"The Two Fridas' is by keyboard player/ producer Laura Cole, the 'brainchild' behind a project based on 'The Two Fridas' by Frida Kahlo. This release consist of two CDs all Cole originals apart from final number 'Truth' composed by Pete Fairclough, 'Little Woman, Lonely Wing' which is an amalgam of Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing' and Ornette Coleman's 'Lonely Woman' and three group improvisations entitled 'Charcole I' and 'Charcole II' and '26,302'. Each track is dedicated and the inclusion of a piece loosely based on Ornette Coleman gives a clue to the 'free jazz' direction of the music with opener' Cellular' a kaleidoscope of saxes, bass clarinet and double bass becoming slightly Magma like as it progresses, a happy coincidence perhaps. 'Deer Medicine' is a lovely piece based on a haunting piano motif and Kerry Andrew's enchanting otherworldly vocalisations. The barely perceptible whispered beginnings of 'Charcole 1' stray into the recitative/ poetic (as with all the improvisations) but 'The Mountains, The Sea/ The Island' is altogether more demonstrative, a subtle, superbly executed piece with the whole gamut of instrumentation erupting in accelerando from its piano introduction. 'Dark Thunderous Moon' is a highpoint for me on CD 1, another overtly jazz offering with wonderful piano passages of play and vibrant drumming form Johnny Hunter, the vocals resembling Annette Peacock in style. Bass, cymbals and piano introduce 'Little Woman/ Lonely Wing' and the 'groove' demarcates the Hendrix part, another considerable achievement in interpretation and execution. So far, so good, but what of the second CD? 'Senken' navigates successfully into jazz rock territory with Ruth Goller on electric bass this time. 'Digging for Memories', full of twists and turns, is the longest piece on the album at over 17 minutes; the title track, dedicated to Robert Wyatt, doesn't disappoint while the album ends with a gorgeous slow waltz ('Truth'). 'Metamorphic: The Two Fridas' will appeal to those who appreciate music that is full of expressionism and who can tolerate occasional dissonance. It is an emotional roller-coaster of an album as I expect it was intended to be." - Phil Jackson, ACID DRAGON
Kerry Andrew, vocals
Chris Williams, alto sax
John Martin, tenor/ soprano sax
Ollie Dover, bass clarinet
Seth Bennett, double bass
Ruth Goller, double bass/ electric bass
Johnny Hunter, drums
Laura Cole, piano/ Rhodes, composer
