Found on Limewire...
Steve Lacy made an album of duets in 1996. This track is 'The Crust,' with the soprano saxist accompanied by Marilyn Crispell. Piano states an ascending scale/melody as a vamp against which Lacy enters and plays the jaunty theme with its undertones of Monk. Lacy solos, nothing seemingly over-complicated – yet somehow just right. 'Taking the line for a walk,' as Lacy once summed up the art of improvisation. Crispell's solo starts in Mal Waldron territory over an insistent off-centre left hand vamp. It gets knottier...
Agit-prop seventies style. Archie Shepp and cohorts performing the 'African Drum Suite' from his album 'Cry of My People.' Drums, skirling horns, choir: 'African drums we love you so much.' This could be come across as a bit twee – but one remembers the temporal backdrop of turmoil, war, battles for racial identity and that counterbalances any over-reach, I would argue. Shepp blasts it out on soprano, the backing a little reminiscent in places of Coltrane's 'Africa Brass,' (plus shades of 'Kulu Sé Mama?') as the rhythm section patter away - rolling African-esque rhythms cross-fed into jazz. Again, a shadow of Coltrane over Shepp's soprano and the modal vamping piano - yet he has his own sound and the minimally-used strings give a unique texture. Ambitious...
'Johnny Coles's is present in spirit - in the piano, it seems...' The mighty Charles Mingus and a track from one of the great live albums, recorded in Paris 1964 – 'Fables of Faubus.' Militancy á la Mingus – dry, caustic, passionate and wild by turns. (Coles was taken ill prior to the gig...). A sing-song theme and off they go - Richmond's drums a skitter-skatter, howls, imprecations, imploring solos - abrupt tempo changes, accelerando/ritardando (I love those Italian terms rolling off the tongue to mimic the time-games - as if conventional notation could come near capturing music like this). Everyone on the top of their art - check that late section with Dolphy's amazing vocalised squawks and slurs and Mingus's bass mirror - an amazing conversation... 37 minutes and you still want more...
Update – I just noticed on a random flick through the blogs that Etnobofin has a post about Eric Dolphy in Europe which mentions this gig. Synchronicity... Worth checking out...
A short post – but exhaustion has taken its toll and I've run off the end of myself... more to come when I 've rested up...
In the Videodrome...
Jaco Pastorious with Gil Evans Ork in Japan...
...Archie Shepp on soprano
...and Steve Lacy...
...Soft Machine...
Steve Lacy/Marilyn Crispell
(Steve Lacy (ss); Marilyn Crispell (p) ).
The Crust
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Archie Shepp
(Archie Shepp (ts,ss); Peggie Blue, Joe Lee Wilson, Andre Franklin (vo); Charles McGhee (t); Charles Greenlee, Charles Stephens (trb); Leroy Jenkins, Lois Siessinger, Gayle Dixon, John Blake (v); Esther Mellon, Patrica Dixon (c); Harold Mabern, Jr., Dave Burrell (p); Cornell Dupree (g); Ron Carter, James Garrison (b); Bernard Purdie, Beaver Harris (d); Nene DeFense (tam, perc);Judith White, Mary Stephens, Barbara White, Mildren Lane (background voc) ).
African Drum Suite
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( Charles Mingus (b); Eric Dolphy (fl, b cl, as); Clifford Jordan (ts); Jaki Byard (p); Dannie Richmond (d) ).
Fables of Faubus
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2 comments:
Synchronicity indeed! Thanks for the link :-) I was thinking about posting the April '64 version of Faubus too, 'cause it's such an epic, but seems it was good I left that job to you.
...sorry! If I had checked quicker I would have left it off as I try not to conflict with other blogs!
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