ZU & SPACEWAYS INCORPORATED: RADIALE

Really interesting album of collaboration between Italian free-avant trio ZU and Chicago-based and reeder Ken Vandermark-led Spaceways Inc. Part of compositions are free improvs, but some come from free-funk classics, as Parliament's "Trash A-Go-Go" , the Art Ensemble's "Theme de Yoyo" or Sun Ra's "We Travel the Spaceways" and "Space Is the Place".

It's great to hear how sound two experimental bands from different roots playing together free improvs and great classics. Doesn't the sound is radically different - it's still same free jazz improvisation based music, but for everyone familiar with ZU original works strong influence from American band's music shows the former trio in new light. In fact, music became more jazzy, often - just pure free jazz, and Ken Vandermark's sax soloing is more funky and far not so brutal, as Luca Mai's bariton's.

From another hand, Italian's more heavy and dark, rock influenced sound with distorted bass and a aggressive drumming did bring some modern avant flavor for free jazz sound of American musicians. Most interesting is still the second part of album, where both teams working hard on free funk standards.

Recommended album for ZU fans, it shows really interesting more jazzy influenced side of the trio.