For a few years now, the main thing in the reissue business has been finding super-rare albums that came out decades ago as private pressings or in small editions on small labels. However, the musical quality of these re-releases is often overshadowed by the fact that they’re rare. That’s not the case with »Evolution,« the only solo album by David Lee Jr. from New Orleans. The album, which the drummer and percussionist released in 1974 on his own label Supernal Records in an edition of 400 copies, has been unfairly overlooked. It adds an hitherto unknown new chapter to the history of spiritual jazz from the late 60s and early 70s.
David Lee Jr., who played with musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins and Roy Ayers as a drummer, puts together a pretty unusual mix of different styles on this album, and does it really well: The album is a mix of free jazz, spiritual jazz, funk and experimental pieces that don’t fit into any of the usual genres. As a percussionist, David Lee Jr. draws on the marching music of his native New Orleans and contributes his ultra-heavy drums to many of the tracks.
