Archie Shepp - Attica Blues Big Band - Live At The Palais Des Glaces Disc1, Disc2

Album: Attica Blues Big Band - Live At The Palais Des Glaces Disc 1
Styles: Fusion, Hard Bop
Year: 1979
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:38
Size: 105,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:39) 1. Attica Blues, Part 1
(7:33) 2. Steam
(5:46) 3. Quiet Dawn
(7:26) 4. Hi-Fly
(7:41) 5. U-Jaama
(2:50) 6. Antes De Andios
(3:35) 7. Star Love
(6:05) 8. Moon Bees

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Album: Attica Blues Big Band - Live At The Palais Des Glaces Disc 2
Time: 50:25
Size: 116,2 MB

(6:10) 1. Strollin'
(5:37) 2. Ballad For A Child
(7:34) 3. Simone
(6:20) 4. Crucificado
(5:35) 5. A Change Has Come Over Me
(5:54) 6. Goodbye Sweet Pops
(4:29) 7. Skippin'
(8:43) 8. Attica Blues,pt.2

From the outset, Archie Shepp's terminally misunderstood Attica Blues on Impulse during the 1970s was an attempt by the saxophonist and composer to bring together the various kinds of African American musics under one heading and have them all express the conscience of the day. His ensemble featured singers, string players, horns, drums, guitars, etc. The sounds were a Gordian knot of jazz, free music, R&B, soul, groove, and even funk. In 1979 Shepp was given the opportunity to realize the project with an ensemble of his choosing at the Palais des Glaces in Paris (New York was already courting Wimpton Marsalis).

Shepp chose 30 musicians and director/conductor Ray Copeland. Among the throng were saxophonists Marion Brown, John Purcell, Patience Higgins, and John Ware. Malachi Thompson led a five-trumpet section, and Steve Turre led the trombones, a young Brandon Ross played guitar, Avery Sharpe was one of two bassists, Clifford Jarvis held down the drum chair, Shepp played all his horns and piano though Art Matthews was the primary pianist on the gig.

There were four vocalists and a string section. None of this would mean anything, of course, if the music weren't bad to the bone. From the opening moments of the "Attica Blues Theme, Pt. One" it becomes obvious that, with its drop-dead funky bassline and wailing soul vocals that create the mood, this will be a celebratory evening of education, protest, and groove. From here, Shepp moves the band into "Steam," with the funk and anger already present. But this track is far more laid-back in its big band arrangement than it was on the Shepp's Inner City version of some years before.

It features a gorgeous vocal by Joe Lee Wilson, who has the chops of Sammy Davis Jr. and the depth of Big Joe Turner. And here is where Attica Blues truly begins, as "Steam" reaches its swinging nadir, and Shepp begins to fold in works by other composer such as Cal Massey ("Quiet Dawn"), Randy Weston ("Hi-Fly"), and Dave Burrell ("Crucificado") in with his own works, and the varying elements of free jazz and Latin music begin to make their presences felt on the R&B and swing accents that Attica Blues opens up for the magical treatise it is.

Shepp's own playing is fell of depth and passion, though he leaves his fire music at home, preferring to work inside traditions and allow the music's freedom to dictate its own expression in places rather than as a whole. The history lesson moves on well into the second set with Frank Foster's "Simone" and Ramsey Lewis' gospel-tinged "Skippin," before coming out on the other end with a majestic resurgence of "Attica Blues" to bring it in.

This is big band arranging and execution at its best; Shepp and Coleman make it all sound so easy, though charts are anything, but when you're fusing together so many different kinds of music. This is the high point of the latter part of Shepp's career, and it's a cultural crime that it's not available on an American label and sold as a work that belongs next to Mingus' Ah Um, Miles' Bitches Brew, Ornette's Science Fiction, and other notable works by the masters.By Thom Jurek
https://www.allmusic.com/album/attica-blues-big-band-mw0000453278

Personnel: Saxophone, Flute – James Ware, John Purcell, Marion Brown, Marvin Blackman, Patience Higgins; Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Piano, Leader – Archie Shepp; Trombone – Charles "Majeed" Greenlee*, Charles Stephens, Dick Griffin, Ray Harris, Steve Turre; Trumpet – Charles McGhee, Eddie Preston, Kamal Alim, Richard "Malachi" Thompson*, Roy Burrowes; Viola – Carl Ector; Violin – Candice Greene; Violin, Vocals – Terry Jenoure; Vocals – Irene Datcher, Joe Lee Wilson

Attica Blues Big Band - Live At The Palais Des Glaces Disc 1, Disc 2

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John Coltrane & Archie Shepp - New Thing At Newport

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 1966
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:03
Size: 151,5 MB
Art: Front

( 1:08) 1. Spoken Introduction To John Coltrane's Set By Father Norman O'connor
(12:44) 2. One Down, One Up
(15:21) 3. My Favorite Things
( 2:02) 4. Spoken Introduction To Archie Shepp's Set By Billy Taylor
(10:28) 5. Gingerbread, Gingerbread Boy
( 6:43) 6. Call Me By My Rightful Name
( 3:26) 7. Scag
( 5:49) 8. Rufus (Swung His Face At Last To The Wind, Then His Neck Snapped)
( 8:19) 9. Le Matin Des Noire

What better place than the Newport Jazz Festival, a historically tight-laced and conservative jazz forum, for the quartets of Coltrane and Shepp to pour out their soulful selves as libations for the masses? Prior to this 1963 concert the festival’s track record with adventurous jazz fare was checkered at best. Monk and Giuffre had played there in previous years, but the focus was undeniably on the accessible and the mainstream. Things had become so skewed that Charles Mingus, Max Roach felt obligated to organize a concurrent festival of their own in protest and were given the sobriquet The Newport Rebels. Coltrane’s immense popularity made him the perfect candidate to breach Newport’s defenses and in typical benevolent fashion he brought a host of his associates in tow for a unified siege on the senses and sensibilities of the audience. What a spectacle it must have been. Fortunately the tape machines were rolling.

