LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Recorded in Paris on June 22, 1969 Monkey-Pockie-Boo was originally released on the BYG/Actuel label and was a long sought-after classic free-music item for many years. With Sharrock's guitar and wife Linda's vocals the pair wail up a storm of freefloating sound over Ben Guerin's bass and Jacques Thollot's drums. Alongside Black Woman this is certainly an essential recording in the fierce and impassioned guitarist's career. Sonny Sharrock was one of the top avant-garde guitarists of his day and his playing was intense and ferocious. To say that he fused Jimi Hendrix and Pharoah Sanders is no overstatement... "Sharrock was the first guitarist to really embrace fire music... he wanted his playing to mirror the emotional scream of the tenor saxophone"... (Thurston Moore and Byron Coley from the liner notes of Jazzactuel). Also available on LP (GET 337).