Sounds of Liberation was a band - and a social movement - formed in Philadelphia in 1970. The group consisted of seven members: Khan Jamal (vibraphone), Byard Lancaster (alto saxophone), Billy Mills (bass), Dwight James (drums), Monnette Sudler (guitar), Omar Hill (percussion), and Rashid Salim (percussion). Originally conceived and formed by Khan Jamal, the arrival of Byard Lancaster in 1971 helped shift their focus and efforts into a higher gear. Jamal and Lancaster would work together in different configurations throughout the decade. Sounds of Liberation were at the forefront of avant-garde Black expression in the early 1970s, putting action behind their creative endeavors. They were as much of a community force as a band, and there was a strong desire by the entire group to work with a range of different populations, from school children to inmates. They continued to do so through the mid-1970s. In addition to club performances, the collective initiated happenings in elementary schools, prisons & community centers throughout Philly, to great success and impact. Dogtown Records are back to keep their legacy alive and introduce the group to a new generation . Sounds of Liberation is a six-song, 50-minute album of original music (with compositions attributed to the group, in addition to co-author Abraham Howard Jr. on "Happy Tuesday"). It was reissued to great acclaim by Porter Records in 2010 and - like the original version - has been out-of-print for many years.. This new reissue package - with liner notes by legendary Philly jazz chronicler Francis Davis - has been prepared for this important reissue by group members, in collaboration with Peter "Max" Ochester of Philly's Brewerytown Beats Records. As an in-depth review of the album by Thom Jurek of AllMusic.com details: The interplay [on "Happy Tuesday"] between James' drums, congas, and hand percussion is astonishing. Lancaster solos over the top with a remarkable depth of emotional and technical facility, while Sudler's guitar and Jamal's vibes create two textures: the former, a dense, fiery Wall of Sound, and the latter, a fluid melodicism way inside the music. "Billie One" is also a Latin-inspired funk-rock groover with a terrific solo by Jamal, but it is Mills' startling electric bass playing that startles. "New Horizons I" picks up where its predecessor left off with Cuban, Panamanian, and even Afro-Brazilian polyrhythms juxtaposed against crying spiritual saxophone by Lancaster, and a stinging lead guitar break by Sudler, who also plays grooved-out funk vamps with Mills. This is deeply emotional and soulful jazz - termed Black Liberation Music by band members - created with passion and purpose by masters of the artform, and it sounds as powerful today as it did back upon its original commitment to tape