As if in deference to the Newport jazz community’s naïveté toward the New Thing embarrassingly banal comments from Father Norman O’Conner preface and append Trane’s performance. The so-called ‘jazz priest’ demonstrates his ignorance by referring to Elvin Jones as a ‘kind of a newcomer to the world jazz.’ Mercifully his introductions are brief and the quartet works up a lengthy lather on “One Down, One Up” before launching into a burning rundown of “My Favorite Things.” Compared to other concert recordings by the quartet the first piece is just below par, though there’s still plenty of incendiary fireworks ignited by the four on second. Coltrane’s upper register tenor solo becomes so frenetic on “One Down, One Up” that there are moments where he moves off mic, but his soprano work on “My Favorite Things” is nothing short of astonishing, a blur of swirling harmonics that threatens split his horn asunder.

After Coltrane and crew have sufficiently anointed the Newport crowd in a monsoon of New Thing sentiments it’s Shepp’s turn. His set is a different bag, brimming with political overtones and barely contained dysphoria and his sound on tenor is an arresting amalgam of raspy coarseness and delicate lyricism. Hutcherson’s glowing vibes knit gossamer webs around the rhythmically free center accorded by Phillips and Chambers. It all comes to boil on the haunting “Scag” a tone poem fueled by Phillips acerbic bow, Hutcherson’s ghostly patterns and Shepp’s bone dry recitation that captures the loneliness of a junkie’s desperation. The stuttering starts and stops of “Rufus” carry the feeling of cultural dislocation even further referencing the brutality and finality of a lynching through musical means. Shepp and his partners were pulling no punches in exposing the captive audience to their art. A low-flying plane disrupts the opening of “Le Matin des Noire,” but the four players quickly regain direction and sink into a lush Noirish vamp that carries the tune to a close.

This new version of the disc marks the first time the original 3-track tapes of the concert have been remastered and they are given the royal treatment through 24-bit digital transfers. Also included for the first time is a beautiful facsimile of the Shepp album cover picturing the saxophonist with song charts and horn.By Derek Taylor
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/new-thing-at-newport-john-coltrane-impulse-review-by-derek-taylor

Players: John Coltrane- soprano & tenor saxophones; McCoy Tyner- piano; Jimmy Garrison- bass; Elvin Jones- drums; Archie Shepp - tenor saxophone, recitation; Bobby Hutcherson - vibraphone; Barre Phillips- bass; Joe Chambers - drums.

New Thing At Newport 1965

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Archie Shepp, Jason Moran - Let My People Go

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 94:42
Size: 218,5 MB
Art: Front

( 8:20) 1. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
( 6:10) 2. Isfahan
( 6:41) 3. He Cares
( 7:01) 4. Go Down Moses
(13:13) 5. Wise One
( 8:48) 6. Lush Life
( 8:31) 7. Round Midnight
( 3:12) 8. Ain't Misbehavin' - Bonus Track
(12:59) 9. Jitterbug Waltz - Bonus Track
( 9:38) 10. Ujama - Bonus Track
( 6:11) 11. Slow Drag - Bonus Track
( 3:51) 12. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child - Edit

Now an octogenarian, Archie Shepp's name is quite often spoken in the same sentence as that of John Coltrane. Shepp was born a decade after Trane and is associated with the great one's 'New Thing' and 'Fire Music.' His music though, post-Ascension (Impulse!, 1965), might be better equated to that of Billie Holiday, who was born, incidentally, a decade before Coltrane. Just as Holiday presented her music (especially in the later years) in a frank, warts-and-all manner, Shepp has for decades produced his message with a stark, candid and almost fragile delivery.

This fragility, or better yet vulnerability, is the essence Shepp cognoscenti covet. His unguardedness is on full display in these seven duos with Jason Moran. Culled from performances in 2017 and 2018, they draw a direct reference to the duos Shepp produced with Horace Parlan in the 1980s. Like the Parlan dates, this duo leans heavily on spirituals and standards. "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," finds Shepp's soprano saxophone following the reverent opening by Moran, before Shepp sings the lyrics. The pair's performance builds upon Paul Robeson's rendition with a weight of world weariness. The same can be said of "Go Down Moses," which is delivered as a slow cortège of notes and voice. The pair tackle two Ellington-Strayhorn standards "Isfahan" and "Lush Life." The latter recalls the Coltrane and Johnny Hartman version from 1963, yet gets stripped down to its essential elements. The same approach is taken on Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight," where Moran works from an unembellished framework and Shepp's tenor saxophone retells the much-loved story to listeners. Listeners have consumed it many times before, yet are keen for this comfort food. The highlight here may be Coltrane's "Wise One," where the two stretch out a bit on the thirteen-minute rendition. Shepp's tenor is robust yet delicate, and Moran's approach gets roisterous in support. This hour of music will certainly leave listeners wanting more.~ Mark Corroto https://www.allaboutjazz.com/let-my-people-go-archie-shepp-and-jason-moran-archie-ball-records

Personnel: Archie Shepp: saxophone; Jason Moran: piano.

