Hamid Drake, Bindu

Drummer Hamid Drake has been a major voice in the generation of Chicagoans following the explosion of Mitchell and the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. He’s most known for a long association with saxophonist Fred Anderson and here makes his recording debut as a bandleader. He called together for the session a quartet of New York and Chicago saxophonists (Daniel Carter, Ernest Dawkins, Sabir Mateen and Greg Ward) and added the great young flutist Nicole Mitchell. The tracks vary from Drake solo (with Afro-esque vocals) to charted vamps and free blows with the horns. The standout, though, is a 14-minute duet with Mitchell, the rare flute player inventive enough to carry such an extended percussion piece. Drake excels especially on the frame drum, as is well evidenced here.