Influential multi-instrumentalist and composer Sanifu Al Hall Jr. has made an indelible mark in the world of soul jazz and beyond. His trombone playing, writing and arranging has appeared on classic 1970s Black Jazz label LPs by peers such as Doug Carn, Henry Franklin, Chester Thompson and Calvin Keys, and he also performed and/or recorded with superstars Ray Charles, Johnny “Hammond” Smith and Freddie Hubbard.
Residing in his native Jacksonville, Florida, Hall continues to innovate and lead his Cosmos Dwellerz Arkestra, an ensemble he first formed in the 1970s. The latest incarnation of the band is featured on These Are the Times, Hall’s most recent release on the Aljoni label he founded in 1971. Hall returns to a piece that originally appeared on Franklin’s 1977 Tribal Dance recording, the epic and expansive “These Are the Times (Cosmos Dwellerz Theme).”
Cinematic and spacious, like a blissed-out Sun Ra track, the soundscape brims with mystery, hinting at both inner-directed spirituality and exploration of the cosmos. Bright horns, wah-wah guitar, twinkling Fender Rhodes, burbling synth textures and low-in-the-mix vocals layer and punctuate the proceedings, leaving plenty of room for strong solos from guitarist Jarrett Carter and tenor saxophonist Todd DelGiudice. Like those album-side-long tracks that late-night jazz jocks would play so they could go out for a smoke, the 12-and-a-half minute theme never overstays its welcome. “Yeah, I’m gonna roll with that one,” Hall says at the conclusion. “Ain’t no way in the world I’m gonna [edit it down]. Too much good stuff.”
