Marion Brown: Duets

Duets is actually a compilation of two albums: Creative Improvisation Ensemble and Soundways. What I'll be sharing for your listening pleasure are the two separate albums. The info:

Marion Brown/Leo Smith: Creative Improvisation Ensemble

Freedom FLP-40136
Freedom/Trio Kenwood PA-9717 (J) [cover, back cover]
Freedom TKCB-70334 (J) (CD) [cover, back cover]

May 12, 1970
Paris, France

1. Centering [1:12] (Leo Smith)
2. Njung-Lumumba Malcolm [18:05] (Leo Smith)
3. And Then They Danced [16:05] (Marion Brown)
4. Rhythmus #1 [3:30] (Leo Smith, Marion Brown)

Marion Brown (as, perc, etc.)
Leo Smith (tp, petc, etc.)

Marion Brown/Elliott Schwartz: Soundways

Century V-41746 (US)

February 18, 1973
Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, USA (live)

1. Soundways [19:33] (Marion Brown, Elliott Schwartz)
2. Soundways Part 2 [20:14] (Marion Brown, Elliott Schwartz)

Marion Brown (as, cl, p, perc)
Elliott Schwartz (p, synth)

The sound on each record is spare and spontaneous, and each record has its own unique character - with Leo Smith on the first album, you'll get some trumpet in the mix; with Elliott Schwartz, the sound of the synthesizer makes its presence felt at various points in the recording. The touchstones for both records are Brown's Afternoon of a Georgia Faun (which consists of a larger ensemble) and various recordings of the period by the AACM crew. Aside from the last two tracks on Creative Improvisation Ensemble, none of this music has seen a proper digital reissue. A pity really, as both outings offer some spirited and rewarding listening.

Download Creative Improvisation Ensemble

Download Soundways

Blogging around

I thought I'd point out a few other interesting downloads that y'all should check out.

First via Reality Unit Concepts, check out two very hard-to-find avant-garde jazz barn-burners: Byron Morris & Gerald Wise - "Unity" and Ofamfa - "Children of the Sun". The latter will be of interest to folks digging on some of the Black Artists Group & Human Arts Ensemble material I've posted on my blog - and of course it will be of interest to those who dig on what cats like Last Poets and Watts Prophets were doing back in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Note that Reality Unit Concepts is planning on upping some more BAG recorded material in the near future.

The blog church number nine has all sorts of cool recordings to check out on a free/avant-garde tip, including more Frank Wright recordings than you can shake a stick at (all of which are out of print and hard to find), an Arthur Doyle recording (Live at the Dorsch Gallery), and several Noah Howard recordings (Berlin Concert, Live in Europe Vol. 1, and Schizophrenic Blues).

The blog pharaohsdance has among other items Juju's classic Strata-East album A Message from Mozambique.

Enjoy!

Frank Wright: One for John

The info:

Frank Wright
One For John

Credits:
Frank Wright - tenor sax
Noah Howard - alto sax
Bobby Few - piano
Muhammad Ali - drums

Recorded 12/5/1969, Studio Saravah, Paris, France

Released on BYG/Actuel, catalogue # 529336

Tracks:
1. China
2. One for John

Frank Wright's ensembles tended to tear the roof off the sucka - in particular those joints featuring Noah Howard. If you're already a fan of Frank Wright's music, you know what to expect. Be forewarned, the sound quality is a bit dodgy in spots, especially near the beginning of "China" where the vinyl sounds as if it's skipped. I keep hoping for a proper digital reissue. So far, no dice. In the meantime, this one will suffice.

Download One for John.

Frank Wright: Center of the World Vol. 1

This recording and its companion (Center of the World Vol. 2: Last Polka in Nancy?) are well worth tracking down. Both were reissued toward the end of the last decade on Fractal, and are back to out of print status. If you can find either cd, it'll fetch a premium these days.

The info:

Frank Wright Quartet-Center of the World

Center of the World 001 F recorded at Rotterdam, Doelen 5/26/72
Alan Silva-b,cel,voc; Muhammad Ali-d,voc; Bobby Few-p,voc; Frank Wright-ts,voc
1. Center of the World, Part 1 (Wright/Silva/Few) 19:51
2. Center of the World, Part 2 (Wright/Silva/Few) 19:45

Bonus tracks for cd reissue (Fractal FRAC 006) recorded at Detmold, Neue Anta 1978
3. No End (Wright) 17:32
4. Church Number 9 (Wright) 13:11

Review from Allmusic.com:

