Jazz Articles

Archie Shepp: St. Louis Blues

by AAJ Staff
June 1, 2001

Saxophonist Archie Shepp defined his '60s sound with avant energy and melodic freedom, but he's mellowed quite a bit in the ensuing years. Call it maturity or perspective, but Shepp appears to be more interested these days in a return to fundamentals. On St. Louis Blues, he approaches the blues form with a trio of players who've gone as far “out" as anyone in jazz. Ironically, Richard Davis settles down deep into an old-time blues strut here; and Sunny Murray ...

Archie Shepp: St. Louis Blues

by AAJ Staff
June 1, 2001

As one of the most assertive tenor sax voices, and one of the most politically charged voices, of the 1960's, it seemed that Archie Shepp would never mellow. Maybe he hasn't. But his voice isn't front and center, as it was, with aggressiveness and gruffness that posited a controversial statement, whether melodically or verbally. Employing a swirl of references rooted in gospel, blues, the African diaspora, ultimately spirituality, and yet anger and exclamatory pronouncements against oppression and injustice, Archie Shepp ...

Ehrlich/Dresser/Cyrille: C/D/E

by AAJ Staff
June 1, 2001

At some point in its history, free jazz differentiated into two forms: chamber music-style improvisation and in-your-face adventurism. Some free players prefer to use silence and nuance as tools for measured cadences, while others go for the all-out emotional release as a tool for catharsis. This trio is interesting because it includes elements from both traditions of music. C/D/E brings a revealing '98 set to light, with some regular head-solos-head type pieces, a few Ornette-ish quirks, and scattered chunks of ...

Andrew Cyrille, Mark Dresser, Marty Ehrlich: C/D/E

by AAJ Staff
June 1, 2001

Having begun in 1996 as an intended quartet for the Knitting Factory's What Is Jazz Festival, “B/C/D/E" soon dropped the “B" when cornetist and trumpeter Bobby Bradford was unable to attend for financial reasons. Ever since, “C/D/E"--or Andrew Cyrille, Mark Dresser and Marty Ehrlich--has maintained the spirit of Bradford's and John Carter's music in their performances. As a strong influence on all three members of the cooperative, Bradford's influence is still felt in the music as they play tunes performed ...

Mary Ann McSweeney: Thoughts Of You

by AAJ Staff
May 1, 2001

If you haven't heard of bassist Mary Ann McSweeney, you should. After years of work on both coasts with names like Dizzy Gillespie and the Diva Big Band, McSweeney has released a brilliantly conceived and executed album that she leads.The fact that McSweeney leads Thoughts Of You is another reason for attention. Few bassists are leading their own groups, with the notable exceptions of, say, Dave Holland and Avishai Cohen, let alone securing recording opportunities for the groups ...

Mary Ann McSweeney: Thoughts of You

by Glenn Astarita
May 1, 2001

Jazz bassist Mary Ann McSweeney possesses a smooth touch and conveys a warm, organic tone throughout these eight affable pieces. She commences the opener, “R.B.’s Tribute” with a peppery ostinato motif as the sextet expounds upon the primary theme via a mid tempo swing, featuring young tenor sax dynamo Donny McCaslin’s brawny and angular phrasing. The band turns in a radiant rendition of Wayne Shorter’s “Yes and No” as the soloists encircle the familiar melody with intricate interplay and resonant ...

Archie Shepp: St. Louis Blues

by Mark Corroto
April 1, 2001

Several recent sightings of the ‘bird’ known as Archie Shepp signal, perhaps, his return to the American dialogue on jazz. Last year, Shepp made a guest appearance on guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly’s African/urban Boom Bop record and the year before he was the featured guest of Kahil El’Zabar’s Ritual Trio recording, Conversations. Shepp’s voice in the 1960’s ‘new thing’ in jazz fueled John Coltrane’s Ascension recording, plus those by Cecil Taylor, Max Roach, and the New York Contemporary Five. The fiery ...

Jorge Sylvester Afro-Caribbean Experimental Trio: In the Ear of the Beholder

by AAJ Staff
March 1, 2001

Jazz artists often approach Afro-Caribbean music from a reductionist rhythmic standpoint, neglecting the richness of the tradition. But Jorge Sylvester takes care to present the whole picture on In the Ear of the Beholder. Taking various Afro-Caribbean styles and paring them down to a raw trio format (sax/bass/drums), he compels each player to bring something unique to the mix.

Much of the improvisation on In the Ear explores individual traditional styles in step-by-step fashion. “Tambor--The Mix," for example, works its ...

Jean-Paul Borelly: Boom Bop

by AAJ Staff
February 1, 2001

While the tag, “with Archie Shepp and Henry Threadgill” on the cover of Boom Bop might make pulses of a certain age quicken with anticipation, the two saxophonists don’t play together on the disc. However, the handful of appearances by each, on this bewitching set of Afrocentric music, provides the icing on a cake whose many layers seem injected with hallucinogens.

As befits someone whose professional resume includes work with Pee Wee Ellis, Muhal Richard Abrams, Steve Coleman and Trilok ...

Steve Lacy: Snips: Live at Environ

by Robert Spencer
February 1, 2001

1976. Lacy, long in exile, appeared in a loft in New York. People sat on couches or on the floor to hear him play solo. The music would have been gone in the air were it not for a young man named Jim Eigo. The recording is a bit dodgy here and there - was the tape recorder in his coat? - but the music comes through with remarkable clarity and force.

Here was Lacy exploring the full possibilities of ...