While his "Vibes From the Tribe" combines the ethereal harmonic drift of Miles Davis circa Nefertiti with the bass-driven grooves concurrently being explored by Herbie Hancock, "For the Children", though certainly still jazz, finds him singing as well as soloing on trombone. Ranelin, represented as a leader on three of the comp's 12 tracks, plays jazz, but he was ultimately re-discovered |||||| by the rare groove set, which gives an idea of his dedication to hypnotic rhythm. In the notes, comparisons are drawn between the Tribe's mission and that of Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, but the music here is comparatively accessible, with a steady, danceable pulse, and it never veers into avant-garde abstraction. The music is most striking for its eclectic, without-borders approach: though "jazz" is an appropriate catchall term and the music feels of a piece, the individual tracks defy easy categorization. Message From the Tribe, originally issued in 1996 and now re-issued by Soul Jazz's Universal Sound imprint with new packaging, gives an overview of Tribe's output during its five-year run. The Tribe was a group of people banding together, trying so sort through it all as it happened. There was a lot of uncertainty in Detroit in the early 1970s- the auto industry was declining, parts of the city had been destroyed during riots in the late 60s, and population was in the early stages of a long, dramatic decline. Everything about the Tribe was local, intent on reflecting and documenting the surrounding community. the year Tribe was founded) while simultaneously pursuing jazz. The label issued the work of area musicians, some of whom made a living as session players for Motown (the company left Detroit for L.A. Its magazine featured news and editorials on the issues of the day- busing, government corruption, the dimming economic climate- alongside discussion of music. The Tribe was born out of the African-American consciousness of the Civil Rights era, and its mission was to further the cause of black empowerment. Such was the case with the Tribe, a creative collective founded in Detroit in 1972 by trombonist Phil Ranelin and reed player Wendell Harrison and whose media arm included a label and quarterly magazine.