Russell, George / Living Time Orchestra
African Game
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

Sealed 1985 Original Pressed On Audiophile Quality Vinyl. “George Russell's The African Game Is A Major Statement, A Highly Eclectic, Nine-Part, 45-Minute Suite For Augmented Big Band That Attempts To Depict No Less Than The Evolution Of The Species From The Beginning Of Time To The Present From An African Perspective. Well, Yes, This Theme Has Been Taken On By Many An Ambitious Artist In Every Field, But Russell's Work Is Remarkably Successful Because It Tries To Embrace A Massive World Of Sound In Open, Colorful, Young-Thinking Terms, With Degrees Of Timbral Unity And Emotion To Keep The Idioms From Flying Out Of Control. There Are Traditional Big Band Sounds Here, But One Is More Likely To Encounter Electronics, African Drumming By The Five-Piece Group Olu Bata, Atonality, Rock, Funk, Even The Sound Of Electric Pencil Sharpeners. Ironically, The Section With The Strongest Injections Of Funk Is Entitled "The Survival Game (Survival Of The Fittest)" — Possibly A Barbed Comment On The Mercenary Realities Of The Music Business — And "The Mega-Minimalist Age (Style Over Substance: The Decline Of The Spirit)" Leaves No Doubt As To Russell's Jaundiced View Of Commercial Pop Culture.” – Richard S Ginell, All Music Guide