BINKER & MOSES - Journey To The Mountain Of Forever

Genuine trailblazers of the new English jazz scene, Moses Boyd and Binker Golding deliver for posterity a monumental double album that regenerates the spirituality of John Coltrane and the versatility of Sonny Rollins, through an eclectic blend of jazz and funk rooted in the once-outrageous textures of Miles Davis's “Bitches Brew” by Miles Davis, textures that are now daily bread for the musical intelligentsia.

The approach brims with invention and creativity: in the first act, “The Realm Of Now”, the duo nails a blazing jazz-ballad, “The Departure”, and a playful calypso-jazz number, “Fete By The River”, which alone are worth the price of admission.
Yes, the price of admission, because Binker & Moses are best appreciated in their live dimension, which is thankfully represented superbly here thanks to a direct-to-tape recording made in just two days.
Injections of soul and r'n'b make the long excursions of tracks like “Leaving The Now Behind” even more compelling, its cyclical sax riffs and constant rhythmic insertions, at times bordering on dub, a genuine panacea for sampling devotees.

The presence of many guests shakes up the second act, “The Realms Of The Infinite”, with an extraordinary Evan Parker taking the lead on the adventurous, Eastern-tinged spirituality of “Echoes From The Other Side Of The Mountain”, a track that, alongside “Gifts From The Vibrations Of Light”, captures the duo's most mysterious and meditative side, with harp and tablas to the fore and a lyrical, expressive grace that carries the stature of a major record event.

There's so much to discover on a double CD/LP like “Journey To The Mountain Of Forever”, from the delightful horn duet of “The Voice Of Besbunu” to Byron Wallen's incredible trumpet solo on “Ritual Of The Root”, but Binker & Moses's album is so rich that every new listen reveals fresh details worth lingering over. In the meantime, what must be stressed, without a shadow of doubt, is the total success of what was nonetheless a risky and ambitious project.
The new English jazz scene has finally found its sonic manifesto, framed too by a striking prog-rock-style cover hovering between the artwork of “Houses Of The Holy“ and the drawings of Roger Dean.

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11/12/2017