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There are two strong, long-standing bands in what might be called the
"second generation" of Chicago's AACM. One is a deep and stirring octet
within the heady, spiritual tradition of the organization while the other
carries the unexpected feel of a party band in a scene where partying is
rarely the setting.
His New Horizons Ensemble has undergone some changes in personnel
since their first release which, like Capetown, was a live
recording. After the Dawn has Risen was recorded at the
Leverkusener Jazztage festival in Germany in 1991, when the band
featured Reggie Nicholson on drums. A recent shift is the loss of the fine
guitarist Jeff Parker, who might be better known from his involvement
with Tortoise, Isotope 217 and the Chicago Underground Quartet. On
Like Coping, his first record under his own name, Parker doesn't
synthesize old and new jazz guitar as much as throw them in a hat and
pull them out again. Cuts like "Holiday for a Despot" might excite the
Isotope crowd with its staticky feedback and noisy wash, but much of
the album is made up of good old-fashioned guitar trio ballads. With the
worthy drummer Chad Taylor and bassist Chris Lopes, two more names
familiar in Chicago's new breed of acid jazz, Parker proves his chops as
a tasty jazz guitarist, laying it down more for mood than machismo.