Let My People Go

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Archie Shepp - Gemini

Album: Gemini Disc 1

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:09
Size: 152,9 MB
Art: Front

( 4:17)  1. The Reverse - Alternate Version 1
(10:31)  2. Revolution (Mama Rose)
( 6:05)  3. Burning Bright
( 4:41)  4. Trippin'
( 6:54)  5. Time Stood Still
( 7:25)  6. Intertwining Spirits
( 5:19)  7. La Manzana
( 6:50)  8. Eva
( 5:10)  9. Pannonica
( 4:32) 10. The Reverse
( 4:21) 11. The Reverse - Alternate Version 2

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Album: Gemini Disc 2

Time: 41:24

Size: 95,4 MB

(11:08)  1. Hope Two

( 5:30)  2. Call Him

( 7:20)  3. Do You Want to Be Saved

(13:23)  4. Ujaama

( 4:02)  5. Rest Enough

Archie Shepp is a jazz legend. His links to Coltrane and his highly charged mix of out-there sax playing and political comment in the sixties and seventies assure him of a proud place in jazz history. Still going strong, for his 70th birthday he’s released this beautifully packaged, deluxe double CD. The first “The Reverse” is a new studio recording while the second is a live set from five years ago. “The Reverse” contains material in many different styles; blues, gospel, latin and bop. Public Enemy’s Chuck D raps on the title track. But like many birthday parties, while everybody’s having fun, there’s a sloppy atmosphere and some mess. Shepp’s energy is amazing. His playing pushes at the boundaries of tonality (which is a fancy jazz way of saying he occasionally sounds out of tune), with a breathy, raw, wobbly tone, lots of notes, over-blowing and shrieks. Sometimes this works, but occasionally his playing seems at odds with the material, for example on Thelonious Monk’s “Pannonica”. The mix is unbalanced, with Shepp pushed forwards at the expense of the other players; guest guitarist Stephane Guery sounds like he’s playing behind a wall.

Shepp’s singing is an acquired taste. You’ll either love the political, sexually explicit, talking jazz of “Revolution” or you’ll find it curiously old fashioned and tasteless, although Shepp’s soprano sax is on fine, keening form. I prefer the second CD, 'Live in Souillac'. This is a simply recorded live concert from 2002. The driving post-bop of “Hope Two” and “Ujaama” suits Shepp’s intense, over-the-top lines better than some of “The Reverse”, and to be frank, in my humble opinion his playing is better. Amina Claudine Myers contributes two entertaining, warm gospel songs and it all adds up to a very pleasant listen. It seems rude o be lukewarm about a birthday celebration. Hard-core Shepp fans will love this. But if you’re unsure how much you like Shepp, try before you buy. https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/p4p2/

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Voice – Archie Shepp; Voice [Guest] – Chuck D (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11) Bass – Cameron Brown (tracks: 2-1 to 2-5), Wayne Dockery (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11); Drums – Ronnie Burrage (tracks: 2-1 to 2-5), Steve McCraven (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11); Guitar [Guest] – Stéphane Guery (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11); Piano – Tom McClung (tracks: 1-1 to 1-11); Piano, Voice – Amina Claudine Myers (tracks: 2-1 to 2-5)

Gemini Disc 1, Disc 2

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Archie Shepp, Chet Baker Quintet - In Memory Of: First and Last Meeting in Frankfurt and Paris 1988

Styles: Saxophone, Trumpet And Piano Jazz 
Year: 2015
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:47
Size: 160,5 MB
Art: Front

(11:58)  1. Dedication to Bessie Smiths Blues
( 9:14)  2. My Foolish Heart
(11:06)  3. Confirmation
( 9:28)  4. When Lights Are Low
( 9:44)  5. How Deep Is the Ocean
(10:54)  6. Old Devil Moon
( 7:19)  7. My Ideal

This is one of the odder releases of the 1980s. For the first and only times, trumpeter Chet Baker and tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp teamed up for a pair of concerts in a quintet which also included pianist Horace Parlan, bassist Herman Wright and drummer Clifford Jarvis. The fact that Shepp is an emotional avant-gardist and Baker a cool-toned lyrical trumpeter and that both have radically different singing styles (they take a vocal apiece) results in the obvious: these two individualists do not blend together very well. Other than Shepp's "Dedication to Bessie Smith's Blues," the repertoire is all standards. Baker plays pretty, while Shepp sounds sloppy and heavy. This CD is definitely a historical curiosity, but does not need to be listened to more than once.~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/in-memory-of-mw0000654787

Personnel: Trumpet, Vocals – Chet Baker; Saxophone [Tenor], Vocals – Archie Shepp; Piano – Horace Parlan; Bass – Herman Wright; Drums – Clifford Jarvis

In Memory Of: First and Last Meeting in Frankfurt and Paris 1988

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Archie Shepp, Jasper Van't Hof - The Fifth of May

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 1987
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:10
Size: 110,4 MB
Art: Front

( 7:50)  1. Down Home New York
( 7:38)  2. The Hunter
( 6:37)  3. Naima
( 5:16)  4. Pulse of the Roots
(15:16)  5. 5th of May
( 5:30)  6. In a Decent Way

This is an unusual CD with Archie Shepp, mostly playing tenor but also contributing a couple of vocals and a bit of soprano, performing duets with the keyboards and synthesizer of Jasper Van't Hof. The music (originals by Shepp or Van't Hof, along with John Coltrane's "Naima") ranges from danceable tracks and mood pieces to explorative works, and generally holds one's interest. A good couple of days for Archie Shepp, who could be quite erratic in the 1980s. ~Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-fifth-of-may-mw0000652903

The Fifth of May

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Archie Shepp, Jasper Van't Hof - Mama Rose

Styles: Saxophone and Piano Jazz
Year: 1985
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:08
Size: 96,5 MB
Art: Front

( 9:17)  1. Contracts
(12:04)  2. Mama Rose
(11:47)  3. People
( 3:39)  4. Kalimba
( 5:19)  5. Recovered Residence

