To attach the “legend” tag to Michael Shrieve‘s name should mean to underestimate his status as a musician – the status which might have been forged at Woodstock where the young drummer set the world alight with his fiery solo on “Soul Sacrifice” before proceeding to play on classic SANTANA platters, including “Abraxas” and “Caravanserai” LPs, and going on to a very varied, in stylistic terms, career. The man driving the heaven-splitting groove on the likes of “Samba Pa Ti” would become a member of Stomu Yamashta’s prog project GO and leave his mark on the tremendous "Go!...Live From Paris" and "Go Too" – the band’s leader himself being the master of rhythm only stressed Shrieve’s talents – and could later be heard on such different records as AUTOMATIC MAN’s eponymous album, where Michael engaged Pat Thrall in space-rocking, and “Trancefer” by Klaus Schulze. With Neil Young, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh and David Crosby he cowrote “What Are Their Names” on Crosby’s debut “If I Could Only Remember My Name” – and, of course, the veteran’s had a remarkable solo career that will peak on May 24th with the issue of what he calls “an Offering” – meaning another sacrificial gift.
One glance at the tracklist of the forthcoming release titled “Drums Of Compassion” – a reference to both the Dalai Lama’s call for a Time of Compassion and Babatunde Olatunji’s “Drums Of Passion” LP – reveals the names of a few performers Shrieve called on to join him. Among Michael’s guests are his fellow percussionists Jack DeJohnette, Zakir Hussain, Airto Moreira and the aforementioned Babatunde Olatunji whose “Jin-go-lo-ba” was used by SANTANA as a basis for the famous “Jingo” and who provides a vocal chant here, plus guitarist Trey Gunn and electronica maven Amon Tobin, all adding their touches to what he started about twenty years ago with the ambient artist and jazz composer Jeff Greinke. What Shrieve began with keyboards’ passages and feared might create a new-age experience gradually got fleshed out with proper beats, intricate and invigorating, and turned into a transcendental trip of rare beauty. Read the review.
Drums Of Compassion
1. The Call Of Michael Olatunji
2. On The Path To The Healing Waters
3. As Above, So Below
4. The Euphoric Pandiero Of Airto Moreira
5. The Fierce Energy Of Love
6. Oracle
7. The Breath Of Human Kindness
8. Zakir Hussain
9. Hejira
