From to , spirituality has long played a major role in (as well as a lot of ). And there is no shortage of spirituality on , which was recorded live at in Chicago in 2002 -- alto/tenor saxman and his Windy City-based thrive on it. In fact, the 19-minute finds the band's trumpeter, , doing a simulation of the type of sermon one would hear in an African-American church (possibly Southern Baptist, possibly AME). doesn't give that vocal spot in order to convert listeners to Protestant Christianity; rather, he does it to acknowledge that Christianity is part of the black cultural experience. And that affection for black culture is evident throughout this CD whether is incorporating elements of African music on (which gets its name from a tribe in Senegal) or celebrating the contributions of and on the 12-minute , meanwhile, is acknowledged on which features vocalist . The tune isn't really a fusion of -- instead of rapping in a style, offers a spoken word performance. His words do, however, address the importance of as a cultural idiom. isn't for snobs, but those who appreciate an inside/outside approach to will find these performances to be quite enriching. ~ Alex Henderson