Weird Music Wednesday: “Freedom Jazz Dance” by Vernon Reid
Maverick rock musician unafraid to drift into the avant-garde.
Vernon Reid’s Hoodoo Telemetry is not a comfortable listen… It is an unapologetically weird, chaotic, and fiercely intelligent musical atlas of the guitarist’s “all-over-the-place” mind. A kaleidoscopic journey through funk, jazz, metal, hip-hop, and avant-garde electronica. Rather than a cohesive album in the traditional sense, it feels like a sonic scrapbook (accurately represented by the album’s cover)—a non-linear, tangled tapestry of ideas, new recordings, and reclaimed material that spans decades.
The most striking aspect of Hoodoo Telemetry, especially for listeners familiar with Reid through his work with Living Colour, is its radical divergence from that band’s successful rock-fusion formula. The structures are more fractured, arrangements are often dense and abrasive, and the commitment to a single genre or mood is nonexistent. Tracks like the jazz-fusion psychedelic-ish “Or Knot” and the dystopian, spoken-word soundscape “Black Fathom Five” (featuring BEANS) immediately push the listener far outside the stadium-rock comfort zone.
There’s a significant shift toward experimental textures and effects, with heavy use of electronica, turntablism (via DJ Logic), and unconventional instrumentation. Where Living Colour built songs, Hoodoo Telemetry often builds collages—sonic representations of the “tumultuous” world as Reid perceives it (usually relegated to his often riotous solos). The result is urgent, restless, and at times, intentionally difficult album, reflecting Reid’s improvisational roots and deep commitment to the avant-garde Black rock tradition.
The second track on the record, “Freedom Jazz Dance” is the definitive proof that Reid is not just a rock star playing complex music, but an established member of the jazz/experimental community with an unparalleled technical command. It takes the cool, complex intellectualism of the original Eddie Harris penned modal jazz standard and injects it with a searing, electric urgency. Reid’s articulate guitar solos demonstrate his ability to navigate complex chord changes at high speed without losing his raw, visceral edge, and showcases the incredible musicianship of the ensemble—bass, drums, and guitar—working as a tight, improvising unit. This is the sound of musicians pushing each other to the limit, a key element of the album’s chaotic, yet brilliant, spirit.
The Song
This is just the song… no video exists
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/song/freedom-jazz-dance/1822301777
The Album
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/hoodoo-telemetry/1822301775