Album Notes

2007 Release. Guitarist and composer Ahmad Mansour has been active on the New York and European music scenes for over two decades, performing and recording with established players such as Marc Copland, John Taylor, George Mraz or Marc Johnson and countless younger talents, with a dozen CD releases as leader, spanning the gamut of modern guitar and compositional styles. Recorded live, Free Speech is testament to the group's improvisational magic on stage, further strengthening the chemistry heard on its last ESC Records release, Public Domain. Performed with unbridled energy and drawing from a wide variety of influences, this music defies categorization.

"Wrapping itself into a tight, swirling ball of kinetic energy, guitarist Ahmad Mansour’s electric trio grooves and burns its way through a mesmerizing live set that demands to be heard straight through. Striking improvisational statements bubble up from murky depths, with Mansour’s lines swinging between speedy, liquid arpeggios and a blues-rock crunch; precise exposition giving way to sudden incendiary swells. Stomu Takeishi’s sinister pulse on five-string fretless bass grounds the sound, while drummer Ted Poor, all constant motion, hurls the group forward."

-Forrest Dylan Bryant - March 2008 - Jazztimes USA


"Mansour's second release on ESC further twists and elongates many of the themes and dynamics introduced on last year's Public Domain. Like its predecessor, Free Speech captures the group on tour in Europe and takes the trio's characteristically open-ended interactions to some marvellous new levels. Built on a hypnotically rocky beat the title track's bluesy riff and molten, dreamy chords veer into a chasm of squawks and undersea whines before reaching a scorching apex while "Modulator"'s driving wah-wah groove brings silky, sweeping lines from Takeishi over the powerfully restless, yet inventive Poor. The album's magnum opus, "Nebula", reconfigures Mansour's "A Minor Introduction", creating deft, intricate soundscapes, amid dazzling group interplay in which lush, liquid melodic sequences ebb and flow at will. "Rule and Divide" is an achingly understated reinterpretation of the tender ballad while the closing "Out on a Limb" is a scorching funk vamp." **** (four stars out of four)

-James McGowan - September 2007 - Jazzwise Magazine UK

"Recorded live to 2-track during a 2006 European tour, this trio generates quite a bit of spark within the jazz-fusion spectrum. Guitarist Ahmad Mansour’s second release for this German record label is designed with an open-air sound and mode of attack. With ace New York City modern jazz denizens, bassist Stomu Takeishi and drummer Ted Poor providing some of the oomph and gusto, the trio generates a sequence of climactically-oriented, theme-building forays.

Mansour gnaws, nibbles and blurts out razor-sharp e-guitar lines amid some jazz-tinged funk phrasings. In effect, they take a bit of time when zooming in for the kill, as they sustain interest throughout. It’s not your typical plugged-in jazz fiesta where soloists seem more inclined to care more about the soloing spots, while sacrificing the group-based vibe. Wondrously recorded, this live outing resonates with sparkling attributes. Check it out on a good set of cans, and you’ll hear even more detail. They generate some high-heat while Mansour soars skyward amid pumping groove-based shuffles and backbeats. But at the end of the day the leader surfaces as a “thinking-man’s guitarist.” A top-flight effort that communicates a jam-based methodology, enhanced by colorful hues and a touch of class…"

-Glenn Astarita - February 2008 - EJAZZNEWS