The Last Poets: Don "Babatunde" Eaton (drums); Abiodun Oyewole, Umar Bin Hassan.
Additional personnel: Jamal Whatley, Khalil Muhammad Hassan, Chuch D (vocals); Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone); Aiyb Dieng (chatan, talking drum, congas, bells, gongs, percussion); DXT (kalimba, background vocals); Pharoah Davis, Andre Zachery (background vocals).
Principally recorded at Greenpoint Studio, Brooklyn, New York. Includes liner notes by Bill Adler.
Personnel: (Ex) Cat Heads (vocals); Pharoah Sanders (tenor saxophone); Aiyb Dieng (congas, talking drum, percussion, bells, gong); D.X.T. (kalimba, background vocals); Andre Zachery, Pharoah Davis (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Keith Shocklee.
Liner Note Author: Bill Adler.
Recording information: Greenpoint Studio, Brooklyn, NY.
Photographers: Piotr Sikora; Yoomi Chong.
Arranger: Bill Laswell.
Picking up where Holy Terror and Umar Bin Hassan's solo album Be Bop or Be Dead left off, The Time Has Come is a scalding blend of avant-jazz, bebop and hip-hop, highlighted by cameos from Chuck D and Pharoah Sanders. These two guests may be impressive, but they don't steal the show -- they merely demonstrate that the Last Poets are too diverse and way too smart to be pigeonholed into one particular category. Occasionally, the record may be a bit unfocused, and its relentless barrage of avant-poetry may be headache-inducing to some, but few records are as politically powerful and articulate as this. ~ Leo Stanley minimize