Selected tracks:
InterView 
Mr. Lekish 

More on
Joel Futterman

Ike Levin is a Chicago rooted tenor saxophonist who now resides in the San Francisco Bay area. He studied with legendary reed player Joe Daley and Fred Anderson co-founder of the Chicago based Association for The Advancement of Creative Music (AACM). Levin has performed with such noted jazz artists as Von Freeman, Wilbur Campbell, Gene Ammons, Ira Sullivan, Yancy Taylor, and Robert Porter. His diverse musical influences range from John Coltrane and Theolonious Monk to Bela Bartok and Pierre Boulez.

Randall Hunt is a San Francisco native whose masterful contrabass technique allows him to move readily between classical and jazz music genres. He studied music at the New York New Music School under the instruction of Reggie Workman and Chico Hamilton, and has performed with jazz innovator Sonny Simmons. Hunt’s muscular and highly lyrical approach to the bass provides a potent foundation and often the transitional bridges for Futterman’s and Levin’s personalized motifs and melodic phrasings.

A Drimala exclusive and brand new from Joel Futterman, InterView finds him joining forces with California-based artists, Ike Levin and Randall Hunt.  The music soars from the fluidity of hard bop to the space and phrasing associated with Jazz's cool period, to the impressionistic adventures of later Coltrane.

To our ears, one of the finest Futterman recordings since Silkheart's Vision In Time (1990).  Very well recorded with wonderfully conceived harmonious compositions in the moment.

Recording comes highly recommended!!!

More From The Rack                       One Final Note Review

"While it's not scratchy or raw, or terribly new in format, this CD provides some VERY solid moments for those who love improvised music that can inspire the listener to new creative heights.  Joel's keyboards are strong, but don't (in any way) overshadow the other players.  A PERFECT mesh of exploratory (sonic) oratory with it's highlight being the spontaneity that can only come from players whose ears (& hearts, I rather imagine) are open to each other.

Levin's tenor doesn't ramble, but it can (at times) SCORCH your ears! Randall's contrabass provides a foundation, in a sense, for the other players, only rising to the fore when truly necessary.  The music on this production is based on crystal clarity & a vision of the spontaneous that few players achieve... it gets our MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating!" -- Rotcod Zzaj,  IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION #47

If you like missed cd, you might enjoy listening to:

Authenticity (Futterman, Parker, Williams)

LifeLine (Futterman, Levin, Killion)

The Present Gift (Futterman, Levin)

Expansion Slang (McBride, Newton, Vandermark)

Southern Extreme (Futterman, Jordan, Fielder)