I always have my eyes out for the CD of this one. Pretty tough going, though ...
I've often wondered what this sounds like - any clues/comparisons gratefully accepted
Gave it another listen to fix its character better. The obvious analogue would be to the David Murray Octet, but this ensemble (septet) has a much looser vibe that DM's, even though a couple of the personnel are held in common. Billy Bang doesn't dominate his group. There is much more of an ensemble feel. Songs are mostly taken at a medium tempo, with different members taking solo turns. The music is a bit more melodic than one might expect. The last song "Music for the Love of It" (seems applicable here) reminded me, and sounds a bit like, Art Ensemble of Chicago doing ""Odwalla" at the end of their shows. That should give you a sense of the ensemble sound.
The recording acoustic is a bit flat. Loeb Student Center, at NYU, where I spent a good bit of time as an undergrad, is probably not ideal, although a fair number of performances of avant music were recorded there. This is a live performance but one is only occasionally aware of that. It's a very good album, don't think one would get tired of repeated listens.
Thank you for such an in depth reply. Leeway. That's just what I needed to know and will definitely now stay on my 'want list' to appear in this thread at some point in the future with my name attached.