Artist: DOUG HAMMOND
Title: FOLKS
Label: IDIBIB No: DB104
Year: 1980 Made in: USA

Tracks: Pony Pone, Kone Pone, Togetherness, What's Happening Now, Perspicuity, Gatito, Folks, Dat'n, Concentric Dream.

Musicians: Angela Bofill, Cecil McBee, Alex Foster, Doug Hammond, Marvin Blackman, Hubert Eaves, John Loehrke, Byard Lancaster, Bessie Carter, Karen Joseph, Muneer Abdul Fataah.

Drummer Doug Hammond may be remembered as the composer of and one of the vocalists on the title track of Mingus Moves. Hammond's LP is something of an omnibus-there's a little bit of everything here, the best of it excellent (Kone Pone, Gatito, and Concentric Dream-featuring the nearly telepathic trio of Hammond, alto saxophonist Byard Lancaster, and Cellist Muneer Abdul Fataah-and Folks-an art song requiem for Steve Biko, which twins Bessie Carter's trained voice and Fataah's sonorousCello), - • • • • •

• • and parts of it just good fun (Perspicuity and Dat'n-dancing rhythm duets by Fataah and Hammond and What's Happening Now-agreeably scatterbrain vocalese by Angie Bofill, of all people). Hammond is a modest leader who doesn't solo at all, but his interactions with Lancaster and Fataah on the trio performances prove him an inventive drummer. Anyone who has ever heard Lancaster live knows what an exciting soloist he can be, but his work on record has always been erratic. Here he comes close to realizing his great promise, but there simply isn't enough of him.-francis davis/downbeat 1981