| Rhythm People (The Resurrection of Creative Black Civilization) | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Steve Coleman |
| Cover: | Rhythm People (The Resurrection of Creative Black Civilization).jpg |
| Released: | 1990 |
| Genre: | Jazz, funk[1] |
| Label: | Novus[2] |
| Producer: | Steve Coleman |
| Prev Title: | Sine Die |
| Prev Year: | 1988 |
| Next Title: | Black Science |
| Next Year: | 1991 |
Rhythm People (The Resurrection of Creative Black Civilization) is an album by the American saxophonist Steve Coleman, released in 1990.[3] [4] He is credited with his band, the Five Elements.[5]
Coleman wrote or cowrote all of Rhythm People (The Resurrection of Creative Black Civilization)s songs.[6] David Gilmore played guitar on the album; Dave Holland played bass.[7] [8] Members of the M-Base music collective contributed, including Cassandra Wilson.[9] [10] Coleman rapped on "Dangerous".[11]
Robert Christgau deemed the album "almost true fusion," but praised the "secondhand funk" aspects. The Chicago Tribune determined that "Coleman's alto sax is agile enough here; it just doesn't have any of the vitality of the [street] life with which it tries so hard to connect."[12] The Los Angeles Times admired "Robin Eubanks' fat trombone doubling Coleman's elongated alto sax melody through 'Neutral Zone', and the slippery, peek-a-boo performance of 'Ice Moves'."
The St. Petersburg Times wrote: "Taking polyrhythmic cues from Africa, Coleman has derived a freewheeling funk beat that eschews taut 4/4 patterns."[13] The New York Times concluded that, "though the record has copious amounts of improvisation and complicated rhythmic and harmonic movement masquerading as funk, it is basically an instrumental pop record of great complexity."[14]
AllMusic wrote that Coleman's "solo style (often relying heavily on whole-tone runs and unexpected interval jumps) is intriguing."