Recommendations or feedback

[David H]

I was wondering if anyone could give me any feedback on the follwing recent Verve rreissues and releases:

Albert Ayler - Music Is The Healing Force of the Universe

Archie Shepp - Attica Blues

I've never tried Ayler or Shepp, I was wondering if these 70s recordings caught them in a 'moderate' state as opposed to totally free?

Gabor Szabo - High Contrast

Steve Kuhn & Gary McFarland - The October Suite

I know nothing by any of these artists.

The Crusaders - Rural Renewal

I've a soft spot for The Crusaders (Free As The Wind, Images, Those Southern Knights - all wonderful) The prospect of hearing Sample, Fielder and Hooper playing together after all this time is very tempting.

Wayne Shorter - Alegria

A perennial favourite of mine. I'm looking forward to the London concert on the 29th March.

Many thanks in advance.

[J Larsen]

These won't be officially released until next week. I heard they had these all ready to go a couple years ago, but shelved them due to "marketing concerns" or something like that. While I haven't heard these records myself, Ayler did not "mellow with age". If you want to hear Ayler in a "moderate state", I'd suggest the album Goin' Home, which consists mainly of spirituals.

The "classic" Shepp I'd have to think is Fire Music, which isn't too far out to my ears. OTOH, I've heard good things about Attica Blues as well. I'm sure someone else with first-hand knowledge of these albums will post here before next week, but if not I'll share my thoughts next week when I pick up the cds.

[AfricaBrass]

I don't know if you subscribe to emusic.com or not, but they have some of the Impulse albums of Ayler and Shepp if you're curious. Emusic is also starting to get the ESP catalog which has some great Ayler. I think they have a promotion for 50 free downloads. I haven't heard the two you mention, but their other albums from that period are pretty intense.

[J Larsen]

Shepp actually did bring his playing more "inside" in the mid-70s (at least on some records I've heard), so Attica Blues might not be all that intense. I would agree with you on Ayler, though. FWIW, I'm an Ayler fanatic. I'm up and down with Shepp. Lately I've felt fairly ambivilent towards most of his work. Fire Music is a very good record, though, as is Further Fire Music and Live in SF.

[AfricaBrass]

J Larsen,

That's true about Shepp. I have some of his recordings from the mid-seventies and they are quite different than Fire Music. Attica Blues came out in '72 I believe, so it might be quite different. I would like to hear it though. I go up and down with Shepp. Of those New Wave on Impulse guys, I really dig Marion Brown more than Shepp. I also dig Ayler. I have his ESP stuff and most of his Impulse Stuff. One of his that I like is the Fondation Nights. I picked that one up cheap and have really enjoyed it.

Speaking of Impulse, I don't know if there are any Pharoah Sanders fans out there, but one of my all-time favorite albums is his Izipho Zam on the Strata East Label. I don't know if you can wear out a cd, but I've been trying for years with this one.

[alankin]

http://cover09.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/470/476910.jpg

Steve Kuhn & Gary McFarland - "The October Suite (http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=5657511&style=music&frm=lk_jzmtz)" is one that I liked a lot, although I haven't heard it in a decade or two.

Steve Kuhn's an excellent pianist, who's been on many labels over the years. He's on Sheila Jordan's new one, Little Song (http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=5506986&style=music&frm=lk_jzmtz), on HighNote.

(Trivia: Kuhn was Coltrane's first pianist.)

[LeMo]

If you want to discover Albert Ayler and Archie Shepp don't start with those records.
The Ayler One comes from a period, not very far from his death, where he tries to mix jazz and rythm'n'blues (Ayler can be considered as the first jazz-rock artist. He did that before Miles start). The result, alas, wasn't very interesting. If you want to start somewhere with Ayler, go for the last record of the man: "Les Nuits de la fondation Maeght" (on Water 103). It's a masterpiece where his genius is at his most purest.
The sound is first rate.

The Shepp was also a big disapointement. It's a big band tentative of a political statement. If the statement was a legitimate one, the music never rich the point of consistancy. Shepp has try also, in this record, to make more "accessible music" throught, a bit like Ayler, throught some Rythm'n'blues. The probleme with this record was an evident contradiction between his message and the music in wich it's bring.

