Murray / Edwards / Bevan

Boom Boom Cat

Label: Foghorn Records Country: UK

"Could Sunny Murray's left foot actually be the engine at the heart of the universe? That's what it feels like throughout this live set, recorded at the Vortex in North London, as his clashing hi-hat cymbals churn away relentlessly, the outward manifestation of his internal, eternal sense of abstract swing. Throughout the hour-long title improvisation, Murray the free-jazz legend sounds huge in every way: unstoppable, implacable, monumental. Bevan and Edwards provide suitably heavy support, dealing in thick, dark smudges like oil paint applied with a palette knife - particularly when Bevan switches to Bass sax and Edwards sets up one of his trademark drones. But Sunny is the centre of gravity, operating at a n almost impossibly high level of sustained intensity. Even the 12-minute encore - a spontaneous ballad with Bevan noir-ish and mysterious on the bass sax - generates more heat than most players manage in a lifetime. All hail Sunny Murray. 4 stars."-Daniel Spicer, Jazzwise

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