Frank Foster - The Loud Minority (Wewantsounds)

Frank Foster’s 1972 spiritual jazz meets jazz-funk set The Loud Minority sees the light of day on vinyl again courtesy of Wewantsounds

Saxophonist Frank Foster came up through the Detroit scene and went on to join the Count Basie Orchestra in the 1950s, which may seem slightly misleading when we’re here to talk about his 1972 set as bandleader, The Loud Minority (mercifully reissued on vinyl by Wewantsounds, albeit as a limited run for Record Store Day). The record has a spiritual jazz heart and jazz-funk feet (hence its adoption by the acid jazz crowd), and the fact that Foster also utilises his big band chops only adds to its uniqueness.

“The Loud Minority” itself begins at the beginning with deep vibes from a cosmic orchestra and as such wouldn’t be out of place in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Doors then swing open with brief big band abandon before the music drops out and Dee Dee Bridgewater takes centre stage, her words spoken with power and grace: “We are a part of the loud minority / And as such we are a part of those concerned with change / This change must come in the form of victory over all the evils / The loud minority is not a non-profit organisation / For indeed our profit must be the result of that victory”. A killer (double) opening indeed and the listener would be forgiven for wondering what could possibly follow. Bluesy piano and elastic bass soon provide an answer, as the piece kicks into jazz-funk high gear. Heavy grooves, fiery saxophone and sirens from myth keep the pace rollicking along until the sky opens up once again and Bridgewater rallies from a pulpit beyond the infinite. An expanding and collapsing universe in over fourteen minutes that is just as capable of lighting up the dance.

Returning to earth, “Requiem for Dusty” goes straight for the horns and offers more easily digestible pleasures of jazz-dance, whereas “J.P.’s Thing” couples spy-theme dynamics with spiraling improvisation in the service of heady abandon. To close the set, “E.W. – Beautiful People” hits the big-band-does-spiritual-jazz sweet spot and even has a hint of Pharoah Sanders about it. The Loud Minority doesn’t exactly hide its abstractions, but these powerhouse players led by Frank Foster remain as much in search of the groove as of enlightenment.

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