Jabe Ledoux - Total Refusal (Preparation VIII)
Released: August 7 Total Refusal represents both a musical and moral statement on the current state of the world. The concept behind it draws inspiration from a book and its associated movement”…Free Jazz and Leftist Nationalism…” which ostensibly invokes musical expression as an agent of change. While Ledoux’s work here represents something most would consider to be quite far from free jazz, the spirt of improvisation runs deep through all three longform pieces, totaling about an hour. Each piece is entirely driven by rhythm and the drum set is almost completely different from piece to piece, with each piece having been recorded miles away from the last but still utilizing at least one central piece - a reclaimed whisky barrel made into a drum. They all tie in together perfectly, even with outwardly and loudly showing their distinctions from the last. The first of these pieces is simultaneously speedy and meditative. The majority of it is driven by what sounds like a single drum ...
