Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Archie Shepp: The New York Contemporary Five
Archie Shepp: The New York Contemporary Five
ByCherry was the most assured of the five, having developed and honed his skillsnot only with Coleman, but through his interests in music from other genres. Perhaps it is the very raw and uncertain makeup of this talent that makes The New York Contemporary Five an historic document.
Cherry exhibits a raft of well-conceived ideas on his own "Cisum," finding his comfort zone as he casts the mold of composition aside and sets up sharp linearity, before acknowledging the catchy melody. Shepp and Tchicai go out in search of the lost chord before finding their common nesting ground and firing a salvo of phrases in conjunction. That sets the body in motion, and the in tandem brass interjections turn on a welcome heat. The way in which the front men revisit and dissect the melody with a greater sense of assurance makes the whole more satisfying than its parts.
Shepp gives "When Will the Blues Leave" a happy cast before Cherry takes it into blues terrain and swing. Moses and Moore are in their element, crisping the rhythm. Shepp shows a modulation of swing and honks, but does not always come up on top. Tchicai is a cascade of ideas that on occasion slip, but his character as an inventor comes to the fore soon enough to correct the imbalance and give the music definition.
Cherry injects poignancy into "The Funeral" but his opening statement is marred by a slight hesitancy as he formulates ideas. Once he settles into the grain, he lets the melody ooze in, before Shepp experiments with form and structure. It's a liquid manifestation that is never shallow.
Given that the players went on to marked careers in the fiefdom of free jazz, this is certainly an historic document that stands as a take-off point.
Track Listing
Cisum; Crepuscule With Nellie; O.C.; When Will the Blues Leave; The Funeral; Mik.
Personnel
Archie Shepp
saxophone, sopranoDon Cherry: cornet; John Tchicai: alto saxophone; Archie Shepp: tenor saxophone; Don Moore: bass; J.C. Moses: drums.
Album information
Title: The New York Contemporary Five | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Delmark Records
< Previous
The JC Sanford Orchestra At Tea Loung...
Next >
Standard Transmission
Comments
About Archie Shepp
Instrument: Saxophone, soprano
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To