Gotta love Lester; playful, challenging, always restless Lester. Ever see The Art Ensemble Of Chicago? A complete assault on the senses - all six of them. The musicians would come on stage and take you on a crazy journey thro' the past, the present and onto the future of music - Great Black Music, as they'd announce at the end of the show. So extreme; from the verge of collapse, the music would magically become something beautiful and mesmeric, and yet with the threat, (or promise, maybe) of anarchy never far away.
And there in the middle would be Lester, mad professor Bowie in his lab coat, two-pronged goatee beard and a mischievous smile on his face.
Here's the epic, classic piece from the film soundtrack Les Stances A Sophie, featuring Lester's wife Fontella Bass on vocal.
Lester Bowie was born on this day in 1941. He died in 1999. His music is still avant-garde.
