Arthur Doyle Discography Update

The latest version of the Arthur Doyle Discography is now available. At this point, it appears I've managed to track down just about any recording that has ever been released. I do have some sound files that appear to be from bootleg recordings whose sources I need to track down, but other than that I think it's pretty complete. If I've missed anything, feel free to email me.

This is one of those labors of love. I have never met the man, and regrettably the closest I'll probably ever come to seeing him gig live has been through the occasional YouTube video, but I've become quite passionate about his music over the last nearly decade.

Last Poets - At Last

This was one of those Holy Grail recordings, that I finally managed to track down. The one review that I've read about the album was pretty unflattering, but at least to my ears it hits the right notes. It's not as essential as their early albums The Last Poets and This is Madness, or other recordings from the 1970s such as Chastisement or Delights in the Garden, and unlike any of those albums seems doomed to remain out of print. I actually think it fits in quite nicely with Chastisement and Delights in the Garden - it's just a bit more lo-fi than those albums. And if the vocals sound strained, contrary to the allmusic.com review, careful listening will suggest that it is intentional on certain tracks rather than an artifact of trying to be heard over the jazz combo backing.

Download At Last

David Burrell - Echo

Thurston Moore sez:

In the fall of 1969 Free Jazz was reaching a kind of nadir/nexus. Within the industry it was controversial. Classic traditionalists (beboppers included) were outraged by men in dashikis and sandals jumping on stage and just BLOWING their guts out creating screaming torrents of action. Most musicians involved with this crying anarchy could get no bookings beyond the New York loft set. The French lovers of the avant-garde embraced this African-American scene wholly. This recording is one of many in a series of LP's with consistent design. BYG released classic Free Jazz documents by Archie Shepp (at his wildest), Clifford Thornton, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Grachan Moncur III, Sunny Murray, Alan Silva, Arthur Jones, Dewey Redman and many others. A lot of these cats are present on this recording where from the first groove it sounds like an acoustic tidal wave exploding into shards of dynamite. If you can locate Alan Silva's "Lunar Surface" LP (BYG 529.312/Actuel Vol. 12) you'll find a world even that much more OUT.

Released on BYG/Actuel, catalogue #529320.Tracks

1. "Echo" — 20:01
2. "Peace" — 22:04

Personnel

Band:

Dave Burrell — piano, arranger, liner notes
Arthur Jones — saxophone (alto)
Grachan Moncur III — trombone
Sunny Murray — bass, drums
Archie Shepp — saxophone (tenor)
Alan Silva — bass
Clifford Thornton — cornet

Production:

Jacques Bisceglia — coordination
Claude Delcloo — executive producer
Claude Jauvert — engineer
Philippe Gras — photography
Jean Luc Young, Jean Georgakarakos — producers

Download Echo

Stanley Cowell: Regeneration

Credits:
Acoustic Guitar - Jerry Venable (tracks: 1)
Bass - Bill Lee (2) (tracks: 2, 5, 6, 7)
Bass Drum & Ibo Chanting - Aleke Kanonu (tracks: 1, 3, 5)
Guitar - Glenda Barnes (tracks: 1)
Harmonica & Flute - Psyche Wanzandae (tracks: 4, 5)
Mama-lekimbe, Percussion & Madagascan Harp - Nadi Quamar (tracks: 2, 6, 7)
Snare Drum, Ride Cymbal, Gembhre & Percussion - Billy Higgins (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
Soprano Saxophone & Flute - Jimmy Heath (tracks: 5, 6, 7)
Synthesizer, Piano, Kora & Mibra - Stanley Cowell (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Vocals - Kareema (2) (tracks: 5, 6, 7)
Vocals & Electric Bass - Charles Fowlkes* (tracks: 1, 5, 6, 7)
Waterdrum, Parade Drum & Percussion - Ed Blackwell (tracks: 1, 3, 5)
Wooden Fife & Wooden Flute - Marion Brown (tracks: 3, 6)
Zuna - John Stubblefield (tracks: 5)

Tracks:
1. Trying To Find A Way (3:49)
2. The Gembhre (4:30)
3. Shimmy Shewobble (4:00)
4. Parlour Blues (5:00)
5. Thank You My People (8:30)
6. Travelin' Man (4:00)
7. Lullabye (5:45)

This was originally released on the Strata-East label in 1976. Nice kozmigroov vibe.

Download Regeneration

Archie Shepp - Pitchin Can

Personnel:
Archie Shepp-ts,ss
Bobby Few-p
Bob Reid-b
Clifford Thornton-valve tb,tp
Muhammad Ali-d
Al Shorter-flh
Djibrill-cga
Ostaine Blue Warner-perc
Lester Bowie-tp
Sunny Murray-d
Julio Finn-harm
Noah Howard-as
Leroy Jenkins-vla
Dave Burrell-p
Earl Freeman-b
Chicago Beau-voc

America 6106 F rec Paris 11/9/69 7/23/70

Fans of Archie Shepp's BYG output from the same time period will dig on this one as well.

Download Pitchin Can

Arthur Jones: Scorpio

Since I'd posted the Claude Delcloo/Arthur Jones album, Africanasia earlier, this seemed like a reasonable one to follow. The music is definitely well-worth hearing and deserves a much wider audience than it has had thus far.

Tracks:
1 C.R.M.
2 B.T.
3 Sad Eyes
4 Brother B.

Credits:
Bass - Beb Guerin
Drums - Claude Delcloo
Saxophone [Alto] - Arthur Jones

Producer - Jean Georgakarakos , Jean-Luc Young

Recorded in Paris, France, August 1969 and released on BYG/Actuel, catalogue #529350.

Download Scorpio

David S. Ware: Birth of a Being

David S. Ware
Birth of a Being

hat HUT W (LP)

1. Prayer [10:50]
2. Thematic Womb [16:35]
3. A Primary Piece #1 [13:45]
4. A Primary Piece #2 [11:45]

all comp. Ware

Apogee:
David S. Ware (tenor sax)
Gene Y. Ashton [aka Cooper-Moore] (piano)
Marc D. Edwards (drums)

#1, 3, 4 rec. April 14, 1977
#2 rec. April 15, 1977
CIRecording, Inc.
New York City

This was David S. Ware's first album as a band-leader. If one needs to make the case that Ware has been one of the most consistently excellent recording artists over the last three decades, this album definitely evidence.

Download Birth of a Being.