Cosmetic was a short lived jazz-funk band with releases in the early to mid 80's. Members included Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Timothy Murphy, & Rick McClary.
"JAMAALADEEN TACUMA is a busy man these days. As the remarkably fluent lead bassist in Ornette Coleman's trailblazing electric band Prime Time, Mr. Tacuma has been winning considerable critical acclaim.
But the 26-year-old Long Island native is also making occasional appearances with an avant-garde all-star band called the Golden Palominos, leading a band of his own called Jamaal and working with two other musicians in a cooperative band called Cosmetic.
Mr. Tacuma describes Cosmetic, which will be headlining at Danceteria on Saturday, as ''a band that performs new dance music.'' His bass playing, which combines the repeating patterns of funk and disco music with a jazz musician's ear for fresh melodic variations and modulations, is the band's most distinctive asset. But the guitarist, Timothy Murphy, is an interesting and versatile stylist who is more interested in making music than in showing off, and Rick McClary is a solid inventive drummer.
Cosmetic's first record, a 12-inch single with ''New Complexion'' on one side and ''Cosmetics'' on the other, was recently released by England's Rough Trade records and is available as an import. But the best place to hear the band is on stage at Danceteria."
from The New York Times, July 14, 1982
What I have for you today is Tacuma's first solo album, Show Stopper. It was released in 1983 on the Gramavision label. This album grew out of the jazz-funk style Tacuma had developed in his work with Coleman. As Charlie Haden had played free-jazz bass for the original Ornette Coleman group, Jamaaladeen Tacuma manned the electric bass for Coleman's funky harmolodic Prime Time group. Harmolodics may loosely be defined as an expression of music in which harmony, movement of sound, & melody all share the same value. Joe Zawinul referred to harmolodics as "nobody solos, everybody solos".
Tacuma showcased his unique style of avant-garde jazz on Coleman's 1982 album Of Human Feelings & became widely viewed as one of the most distinctive bassists since Jaco Pastorius.
In 1981 Tacuma received the highest number of votes ever for an electric bassist in the "talent deserving wider recognition" category of the Down Beat magazine critics poll.
Anyone familiar with this mess knows I have a particular fondness for bassists. I still play my red Hohner B2a Headless Stick Bass. I’m still as bad (not good bad, just bad) as on WWF (Weird White Fuckers). I have a special fondness for bassists who excel in their art. Bill Laswell...Bootsy Collins...Robbie Shakespeare...Charlie Haden...Mike Watt...Lemmy Kilmister...Aston “Family Man” Barrett...Larry Graham, well, you get the idea (I know all of you will be saying, "What about John Paul Jones, what about Entwhistle...or Les C & Kim G & Tony L & Geddy L & Flea & Jaco P). We all have different tastes, different likes, & different heroes. The above mentioned just happen to be some of my faves.
Add to that hallowed list Jamaaladeen Tacuma...
Thanks Jonder for the reminder, opening my fog-filled brain for a moment of clarity...
Jamaaladeen Tacuma - Show Stopper, Gramavision GR 8301, 1983.
decryption code in comments
Side One -
Sunk in the Funk
Rhythm Box
From Me to You
Animated Creation
Side Two -
Bird of Paradise
Show Stopper
Tacuma Song
From the Land of Sand
Sophisticated Us
Enjoy,
NØ