Harold Alexander
's
Sunshine Man
exists somewhere in the space between
jazz
-
funk
and
free improvisation
. Produced by
Bob Thiele
, the record combines
Alexander
's intricate, abstract melodies with the wickedly tight drumming of the great
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie
to create music with both profoundly spiritual and resolutely physical dimensions. Each of the record's six long songs shun direct paths from points A to B, instead coveting the eccentric twists and hairpin turns of roads less traveled, but the cosmic reach of
's flute and soprano saxophone never dwarfs the rock-solid support of
Purdie
and keyboardist
Neal Creque
.
is the rare record that's both far-out and funky. ~ Jason Ankeny