One of the many key qualities of the Art Ensemble of Chicago was their ability to marry the abstract with the traditional. In painting the equivalent would have been Jackson Pollock using Rembrandt, so one can appreciate what skill was required to carry it off. This album features perhaps the Ensemble's most influential line-up (they would go through as many changes in their history as Madonna does outfits in an average concert) and includes trumpeter Lester Bowie and Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman on a variety of instruments (ranging from soprano sax to drums). If any of the Ensemble's albums can be chosen as the definitive album then maybe Fanfare for the Warriors is the one. The album showcases their audacious avant-garde jazz, which also harks back to jazz's roots and manages to be both challenging and light-hearted at the same time. The title track itself gives the listener one of the truly essential Ensemble numbers. Fanfare is not always an easy listen but it is always innovative and exciting. --Phil Brett