Ask the Ages Archive

Sonny Sharrock – Ask the Ages – M.O.D. Technologies

by Audiophile Audition | Jan 1, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Rediscovering one of the undervalued heroes of jazz guitar. Sonny Sharrock – Ask the Ages [TrackList follows] – M.O.D. Technologies MOD0016, 44:37 (orig. release: 1991)[11/13/15] ****: (Sonny Sharrock – electric guitar, co-producer; Pharoah Sanders – tenor and soprano saxophone; Elvin Jones – drums; Charnett Moffett – acoustic bass; Bill Laswell – co-producer) Sonny Sharrock (who passed away in 1994) is one of the best guitarists many may never have heard. He primarily worked in the jazz field, but his fearless and adventurous style was typically so far out and advanced, that traditional jazz fans rarely, if ever, listened to him, which why is the reissue of Sharrock’s final jazz album, the 45-minute Ask the Ages (originally released in 1991), is an important record to discover or rediscover [Note: Sharrock’s last official work was the 1994 Space Ghost Coast to Coast soundtrack, which is not considered by most to fit into the jazz spectrum]. Sharrock made his initial recording appearance on saxophonist Pharoah Sanders’ inaugural LP, Tauhid, in 1966. Sharrock subsequently teamed up with Herbie Mann’s group; and played uncredited on Miles Davis’ A Tribute to Jack Johnson. Producer/bassist Bill Laswell invited Sharrock to join the avant/punk-jazz group Last Exit in […]