AFT

Recorded in late 1977 and released on the Dutch Timeless label, AFT represents a pivotal moment in Joanne Brackeen's discography. Following her tenure with Stan Getz and Joe Henderson, this session showcases her fully realized voice as a leader and composer. The lineup is unconventional for the era, featuring Ryo Kawasaki on guitar and Clint Houston on bass, notably omitting a drummer. This absence of percussion places the rhythmic burden entirely on the melodic instruments, resulting in a unique, percussive quality to Brackeen's piano attack and Houston's driving bass lines. The compositions, mostly by Brackeen, are characterized by their 'angular' nature and complex chromaticism. Critics, notably Scott Yanow of AllMusic, have pointed out that while Brackeen's style occasionally nods to McCoy Tyner's power or Chick Corea's agility, her harmonic language is entirely her own. The album is a landmark of late-70s independent jazz, bridging the gap between the structured intensity of post-bop and the experimental textures of the burgeoning loft jazz scene.