Michael Marcus Trio - Ithem

Andy Hamilton, The Wire

Marcus, active on the New York jazz scene since 1982, comes from the melodic as opposed to high octane branch of free jazz, the altoist and bass clarinettist drawing on Sonny Simmons and Ornette Coleman.
Ithem, which rhymes with anthem, finds him in the company of William Parker on bass and the late great Denis Charles on drums, live at the Old Knitting Factory in 1993.
Charles is also a melodic player, and his long solo on take one of "Ithem" could almost be by Max Roach.
Bizarre miking of the drums, in particular a very splashy crash cymbal setting up a big wash of sound, diffuses the focus of the soundstage. But if you avoid listening on headphones, the quality of the music is clear.