Occupying that fine cross section of politically motivated groove music that seems to bear hallmarks from every corner of NYC's late 70's early 80's underground. Sedition Ensemble's Regeneration Report has classic written all over it yet for some reasons feel through the cracks of above ground (even if marginally so) history. The group was founded by Ed Montgomery, a San Francisco transplant living in New York City, & included Hector Lavoe, Larry Harlow, & Bern Nix (Ornette Coleman's Prime Time & The Contortions) to name a few.
If the lead track "Tax" is any indication of what else is to come on this album then we can expect a quintessential mix of underground political ideologies & cultural fusion. The latin influence in particular is hard at play here. I'm not sure if Montgomery's latin influence came before or after his move from San Francisco to New York but would wager a pretty penny (that is if I gambled) on the latter as the big apple had it's own thriving Latino music scene at the time. It's a great blend of radical post-hippie politics made music.
Sedition Ensemble's Regeneration Report is available now via Sol Re Sol Records.
