The Awakening Mirage

The Awakening's 1973 Sophomore Album Mirage on Colored LP: Newly Remastered by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision & New Liner Notes by Pat Thomas.

Color of Vinyl Subject to Change Without Notice / Call to Confirm Colored Copies Are Still Available

The only 'group' on the Black Jazz roster, The Awakening today should be heralded as one of the great bands in early '70s jazz. That they're not is the result of the Black Jazz label's distribution woes; witness the fact that original copies of both of their records for the imprint command prices in the hundreds of dollars, if you can find them at all. Mirage is their second (1973) album, the last one they made together; it boasts the same Chicago-based, AACM-centric lineup as the first, with the notable addition of bassist Rufus Reid on a couple of tracks. Spiritual jazz, free jazz, soul jazz, fusion jazz, you name it, The Awakening take all those threads common to early '70s African-American music and, like any great ensemble, weave them into a beautiful sonic garment that's greater than the sum of its parts. Mirage is a bit less political/pan-African than Hear, Sense and Feel, its predecessor, which definitely owed some of its feel to the band's Art Ensemble of Chicago/AACM roots; this record is a little more abstract, a little more varied in its moods and textural coloring, yet no less powerful and transporting. The Real Gone release comes newly remastered (by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision) and with new liner notes by Pat Thomas. A record to discover, savor, and treasure.