If you want start with Shepp take "Four for Trane", "The Way Ahead" (as LP, my favorite Shepp with "The Magic of Juju" who, for the moment exists only in a Japan printing). It will not be too hard to hear by more "mainstream" ears.
You can try also the excellent "Steam" from Enja (it's possible to order it on their site at middle price). It's in trio setting (with the great but late Beaver Harris on drums and Cameron Brown on bass). It's free allright but with a strong blues feeling.
Try it sometime.

[LeMo]

J Larsen: "Going Home" is a Shepp Records not a Ayler One!

[JSngry]

Originally posted by David H
I was wondering if anyone could give me any feedback on the follwing recent Verve rreissues and releases:

Albert Ayler - Music Is The Healing Force of the Universe

Archie Shepp - Attica Blues

I've never tried Ayler or Shepp, I was wondering if these 70s recordings caught them in a 'moderate' state as opposed to totally free?



The Ayler is not one of his "commercial" attempts like NEW GRASS. It does feature several vocals by Maria Parks with a "spiritual" slant that you probably will either find charmingly naive or irritatingly naive (I go for the former myself, but that's just me). But the playing is Ayleresque in the extreme throughout, except for the closing tune, a shuffle blues that kinda hints at NEW GRASS. There's even an extended bagpipe feature that is just so wack that it makes no sense at all to try and figure out. You'll either dig it for what it is or run screaming from the room for the same reason. Myself, it's the only time I've actually enjoyed bagpipes...

So, no, definitely not the starting point for Ayler, but if you get into him, one you'll want to have eventually, I think, and one that won't be available in perpetuity.

The Shepp I have mixed feelings about. The big band itself (not on all cuts, btw) is pretty ragged, but damn - it's darn GOOD writing, executed spiritedly. Shepp plays quite well throughout, and as far as I'm concerned, his solo on "Quiet Dawn" is one of the last truly great big-band tenor solos, from the goosebump-inducung intro to the way that he rides the ensemble to the way he winds down and sets up the rest of the piece. Masterful in every regard.

The thing is, though, is that "Quiet Dawn" is a vocal feature for Waheeda Massey, who was only 5 or 6 years old at the time, and sounds every bit of it, if you know what I mean. But hell, she was Cal's daughter, and it's Cal's tune. You'll NEVER hear me bitching about a chance to hear Cal Massey's music! But the whole album has that blessing/curse dichotomy to it.

So, neither of these albums are not the best introductions to either of these artists, but both ARE things with merit, and things that fans of each will want to have. In a perfect world, they be available forever, and you could get them if and when you decided you were ready for them. But this ain't a perfect world, so all I can say is, if you like your jazz mellow and non-agressive/confrontational, look elsewhere. But if the full range of human experience, including "cosmic" spirituality and the politics of frustration turned into militancy expressed in musical terms holds intrigue for you, get them while you can and file them away if you don't dig them right away. You may find yourself growing into them, and even if you don't, once they go OOP, SOMEBODY'S gonna want them. I guarantee it.

[J Larsen]

Originally posted by LeMo
J Larsen: "Going Home" is a Shepp Records not a Ayler One!

Um, not quite - they both had albums by this title:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=10:20:46|AM&sql=Absu06jp871r0

[JSngry]

Both "Goin' Home" albums are exquisite.

[David H]

Thanks for the advice - much appreciated.

I'll have to see if I can find either the Ayler or the Shepp on a listening post in one of my record shops and have a brief listen before I commit myself. Or, failing that try and 'sweet-talk' a member of staff in the jazz section to put one of the CDs on.

[LeMo]

J Larsen: You're right and, what the funny things is than I own it. But for a reason or another, I never listen to him or to his brother twin: "My Name is Albert Ayler". So, all my excuses for this wrong correction of your post.

[xricci]

I'm an old Crusaders fan and I was really looking forward to hearing the new disc too. There are a few decent tunes that deliver the old sound, but the two vocal tracks and the “smoother” stuff were a real turn off. And I wish they used the trombone on a few more tunes--it would have helped.

Did you know Eric Clapton played on the first two tracks?

[David H]

I don't think the CD is out in the UK (yet) but I will be keeping my eyes open for it. I'd seen Clpaton's name on the promotional ads, it'll be interesting comparing his guitar work to that of Larry Carlton's (even though it is only on two tracks) I certainly hope the current CD is better than The Crusaders last few recordings after Stix Hooper left, when that happend the for me the heart went out of the band.