Multidirection

After World War II, Detroit was a jazz hotspot, nurturing homegrown talent and supporting star touring through the Midwest, though it didn’t always have the music business infrastructure to bolster that claim. Multidirection offers a fascinating glimpse of what the hard bop/avant sound in the Motor City sounded like in the wake of the riots. It’s closest to the avant sessions of that era’s Blue Notes (think Grachan Moncur/Jackie McLean dates, or perhaps Andrew Hill), but keeps its bop roots intact. Interesting writing and interpretations on that particular sound emerge on all six selections. But in history, the band is now better known for adding horns to MC5 albums and for Cox going on to found the Strata Records imprint, his attempt to better document the scene in his hometown.