Unfortunately for Steve, returning to the States saw him lose his freedom, as the FBI busted him for being a draft dodger and he was sentenced to four years in jail. Upon his release he chose self-imposed exile and moved to Europe where he now calls Lugano, Switzerland home. Needless to say, after having had his taken away from him for refusing to fight in a war he didn't believe in, freedom in all shapes and sizes has become central to his being.

Listening to his newest release, Daxaar, traditional name of the Senegalese capital Dakar, where the disc was recorded on the Domino label, it's hard not to notice how that commitment to freedom is expressed in the music. Steve and long time collaborator, electronic music whiz Kieran Hebden were accompanied by keyboardist Boris Netsvetaev on the trip to Africa. Once there, they joined forces with five African players; Khadim Badji percussion, Dembel Diop bass, Roger Ongolo trumpet, and Jimi Mbaye guitar.

It's only natural that as a drummer Steve uses rhythm as the starting point for his music, and the idea behind this album was to create the music from a series of spontaneous jams around various rhythmic constructions. The results are something quite awesome. Daxaar starts off sedately enough with "Welcome", featuring the high, clean vocals that have become the hallmark of Senegalese sound. Isa Kouyate provides the vocal and plays the korah, a type of West African harp, that opens the door for us to enter into Africa via Steve Reid's vivid imagination and love of rhythm.

For the rest of the disc, while Africa remains firmly in the mix, the seven piece band sets out on an exploration of rhythm and melody in order to express themes or capture an image that Steve has in mind. For example on the title track "Daxaar" Reid had an image in his head of the people he had seen running on the beach when he first came into town from the airplane. That sets up an interesting contrast with "Dabronxaar" which mixes Steve's old "Da Bronx" neighbourhood and Daxaar into a sort of exotic funk stew.

The songs are built in layers of rhythm, so that they each develop a unique texture to the point where they become almost tactile experiences as well as auditory ones. "Daxaar" for example, starts out with only keyboard and electronic sounds, which are joined by muted conga drum, trumpet, and guitar. The near hypnotic affect that's created by their almost loop like repetition, is saved from becoming tedious by the interjection of an occasional crash from Steve's drum kit.

It's unexpected elements like that, or the trumpet solo in "Jiggy Jiggy", that give the disc Daxaar its spice and strength. Those are the expressions of freedom that are so important to Steve Reid, because while rhythm is the pulse that lets us know a piece of music has life, there's more to life than just making sure your heart is beating. There has to be the highs and lows of emotion and thought or else the body will just lie there inert and unfeeling.