From the moment Jasper Van't Hof lays a finger on the synthesizer, unrolling a plush carpet of electronic music, it's clear that "Mama Rose" is not going to be your typical Archie Shepp album. The brash interplay often found on Shepp's small-group recordings has been replaced by a cozier relationship between keyboard and saxophone on this series of duets, recorded in concert in West Germany in 1982. The most moving performance is the title track, the only one of the album's five selections written by Shepp. A stirring recitation with an autobiographical slant, it's dedicated to Shepp's grandmother and "the struggle that transpired in the Sixties," and concludes with an impassioned soprano saxophone solo. Unfortunately, Van't Hof, a veteran of many European ensembles, isn't always up to Shepp's standards. He seems inordinately fond of minimalistic rhythmic effects and simulating rock-guitar runs. Still, the sheer variety of instruments at his disposal, both electronic and acoustic, allows him to anticipate and respond to Shepp's solos in infinitely colorful ways. The result is the exotic contours of "Kalimba" and the sweeping chromaticism of "Recovered Residence." Once Van't Hof establishes the mood, Shepp has no trouble making it meaningful and memorable. ARCHIE SHEPP & JASPER VAN'T HOF - "Mama Rose" (Steeplechase SCS1169). https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/02/17/a-mellow-archie-shepp/a5a6b40e-523f-4c9a-a245-4c01e19017ac/

Personnel: Archie Shepp - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, recitation;  Jasper van't Hof - piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizer, computer, kalimba

Mama Rose

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Archie Shepp, Horace Parlan - Trouble in Mind

Styles: Saxophone And Piano Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:42
Size: 117,9 MB
Art: Front

(2:42)  1. Back Water Blues
(3:26)  2. Trouble in Mind
(5:55)  3. Nobody Knows You When You're Down A
(2:36)  4. Careless Love
(5:00)  5. How Long Blues
(5:16)  6. Blues in Third
(5:05)  7. When Things Go Wrong
(4:26)  8. Goin' Down Slow
(3:41)  9. Courthouse Blues
(4:43) 10. See See Rider
(3:26) 11. Make Me a Pallet on the Floor
(4:22) 12. St James Infirmary

This is the second set of duets by Archie Shepp (doubling on tenor and soprano) and pianist Horace Parlan after an earlier SteepleChase set titled Goin' Home. It features the duo on blues-oriented pieces from the 1920s. It is particularly interesting to hear Shepp, best known for his ferocious free jazz performances of the mid- to late '60s, adjusting his sound and giving such songs as "Trouble in Mind," Earl Hines' "Blues in Thirds," and "St. James Infirmary" tasteful and respectful yet emotional treatment. Recommended. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/trouble-in-mind-mw0000649729

Personnel: Archie Shepp - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone; Horace Parlan - piano

Trouble in Mind

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Archie Shepp Quartet - Lover Man

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:06
Size: 138,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:28)  1. Stars are in Your Eyes
(6:11)  2. Lover Man
(9:23)  3. Brandnew World / Breaking a new day
(5:38)  4. Margy Pargy
(5:21)  5. My Funny Valentine
(6:49)  6. Lush Life
(6:17)  7. Squeeze Me
(5:18)  8. Yesterday's
(8:37)  9. Tribute to Bessy Smith

Shepp has been criticized for his more commercial ventures such as this, but many will enjoy its accessibly light charm. Most of the numbers are standards, including "My Funny Valentine," "Lover Man," and "Lush Life," and are performed by the saxophonist backed by a solid rhythm section. Dave Burrell is wonderfully deft on piano, and he is given ample opportunity to interact with Shepp. Annette Lowman sings on several numbers, and she adds just the right touch and phrasing. Shepp is in somewhat less than perfect form, but he is clearly enjoying himself. There is a touch of a blues and R&B feel that adds to the ambiance. Unlike some of Shepp's other ventures, there are no attempted serious statements made only relaxing, good, swinging jazz that lifts the spirits or touches the soul, if only just a bit. ~ Steve Loewy https://www.allmusic.com/album/lover-man-mw0000542922

Personnel: Archie Shepp – tenor saxophone; Annette Lowman – vocals; Dave Burrell – piano; Herman Wright – bass; Stephen McCraven – drums

Lover Man

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Archie Shepp - The Cry Of My People

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1972
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:56
Size: 99,3 MB
Art: Front

(4:39)  1. Rest Enough (Song To Mother)
(6:29)  2. A Prayer
(2:56)  3. All God's Children Got A Home In The Universe
(5:28)  4. The Lady
(5:43)  5. The Cry Of My People
(0:35)  6. African Drum Suite, Pt. 1
(7:32)  7. African Drum Suite, Pt. 2
(9:30)  8. Come Sunday

Archie Shepp is an artist whose work, while not always successful, nevertheless remains compelling and worth a listen. The Cry of My People is not his best effort, but one can respect his maverick approach to jazz scholarship that resists classification and challenges the notion of what can be defined as jazz. This album comes from a period in the early seventies where Shepp was absorbing all manner of black music from gospel to blues to Ellington into his compositions. The result is an recording that is consistently interesting, although a bit schizophrenic. Employing a very large ensemble that includes a choir and string section along with an expanded jazz group, Shepp stubbornly refuses to mix his influences, yet he obviously views them all as part of a vast continuum of musical expression. Listeners may be bewildered by the opening “Rest Enough,” a straightforward gospel tune, and equally puzzled by the segue into “A Prayer,” a brooding instrumental composed by Cal Massey, who arranged the album and died shortly after completing his work. After another gospel tune comes “The Lady,” a bleak tune with a suitably resigned vocal by Joe Lee Wilson. The first half of the record veers from the exuberance of the gospel music to the haunting beauty of a more mainstream jazz sound, yet Shepp remains the guiding force with his stinging, restless attack on both tenor and soprano sax, a dizzying squall of powerful notes. Further resisting categorization, the second side embraces the dissonant chanting and ominous drone of African music on the title track and the “African Drum Suite.” Although challenging, this side teeters between being repetitive and jarring, yet it's redeemed at the end by a lovely treatment of Ellington’s “Come Sunday,” featuring a great vocal by Wilson and fiery, passionate soloing by Shepp, showing why he was so highly regarded by artists such as Coltrane. Those who peg Shepp as a member of the avant-garde may be surprised by how accessible The Cry of My People is, regardless of whether or not they can embrace the adventurous nature or social consciousness of his work. Clearly his approach isn’t for everyone. Shepp fans, of course, will be delighted to see this one back in print. ~ David Rickert https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-cry-of-my-people-archie-shepp-impulse-review-by-david-rickert.php

Personnel: Archie Shepp - tenor and soprano saxophone; Harold Mabern, Dave Burrell - piano; Charles McGhee - trumpet; Charles Greenlee, Charles Stephens - trombone;  Cornell Dupree - guitar;  Ron Carter - electric bass; Jimmy Garrison - bass; Bernard Purdie - drums;  Beaver Harris - drums;  Nene DeFense, Terry Quaye - congas, percussion, tambourine; Guilherme Franco - berimbau, Brazilian percussion;  Peggie Blue, Joe Lee Wilson - lead vocals; Andre Franklin, Mildred Lane, Mary Stephens, Barbara White, Judith White - backing vocals; John Blake, Gayle Dixon, Leroy Jenkins, Lois Siessinger, Noel DeCosta, Jerry Little - violin;  Patricia Dixon, Esther Mellon - cello

The Cry Of My People

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Eric Le Lann, Archie Shepp - Live in Paris

Styles: Trumpet And Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 71:48
Size: 165,3 MB
Art: Front

( 8:31)  1. Delicated to bessie smith
(13:19)  2. Hope two
( 6:19)  3. The man I love
(12:50)  4. Ask me now
(12:13)  5. Circle
( 5:19)  6. Twins valse
(13:14)  7. Things ain't what they used to be

"We are at the little newspaper Montparnasse Shepp who gives the voice, who blows fire on his quartet ... The Lann is even particularly highlighted on two of his titles ... and we say that for once, we just attended a concert where something really happened . " A. MERLIN / JAZZMAN. " Quarrelsome twins in a symbiotic breath, Eric Le Lann and Archie Shepp leave little time for the Petit Journal to breathe." R. GUYOMARC'H / IMPROJAZZ. "One is a living legend of jazz, the other might well be. Translate by Google http://www.lozproduction.fr/en/cddownload/archie-shepp-eric-le-lann/74-live-in-paris.html

Personnel:  Éric Le Lann - trumpet; Archie Shepp - tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Richard Clements - piano; Wayne Dockery - bass; Stephen McCraven - drums

Live in Paris

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Archie Shepp, Michel Marre - Passion

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:11
Size: 119.5 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1986/2016
Art: Front

[12:07] 1. Passion
[ 5:06] 2. Prelude To A Kiss
[ 5:19] 3. We'll Be Together Again
[ 5:11] 4. For Heaven's Sake
[ 8:48] 5. You're My Thrill
[ 9:09] 6. Little Folks
[ 6:27] 7. Never Thought

In mid 80s one of free jazz cult figures American tenor Archie Shepp returns to his early r'n'b roots again and again. Usually combined with vocals and bluesy hard-bop numbers, Shepp's albums from that period are often a mixed bag, but for followers contain lot of interesting moments. One of better known albums of such kind is his "Down Home New York", recorded in States and released on renown Italian Soul Note label in 1984. "You're My Thrill" (reissued later on CD as "Passion" with two bonus tracks) was recorded in France and released on tiny domestic Vent Du Sud label. Both vinyl and CD (reissued in 1990) versions are real obscurities. From very first album sounds it becomes obvious that Shepp (or label) obviously tries to re-vitalize "Down Home NY.."'s successful formula. At the very same way, "You're My Thrill" opens with 10+ minute long catchy r'n'b number of the same way (actually, it is same song as "Down Home.."'s opener, just titled here as "Passion" and completed with slightly different lyrics).

Then (strictly according to previous album formula again) we have series of hard hard bop ballads with a few freer reeds solos and some of vocals.In contrast to Soul Note release where Shepp plays with team of renown Americans (incl. Kenny Werner on piano and Saheb Sarbib on bass among others), on "You're My Thrill" we hear mostly domestic European band. Weirdest collaborator is German keyboardist Siegfred Kessler using solely analog synths with extremely non-jazzy plasticky effervescent sound. Supporting band's leader trumpeter/tuba player Michel Marre demonstrates few solos, not on the level of Shepp's better collaborators' though. CD version's two bonuses are more lively compositions, contain more inspired (and a bit freer) playing but can hardly save all album. Obscure and hardly attractive for casual listener, this album still contains its two or three attractive moments for Shepp's fan or collector.

Passion mc
Passion zippy

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Archie Shepp - Things Have Got to Change!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1971
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:44
Size: 86,4 MB
Art: Front

(18:21)  1. Monet Blues
( 2:29)  2. Dr. King, The Peaceful Warrior
(16:53)  3. Things Have Got to Change

Things Have Got to Change is an album by avant-garde jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp released in 1971 on the Impulse! label. The album features a performance by Shepp with a large ensemble and vocal choir. The album "solidified the saxophonists reputation as a soulful, yet radical free jazz artist motivated by social commentary and cultural change". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_Have_Got_to_Change

Personnel:  Archie Shepp: tenor and soprano saxophone;  James Spaulding: alto saxophone, piccolo;  Roy Burrows, Ted Daniel: trumpet;  Charles Greenlee, Grachan Moncur III: trombone;  Howard Johnson: baritone saxophone;  Dave Burrell: electric piano;  Billy Butler, David Spinozza: guitar;  Roland Wilson: electric bass;  Beaver Harris: drums;  Ollie Anderson, Hetty "Bunchy" Fox, Calo Scott, Juma Sultan: percussion;  Joe Lee Wilson: lead vocal;  Anita Branham, Claudette Brown, Barbara Parsons, Ernestina Parsons, Jody Shayne, Anita Shepp, Johnny Shepp, Sharon Shepp: vocals

Things Have Got to Change!

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Archie Shepp - Down Home New York

Styles: Saxophone Jazz

Year: 1984

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 42:15

Size: 97,2 MB

Art: Front

(10:59)  1. Down Home New York

( 9:16)  2. 'Round About Midnight

( 9:12)  3. May 16th

( 6:08)  4. The 4th World

( 6:39)  5. Straight Street

Archie Shepp was the picture of rebellion and anger in the 1960s, but he became the voice of swing, blues and classicism in the 1980s. Shepp displayed his penchant for honking R&B and soulful blues on this 1984 date. The title piece was a jaunty stroll, as was the celebratory "Straight Street." Shepp turned to impressionistic fare with his version of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight." The group included a great drummer in Marvin Smith and also other competent players, although Saheb Sarbib sometimes did not offer as full and aggressive a backbeat as needed. But Shepp's swaggering, confident tone and style maintained the pace. ~ Ron Wynn http://www.allmusic.com/album/down-home-new-york-mw0000188764

Personnel: Archie Shepp (vocals, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Charles McGhee (vocals, trumpet); Kenny Werner (vocals, piano); Saheb Sarbib (vocals, electric bass, bass guitar); Marvin Smith (vocals, drums); Bazzi Bartholomew Gray (vocals).

Down Home New York

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Archie Shepp - Stream

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:48
Size: 149,1 MB
Art: Front

( 8:43)  1. Stream
(13:03)  2. Along Came Betty
( 7:24)  3. Blues For Donald Duck
(10:33)  4. U-Jamaa
(11:57)  5. Crucificado
(12:07)  6. Miss Tomi

Archie Shepp was born in 1937 in Fort Lauderdale in Florida. He grew up in Philadelphia, studied piano and saxophone and attended high school in Germantown; he went to college, became involved with theatre, met writers and poets, among them, Leroy Jones and wrote: «The Communist», an allegorical play about the situation of black Americans. In the late fifties, Archie Shepp also met the most radical musicians of the time: Lee Morgan, Bobby Timmons, Jimmy Garrison, Ted Curson, Beaver Harris ... his political consciousness found an expression in plays and theatrical productions which barely allowed him to make a living. In the beginning sixties he met Cecil Taylor and did two recordings with him which were determining.  In 1962 he signed his first record with Bill Dixon as co-leader. During the following year, he created the New York Contemporary Five with John Tchichai, made four records for Fontana, Storyville and Savoy and travelled to Europe with this group. Starting in August 1964, he worked with Impulse and made 17 records among which, Four For Trane, Fire Music, and Mama Too Tight, some of the classics of Free Music. His collaboration with John Coltrane materialized further with Ascension in 1965, a real turning point in Avant- Garde music. His militancy was evidenced by his participation in the creation of the Composers Guild with Paul and Carla Bley, Sun RA, Roswell Rudd and Cecil Taylor. In July 1969 he went for the first time to Africa for the Pan African Festival in Algiers where many black American militants were living. On this occasion he recorded Live for Byg the first of six albums in the Actual series. In 1969 he began teaching Ethnomusicology at the University of Amherst, Massachusetts; at the same time he continued to travel around the world while continuing to express his identity as an African American musician.

The dictionary of Jazz (Robert Laffont, Bouquins) defines him in the following way: «A first rate artist and intellectual, Archie Shepp has been at the head of the Avant-Garde Free Jazz movement and has been able to join the mainstream of Jazz, while remaining true to his esthetic. He has developed a true poli-instrumentality: an alto player, he also plays soprano since 1969, piano since 1975 and more recently occasionally sings blues and standards.»  He populates his musical world with themes and stylistic elements provided by the greatest voices of jazz: from Ellington to Monk and Mingus, from Parker to Siver and Taylor. His technical and emotional capacity enables him to integrate the varied elements inherited by the Masters of Tenor from Webster to Coltrane into his own playing but according to his very own combination: the wild raspiness of his attacks, his massive sound sculpted by a vibrato mastered in all ranges, his phrases carried to breathlessness, his abrupt level changes, the intensity of his tempos but also the velvety tenderness woven into a ballad. His play consistently deepens the spirit of the two faces of the original black American music: blues and spirituals. His work with classics and with his own compositions (Bessie Smith’s Black Water Blues or Mama Rose) contributes to maintaining alive the power of strangeness of these two musics in relationship to European music and expresses itself in a unique mix of wounded violence and age-old nostalgia. The scope of his work which registered in the eighties a certain urgency (at the cost of a few discrepancies) is a witness to the fact that in 1988 Archie Shepp was with Sonny Rollins one of the best interpreters in the babelian history of jazz. With his freedom loving sensitivity Archie Shepp has made an inestimable contribution to the gathering, the publicizing and the inventing of jazz. https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/archieshepp

Personnel:  Archie Shepp – Saxophone;  Charles Greenlee – Trombone;  Dave Burrell – Piano;  Beaver Harris – Drums.

Stream

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Archie Shepp And Roswell Rudd - Live In New York

Styles: Saxophone And Trombone Jazz
Year: 2001
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:01
Size: 174,2 MB
Art: Front

( 2:11)  1. Keep Your Heart Right
( 8:23)  2. Acute Motelitis
( 7:33)  3. Steam
( 8:27)  4. Pazuzu
( 5:46)  5. We Are The Blues
( 9:16)  6. Ujamma
( 5:46)  7. Bamako
(11:57)  8. Slide By Slide
( 3:59)  9. Deja Vu
(10:38) 10. Hope No 2

The year was 1994. The venue: the Eilat Red Sea Jazz Festival. Hundreds of sweltering Jazz aficionados waited in a huge converted cargo shed to witness reedman Archie Shepp and his quartet a marquee coup for the Israeli festival. When Shepp swaggered onto the stage, the more discerning members of the audience (including this reviewer) could scarcely conceal their disappointment. Here was the 1960s hero of radical Jazz conservatively bedecked in two–piece gray suit and tie. He might as well have emerged from Wall Street. More disconcerting was that this aging maestro and his group played mostly standards, and Shepp’s vocals were not always up to the task. With a lineup that included a shaky–looking but strong–sounding Horace Parlan on piano, one couldn’t help but be dismayed. Fast forward to 2000.   On Roswell Rudd and Archie Shepp Live in New York, Shepp (playing tenor sax, piano and crooning) is in top avant-garde form in the company of trombone titans Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur III, percussionist extraordinaire Andrew Cyrille and ever surprising bassist Reggie Workman. The CD sizzles with excitement. The one downer  as odd as a seven–dollar bill  is the inclusion of Amiri Baraka (“We Are the Blues”) with a hideously boring poem about the blues. 

One of the most endearing aspects of this collaboration  recorded live at the Big Apple’s Jazz Standard last September is the seamless way in which Rudd and Shepp move between the orbits of furious abandon (“Acute Motelitis”) and engagingly mellow pieces (“Steam,” “Déjà Vu”). The Paris–based saxophonist’s deft and delicate piano playing and crooning is a major highlight of this disc. Shepp shines on saxophone too, with his trademark vibrato and lyrically sculpured phrasing. The influence of Herbie Nichols and Elmo Hope overwhelms but never threatens to suffocate the proceedings. Tunes like “Acute Motelitis,” “Ujamma” and “Hope No. 2” bear out this tendency. Located somewhere between the stylings of Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, these numbers bristle with their own unique harmonic sense. 

Reggie Workman has been such a ubiquitous presence in Jazz circles for nearly fifty years that one could say he “hides in plain sight.” From straight-ahead blues to avant-garde situations, this creative bassist anchors this particular live session with great flair. Ditto Andrew Cyrille who has been grossly overlooked in terms of his contribution to the percussive lexicon. His sheer prowess in punctuating and parsing the pulse of each of the compositions on Live in New York is breathtaking. For the more discerning Jazz aficionado, this new Rudd / Shepp collaboration will not disappoint. ~ John Stevenson https://www.allaboutjazz.com/live-in-new-york-roswell-rudd-universal-music-group-review-by-john-stevenson.php

Personnel: Archie Shepp, tenor saxophone, vocals, piano; Roswell Rudd, trombone; Grachan Moncur III, trombone; Reggie Workman, bass; Andrew Cyrille, drums; Amiri Baraka, poetry.

Live In New York

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Archie Shepp Quartet - Deja Vu

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 50:58
Size: 116.7 MB
Styles: Avant-garde jazz
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[4:50] 1. What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life
[9:15] 2. Petite Fleur
[7:25] 3. Les Feuilles Mortes
[7:54] 4. L' Ame Des Poetes
[4:03] 5. Gigi
[6:30] 6. April In Paris
[7:46] 7. Sous Le Ciel De Paris
[3:12] 8. Deja Vu

Bass – George Mraz; Drums – Billy Drummond; Piano – Harold Mabern; Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp. Recorded at "The Studio" in New York on June 11 and 12, 2001.

Archie Shepp has long established a reputation as a fiery avant-garde jazz stylist, though he is remarkably restrained in this collection of ballads recorded in 2001. The rhapsodic songs help restrain him somewhat, along with the presence of the terrific rhythm section, consisting of pianist Harold Mabern, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Billy Drummond. "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" has a few rough edges to retain Shepp's personal flavor, while the rhumba setting of Sidney Bechet's "Petite Fleur" works well, too. Mabern's lush introduction to "Les Feuilles Mortes" (Autumn Leaves) sets up a touching, spacious arrangement. Shepp opens Lerner & Loewe's infrequently performed "Gigi" unaccompanied, producing a majestic performance. The snappy treatment of "April in Paris" swings like the famous tune should, while he also retains the well-known "Pop Goes the Weasel" quote inserted in Basie's version. All in all, this is an enjoyable date. ~Ken Dryden

Deja Vu

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Various - Mack The Knife

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:49
Size: 120.9 MB
Styles: Assorted Jazz styles
Year: 1998
Art: Front

[8:14] 1. Barney Wilen - Mack The Knife
[6:34] 2. Pharoah Sanders - In A Sentimental Mood
[5:24] 3. Lee Konitz - My Funny Valentine
[6:22] 4. Eddie Harris - Georgia On My Mind
[5:56] 5. Carmen Leggio - Street Of Dreams
[7:03] 6. Archie Shepp - The Thrill Is Gone
[6:44] 7. Phil Woods - Souvenir
[6:28] 8. Barney Wilen - I Cover The Waterfront

About the song 'Mack the Knife": "Mack the Knife" was composed on a whim by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill while they were putting the finishing touches on Die Dreigroschenoper in 1928. As the story goes, the diva-esque tenor who was playing the part of Mackie Messer, aka Macheath or Mack the Knife, suggested that a whole song should be written to introduce his character before he comes on stage. As one columnist recently wrote, "the essence of the song is: Oh, look who's coming onstage, it's Mack the Knife - a thief, murderer, arsonist, and rapist." The song, which became the opening number, was composed in less than 24 hours and added to the show at the final hour. Little did Weill and Brecht know it would be one of their most well-known legacies.

