The living legend bassist Henry “The Skipper” Franklin is best known for his releases on the Black Jazz label. The label Real Gone enjoyed some success reissuing 1972’s The Skipper and 1974’s The Skipper Comes Home and is now doing the same for more obscure Tribal Dance, released in 1977 on the little-known Catalyst label. This writer recently came across an article listing the top ten spiritual jazz albums of all time with John and Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and McCoy Tyner as names of no surprise but also on that list was Kamasi Washington’s 2015 The Epic and one or two other questionable choices. Perhaps this one from Franklin just never achieved a high enough profile to earn a spot on that list but it is equally deserving.
The album features many of the same musicians Franklin was working within that era and on his Black Jazz releases, including trombonist Al Hall Jr. and saxophonist Charles Owens. West Coast pianist Dwight Dickerson, percussionist Sonship, and trumpeter Jerry Rush to Franklin’s septet. Although labeled by some as a soul-jazz record, probably due to Franklin’s funky sound on his Black Jazz releases, the album does indeed resonate more like the spiritual jazz recordings of Strata East at the time or McCoy Tyner’s Milestone releases such as Sahara.
The title track kicks off with a fat Franklin bass solo before a hyperkinetic Sonship and Dickerson join in, setting the foundation for the three-horn front line, who burst out of the gate firing in unison. Fierce solos commence from Rush, Owens (on tenor), and Hall Jr. amidst the driving backdrop of the rhythm section, bringing the collective roar to abrupt standstill upon Sonship’s final cymbal crash. Owens is especially unleashed in the free-ranging “Eric’s Tune” with the rhythm section again underpinning it with a maelstrom of sound. Rush rides high with Hall Jr. on counterpoint and Dickerson comping with thunderous chords in this, another sizzler. If the “Eric” in question is indeed Eric Dolphy, they’ve done him proud., “For Penny,” a feature of Dickerson’s gorgeous piano and Franklin’s robust pizzicato, is a lovely ballad rendered by just these two musicians.
Side B also has three tracks, beginning with “Spring Song,” which commences lightly with Owens on soprano, but begins to build momentum behind Franklin’s engine as Owens switches to flute, Sonship starts to percolate, and Dickerson emerges from his ebullient comping with a dazzling solo as Franklin is in arco mode. Hall Jr. chimes in followed by Rush, before the septet joins in, fading it out. “Cosmos Dwellers,” at nearly eleven minutes, begins with Sonship in whirlwind fashion on an African-infused array of drums and percussion. Franklin sets up the groove and the three horns state the theme. Whooshing sounds, the first hint of electronics, must be coming from Dickerson’s electronic keys, as he’s also playing Rhodes on this track. Hall Jr. weighs in with a gutty solo while Franklin also uses some effects while the ever-in-motion Sonship continues to bang away. Some of the electronics sound like sirens and detract from the pulsating groove of the piece, which in the final analysis is an outlier compared to the others. “Prime Mover” closes with Dickerson initially clamoring on the piano, soon joined by a fanfare of horns, an agitated Rush trumpet turn, an enlivened Hall Jr., and Owens blowing on soprano like it’s his last gig. Yes, they end the album in glorious fury, an album full of inspired playing, especially that of the drum-bass tandem.
Just for context, we started by calling Franklin a living legend. He remains active, having appeared on Jazz Is Dead’s 014 and even more recently on Pierre L. Chambers’ vocal tour de force, Shining Moments. Both represent Franklin’s refined side. Tribal Dance represents his driving force as one exhilarating ride and a noteworthy album in the bassist’s storied catalog.
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Cosmic stuff!