Steve Coleman & the Five Elements - Black Science (CD)

All Music Guide

The mixture of complex funk rhythms and inside/outside soloing performed by the "M-Base" stylists, although similar to Ornette Coleman's free funk, is quite different from any other earlier idiom. Altoist Steve Coleman's CD is recommended as a good example of his music. The improvisations are dynamic, unpredictable, and quite original and the ensemble (which includes pianist James Weidman, guitarist David Gilmore, and three guest vocals by Cassandra Wilson) is tight. Coleman, who wrote all but one of the originals, is the dominant force behind this often-disturbing but generally stimulating music.

- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide