Gary Bias

A beautiful, dreamlike expression of spiritual jazz recorded in 1981 at City Recorders - a time when this kind of music was considered completely out of vogue. Yet here is Gary Bias, unspooling a suite of deeply soulful and profoundly far-reaching original compositions that vividly evoke the blue skies of the record's Los Angeles origins. Bias plays alto and soprano saxophone and flute with a tone and sensibility that sits somewhere between the lyricism of early Pharoah Sanders and the bold attack of Arthur Blythe (to whom "Arthur's Vamp" is dedicated). The supporting cast is nothing short of stellar: Rickey Kelly on vibes, David Tillman on piano, Roberto Miranda and John Heard alternating on bass, Fritz Wise on drums, and Rickey Minor on electric bass for the laidback, classy opener "Asiki" - a track alone worth the price of admission, with Kelly's vibes floating over a gorgeous modal groove.

The album carries a soulful depth and rhythmic pulse that makes it one of the most compelling entries in the entire Nimbus West catalogue - a Strata East sort of vibe, with that particular L.A. warmth and sense of space. "Dear Violet", dedicated to Bias's late grandmother, strips things down to saxophone and bass in a deeply spiritual meditation. His flute and soprano somehow find gravitas in weightlessness, creating music that challenges as much as it comforts. Bias should have gotten far better exposure over the years - this is a record that demands rediscovery.