Destiny Calling

By merging the soulful iron City trio with The Griots Speak quartet he founded in 2022, Charlie Apicella has created one of the most original outfits on today's scene. The guitarist has established himself as one of the key interpreters of the guitar-organ-drums trio tradition. A devotee of Pat Martino and Yusef Lateef (particularly with regards to the latter's composing), Archie Shepp, B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix, Apicella has blended these influences into a unique free-post-rhythm-and-blues style. The addition of '70s NYC loft scene veterans—bassist William Parker, percussionist Juma Sultan (who played extensively with Hendrix, including at Woodstock in 1969) and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter—plus iron City organist Brad Whiteley and drummer Austin Walker, has here produced a musical palette that goes back to Miles Davis' early electric period, Hendrix' Electric Ladyland and late-era Grant Green.

Against this background, the music is surprisingly soft, almost contemplative, yet exciting, with the nine pieces flowing in a unified groove. From the start of "As the Sun rises" (Carter's bass clarinet reminiscent of Davis' "pharaoh's Dance" from Bitches Brew), to the ensuing "Titan vs Sphynx" (with its Weather report feel, thanks to Carter's soprano playing in homage to Wayne Shorter), the effect is suite-like. Carter's reeds and Whiteley's organ blend well over the multilayered rhythmic pattern laid out by the bassists and various percussion, Apicella John Mclaughlin-like in his approach. "Juma Speaks" follows seamlessly while continuing the reeds/organ dialogue, interspersed with the leader's clever chordal punctuations. Carter (on trumpet) adds to the depth of the music with broad strokes à la Wadada Leo Smith in "We Are All Here in Spirit". A guitar riff introduces and supports "i Heard in passing", along with parker (on piano) and Carter (on pocket trumpet), against the freely improvised collective. returning to bass, parker sets the tone for "if You Know" by providing a hypnotic anchor over which Carter (on flute) floats, before his languid tenor saxophone feature on "Where Do You Find These people". Carter's versatility across all instruments is
mind-boggling and provides an overall valuable asset through the course of the entire album.

The adventurous Destiny Calling is an enjoyable listen of universal music which points back into the future.