Free As You Wanna Be

Free As You Wanna Be

The Lightmen

€ 32,95
  • LP
Label
Vampisoul
Expected release
27 March 2026
PRE-ORDER ITEM: This item will only be shipped to you on or after 27 March 2026. Please note any orders containing pre-order items won't be shipped until all items are available, so please order this separately to avoid delays. Release dates are at the mercy of labels, distributor, and pressing plants and will change constantly.

PICK-UP AT SHOP / FREE SHIPPING FOR ORDERS WITHIN BELGIUM AND EXCEEDING €150 (FYI: we notice delays at Bpost which are out of our hands, if you want to be a 100% sure about delivery date, best choose pick-up) / Shipping costs are dependent on various factors and are calculated in your shopping cart. Add this item to your cart to see the shipping cost. Or pick up your order at our store in Ghent.

Description

“Free As You Wanna Be”, the first album by drummer Bubbha Thomas and his band The Lightmen, predates the deep-set, maverick jazz issued by the likes of Tribe and Strata East: This album is a harbinger of the collective voice of resistance to the musical and cultural status quo that emerged in the 1970s jazz underground.

Drummer, bandleader and activist Bubbha Thomas had toured America with R&B revues, served as a session musician for peacock and back beat records, and played straight ahead jazz with legends before the political and social upheaval of the late 1960s led him to a path first charted by Coltrane.

Most of the tracks remain strongly groove-based with a clear sense of cohesion, but a few of the performances push further out than you might expect from later Lightmen releases, revealing the band’s deep roots in avant-jazz. This lineup includes a very young Ronnie Laws sounding noticeably removed from the jazz-fusion style he’d adopt in the late ’70s. Alongside Thomas on drums, the ensemble is rounded out by Doug Harris on tenor sax, Carl Adams on trumpet, Kenny Abair on guitar, and Joe Singleton on trombone.

We are now reissuing “Free As You Wanna Be” once again thanks to our collaboration with Now-Again Records.

Tracklist

A

  • 1.Creative Music02:30
  • 2.Free As You Wanna Be08:32
  • 3.High Pockets05:19

B

  • 1.Talk Visit Number04:32
  • 2.May '6704:35
  • 3.#109 Psychosomatic05:35
  • 4.Luke 23:32-4903:07

Videos

You might also like

Shopping bag