It was a sad day for
avant-garde jazz
when guitarist
Sonny Sharrock
died of a heart attack on May 24, 1994 at the age of 53. But thankfully, there is still an audience for his work -- not a huge audience by
rock
,
R&B
hip-hop
or
country
standards, but a small, enthusiastic, appreciative cult following in the United States as well as Europe. One of those hardcore believers is guitarist
Noel Akchote
. Recorded in 2003,
Sonny, Vol. 2
finds
Akchote
paying tribute to
Sharrock
nine years after his death. Not everything on this CD was written by
; five of
's own compositions are included. Nonetheless,
's compositions dominate
, and
turns his attention to nine
pieces as well as
's arrangement of the
traditional
French song
"Bialero."
While
is a loving tribute, it isn't a slavish, knee-jerk affair;
is wise enough to let his own personality shine through. And while
is
avant-garde
, it isn't
in an overly radical or extreme way.
's guitar playing is free-spirited but relatively accessible -- certainly by
standards -- and he speaks a language that is primarily a
jazz
language but incorporates elements of
blues
folk
and
Latin
music. And why shouldn't a
improviser have all of those influences?
King Oliver
Jelly Roll Morton
James P. Johnson
Louis Armstrong
had a variety of non-
influences back in the '20s -- none of them listened to
exclusively -- and there is no reason why an
guitarist like
cannot have a variety of non-
influences in the 21st century.
won't go down in history as a five-star masterpiece, but it's a thoughtful, enjoyably sincere way for
to acknowledge
's legacy. ~ Alex Henderson