Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass (side A)

Although the marriage between Lester Bowie and Fontella Bass explains how this collaboration happened, there's still a lot to be confused by here. Fontella Bass is, of course, best known for her Aretha-like vocal performance on the hit "Rescue Me". In 1970, she teamed up with the Art Ensemble of Chicago for this impenetrable album. There aren't really songs, or even neat compositions, so much as long, slowly evolving blurs. Bass vocalizes a narrative similar to those on other Art Ensemble albums, but with far more vocal dexterity. Sounds pass by around her, occasionally in isolation but often in clusters. Some sections use pitched instruments like horns, where others are percussive. My domestic vinyl copy looks better than the CD reissue but not as striking as the French original, and it doesn't sound bad for a repress of a budget recording.