times. Three tracks
also have yearning vox from Dean Bowman: two
steamy Mandrill droppings & Jimi’s If 6 Was 9.
Byron blazes his own trails as always.