The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe

The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe were a New York family ensemble assembled by bassist and composer Bill Lee, whose session career had taken him from Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin to Duke Ellington, Simon and Garfunkel, and Peter, Paul and Mary. For this project, Lee brought together his siblings: Cliff Lee on flugelhorn, Consuela Lee Moorhead on piano, and A. Grace Lee Mims on soprano vocals. The name was an act of deliberate tribute to their enslaved ancestors. Recorded over three days in December 1973 at Minot Studios in White Plains and released on Strata East the following year, "A Spirit Speaks" is their only album, and it has become one of the most collected records in the label's catalogue. The music draws on gospel, soul, blues, and free-leaning spiritual jazz, with Billy Higgins and Sonny Brown sharing the drum chair. Tracks like "Coltrane" and "Attica" carry the political consciousness that runs through Strata East's best work. A 2025 reissue pressed at RTI and mastered by Kevin Gray is the most accessible the record has been in decades.

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