Originally recorded in 1972 in Rotterdam, this Frank Wright date stands as one of the unsung classics of the free jazz era. For years sought out by collectors at outrageous prices, the folks at Fractal have done us all a favor and reissued the original album on CD with two previously unreleased performances from a reunion date in 1978. Featuring Wright on tenor and bass clarinet, pianist Bobby Few, bassist Alan Silva, and drummer Muhammad Ali (no, not that one), the music captured here is one vast exploratory landscape where anything went and the intensity is blistering. While Wright is the leader of the ensemble and was capable of blowing the hell out of his horn, the true star on these sessions is Few, who joined Steve Lacy's Sextet upon departure from this group. Few doesn't support Wright -- he drives him, pushes him to the limit and causes Silva to seek refuge in Ali's drums. There are vast tonal expanses being explored here, and it's only Few who can map them, from both outside and inside the piano. His use of right-hand arpeggios is stunning considering the size of the chords he's laying out with the left. Far more lyrical than Cecil Taylor, Few pushes the range of Wright's instruments to the very limit of his abilities to play them and then extends them a bit. The title track is almost 40 minutes long and stands as a free jazz endurance test. Wright astonishes for many reasons, not the least of which is his ability to blow at the intensity he does for the entire gig. The 1978 show is more laid-back, and the band makes use of ostinato and other kinds of repetition to create the myth of a tune á la Albert Ayler, especially in "No End." Here Wright plays the insistent "call-to-prayer-and-revelation" honk that Ayler loved so much, and Few works with Silva (who is badly recorded on these two tracks) to bring up an entire battery of responses that shift meter, tone, and, because of the consistency of the phrasing, intervallic shifts and staggers. Throughout, Ali plays his best Elvin Jones, and pulls it off; his are the sticks that usher in the speed of this freight train of movement and fluidity, and he dances the kit with propulsion and true grit. Whatever you do, get this.

Due to file size issues, I've broken this up into two parts. Part one consists of the two sides from the original recording. Part two consists of the bonus tracks included on the cd reissue.

Download Center of the World Vol. 1, part one.

Download Center of the World Vol. 2, part two.

Note: Image courtesy of stofftreiber. Thanks!!!

RIP Malachi Ritscher

A note in passing: Malachi Ritscher, a fixture in the Chicago jazz scene, passed away earlier this month. My take on the story can be read here. Today, November 12, there is a memorial at Elastic for those in the Chicago area who may be interested.

Milford Graves & Don Pullen: Nommo

The info:

Milford Graves (dr,perc)
Don Pullen (p)

Rec. 30.4.1966 in New Haven
LP: SRP LP-290 (1967)

Tracks

Side 1:
P.G.V

Side 2:
P.G. III-P.G. IV

Spirited drum/piano duet, that's been out of print forever. I have no idea when or if it will ever get a proper digital reissue. In the meantime we have this 192 kbps mp3, ripped from vinyl by someone named nonwave. It actually sounds pretty decent. Both Don Pullen and Milford Graves have had fascinating careers.

Download Nommo.

Charles Bobo Shaw & Lester Bowie: Bugle Boy Bop

The details:

Label: Muse Records
Catalog#: MR 5268
Format: LP
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: Jazz
Style: Free Jazz

Credits:

Drums - Charles Bobo Shaw
Producer - Michael Cuscuna
Trumpet - Lester Bowie
Notes: This album was recorded live at Studio Rivbea on February 5, 1977.

Tracks:

A1 Bugle Boy Bop (6:11)
A2 Go Bo (6:00)
A3 Cootie's Caravan Fan (3:55)
A4 Latin Recovery (4:17)
B1 The Girth Of The Cool (7:28)
B2 Chop'n Rock (6:29)
B3 Finito, Benito (6:23)

This is a trumpet & drum duet that will please fans of AEC & Human Arts Ensemble. If you are someone who loved Don Cherry & Eddie Blackwell's album Mu, you'll probably like this one.

The title track gets things off to a high-energy start. The second track ("Go Bo") is where Shaw cuts loose & Bowie lays low (at least somewhat). A barnburner. "Cootie's Caravan Fan" slows things down, but just barely, with a pulsating rhythm giving the tune a very trance-like feel. The title "Latin Recovery" is fairly self-explanatory, with Shaw going bossa nova as Bowie freaks out on the trumpet. The flipside starts with what amounts to a free improv ballad "The Girth of the Cool" - slow-tempo late night feel to it, but by mid-song builds in intensity and eventually the duo picks up the pace and the ferocity. "Chop'n Rock" is characterized by a choppy, rockish beat through much of the tune, seemingly nodding to an old AEC tune, "Rock Out". "Finito, Benito" ends the album on an entropic note. Be aware, the mp3s on this one are a bit dodgy, and the last tune seems to cut off in the middle. As the saying goes, better dodgy mp3s than no music at all.

I don't know if there ever will be a proper digital reissue of this album. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised. In the meantime, these mp3 files help to document just a bit of what was going on during the late 1970s NY jazz loft scene.

Download Bugle Boy Bop