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Joe McPhee: Tenor & Fallen Angels
This edition includes the original Tenor album plus one additional solo track, "Fallen Angels," which was recorded the following year. Tenor has lost none of its freshness or originality in the quarter-century that followed it. In many ways, we're still playing catch-up.
It's actually in one sense a very conventional album. The themes are catchy (particularly "Knox" and "Good-Bye Tom B.") and they are clearly stated at the beginnings of the tunes. What is so arresting about Tenor - and by extension about Tenor & Fallen Angels - is the immediacy of Joe's sound, the vividness of his developing improvisations, the grandeur of his melodies and tone, and the wild vibrant colors of the music.
The centerpiece, the 23-minute "Tenor," explores sounds and moods and textures, in a way that only Joe McPhee has done it and perhaps that only Joe McPhee could do it. The breathtaking unity and development of this long piece is a wonder to behold. Don't miss it, or this handsome reissue. Highly recommended.
Joe McPhee, ts.
Knox / Good-Bye, Tom B. / Sweet Dragon / Tenor / Fallen Angels.
Personnel
Joe McPhee
woodwindsAlbum information
Title: Tenor & Fallen Angels | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Kedar Entertainment Group
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