Boston Herald Review jan. 2000
01/15/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"BOSTON HERALD JANUARY 3, 2000BERT SEAGER, GEORGE DONCHEV, NAT MUGAVERO Freedom of Assembly (Buzz)At first, Boston-based pianist Bert Seager's first foray into free jazz seems like a radical departure for a player whose calling cards have long been been an eloquent lyricism, a full-bodied brand of swing and a telekinetic level of communication with his bandmates.Yet even a cursory listen to ``Freedom of Assembly'' reveals that all these values remain in place, and are, if anything, enhanced by the fact that Seager and long-time Boston trio-mates Donchev and Mugavero free-composed nine of these 11 numbers as they played them, with tape rolling, in the studio.The difficulty of creating coherent songs and performances under these conditions is hard to overstate _ and explains why it's so infrequently attempted. Moreover, the accessibility of the performances here - each has a beginning, middle and end, and there's little of the mere noisemaking that characterizes so many free-jazz outings - makes this trio's achievement all the greater. It makes ``Freedom of Assembly'' a free-jazz album for sharp-eared listeners who think they don't like free jazz. Kevin R.Convey"