Sideshow is the second album by the jazz group 8 Bold Souls. It was recorded in November 1991 in Chicago, and was released in 1992 by Arabesque Records. The album features performances by saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer Edward Wilkerson, saxophonist Mwata Bowden, trumpeter Robert Griffin, Jr., trombonist Isaiah Jackson, tubist Aaron Dodd, cellist Naomi Millender, bassist Harrison Bankhead, and drummer Dushun Mosley.[1][2]

Sideshow
Studio album by
Released1992
RecordedNovember 23, 24, and 25, 1991
StudioStreeterville Studios, Chicago
GenreJazz
Length1:05:58
LabelArabesque Records
AJ0103
Producer8 Bold Souls
8 Bold Souls chronology
8 Bold Souls
(1987)
Sideshow
(1992)
Ant Farm
(1994)

Reception edit

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
Los Angeles Times    [4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz    [5]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz     [6]

In a review for AllMusic, Brian Olewnick wrote: "The entire cast of musicians is solid and creative... Sideshow is one of the finest and most unduly neglected jazz albums of the '90s and is highly recommended."[3] The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded the album 3½ stars, and stated: "By emphasizing the unusual timbres of the instrumentation... [the] band creates a singular ensemble sound that is finally more interesting than the often impassioned solos... the stealthy, deliberate pace of the record is... hypnotic."[5] The Los Angeles Times determined that it "lacks the vibrant, swinging side this band has displayed in the past."[4]

Track listing edit

  1. "Black Herman" (Wilkerson) – 17:11
  2. "Glass Breakers" (Wilkerson) – 10:42
  3. "Lonely Woman" (Ornette Coleman) – 16:52
  4. "Sideshow" (Wilkerson) – 13:09
  5. "Light on the Path" (Wilkerson) – 8:02

Personnel edit

  • Edward Wilkerson – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass saxophone, alto clarinet, clarinet
  • Mwata Bowden – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone, clarinet
  • Robert Griffin, Jr. – trumpet, flugelhorn
  • Isaiah Jackson – trombone
  • Aaron Dodd – tuba
  • Naomi Millender – cello
  • Harrison Bankhead – bass
  • Dushun Mosley – drums, percussion

References edit

  1. ^ "8 Bold Souls: Sideshow". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "8 Bold Souls: Sideshow: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Olewnick, Brian. "Bold Souls: Sideshow". AllMusic. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Snowden, Don (20 Sep 1992). "In Brief". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 53.
  5. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1998). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. Penguin Books. p. 457.
  6. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 931.