THE TAO OF MAD PHAT: FRINGE ZONES

This live album consists of about half straight up be-bop songs, and about half of Five Element version of fusion, which leans a lot more toward funk than rock. But there is still Coleman's weirdly cool sense of melody. Very avant garde.

The album begins with the title track, The Tao Of Mad Phat which is primarily an alto sax solo by Coleman. The next track Alt-Shift-Return is my favorite on the album. It's a low key, but but very compelling funk rhythm, with of course, some fine soloing. Collective Meditations I is a suite of fine be-bop pieces, but not fusion. Polymad Nomads is another great funk fusion solo extravaganza, and Little Girl On Fire starts as a low key be-bop number, but buils to energetic funk by the end.

This album is indicative of the one time I saw this band play live, so I would suggest picking it up for the Coleman live experience.