In some ways, The Threepenny Opera, tagged by Brecht and Weill as a show "by and for beggars," revolutionized musical theater. Die Dreigroschenoper was revolutionary because it was a fun musical that doubled as biting satire, throwing stone after stone at the corruption of the German government and its supporters without naming any names. It also integrated contemporary trends like tango and foxtrot. It was also historically fascinating because it was actually a re-write of a musical composed a full two hundred years before, John Gay's Beggar's Opera. In the early 1700s, the Beggar's Opera—which poked light fun at London's bourgeois classes—became wildly popular as the first comic opera. The parody, which featured a Robin Hood-type Macheath who stole from the rich, was later popular in the British colonies in New York and was supposedly enjoyed by George Washington. The Beggar's Opera was translated into German and became a popular play in 1920s Berlin because it spoke to the excesses of post-World War I Germany.

Not surprisingly, Brecht and Weill were pushed out of Germany by the Nazis in 1933, and their works were banned. They both ended up in the U.S. after seeking refuge in several European countries. Given that his life as a writer was devoted to calling out corruption and that he spent about a decade hiding from the Nazis, it is ironic that Brecht, who emigrated to the U.S. in the 1940s, was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 and fled the U.S. for fear of political persecution.

Brecht and Weill's interpretation of the John Gay play is more sinister and intense than the amusing Robin Hood themes that showed up in the original. Macheath, the show's anti-hero, goes from being a bit of a crook to being a pretty serious one: he is portrayed as a murderer, rapist, and arsonist who is openly frightening but butters up the people around him, especially women, to keep on their good side. In The Threepenny Opera, he is known as Mackie Messer (Messer is German for knife).

Mack The Knife

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Archie Shepp Quartet - Blue Ballads

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:23
Size: 119.9 MB
Styles: Saxophone jazz
Year: 1996/2007
Art: Front

[ 5:54] 1. Little Girl Blue
[ 7:15] 2. More Than You Know
[ 7:53] 3. Blue In Green
[ 5:09] 4. Blue And Sentimental
[ 7:50] 5. Cry Me A River
[ 7:29] 6. If I Should Lose You
[10:51] 7. Alone Together

Bass – George Mraz; Drums – Idris Muhammad; Piano – John Hicks; Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals – Archie Shepp. Recorded at Clinton Studio "A" on November 24 & 25, 1995 in N.Y.

Recorded in November 1995, saxophonist Archie Shepp's Blue Ballads is a counterpart to True Ballads and Something to Live For, which date from the same period. All three albums feature pianist John Hicks, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Idris Muhammad. These intimate studies in shared introspection, along with Black Ballads and True Blue, document Shepp's astute exploration of the ballad form during the 1990s. On Blue Ballads Shepp mingled time-honored standards such as Rodgers & Hart's "Little Girl Blue," Arthur Schwartz's "Alone Together," and Vincent Youmans' "More Than You Know" with the Miles Davis-Bill Evans masterpiece "Blue in Green" and "Blue and Sentimental," which had served as the feature number for Count Basie's star tenor saxophonist Herschel Evans some 60 years earlier. Once again and in all the best ways, Shepp shines in parallel with his contemporary Pharoah Sanders. Both are skilled balladeers as well as free spirits who simply cannot be bottled or pigeonholed. ~arwulf arwulf

Blue Ballads

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Archie Shepp - The Magic Of Ju-Ju

Styles: Saxophone Jazz, Avant-Garde Jazz
Year: 1967
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 35:20
Size: 56,7 MB
Art: Front

(18:38)  1. The Magic Of Ju-Ju
( 1:50)  2. You're What This Day Is All About
( 4:43)  3. Shazam
(10:07)  4. Sorry 'bout That

On this 1967 Impulse release, tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp unleashed his 18-minute tour de force "The Magic of Ju-Ju," combining free jazz tenor with steady frenetic African drumming. Shepp's emotional and fiery tenor takes off immediately, gradually morphing with the five percussionists Beaver Harris, Norman Connor, Ed Blackwell, Frank Charles, and Dennis Charles who perform on instruments including rhythm logs and talking drums. Shepp never loses the initial energy, moving forward like a man possessed as the drumming simultaneously builds into a fury. Upon the final three minutes, the trumpets of Martin Banks and Michael Zwerin make an abrupt brief appearance, apparently to ground the piece to a halt. This is one of Shepp's most chaotic yet rhythmically hypnotic pieces. The three remaining tracks, somewhat overshadowed by the title piece, are quick flourishes of free bop on "Shazam," "Sorry Bout That," and the slower, waltz-paced "You're What This Day Is All About."~Al Campbell http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-magic-of-ju-ju-mw0000744563

Personnel:  Archie Shepp: tenor saxophone;  Martin Banks: trumpet, flugelhorn;  Mike Zwerin: bass trombone, trombone;  Reggie Workman: bass;  Norman Connors: drums;  Beaver Harris: drums;  Frank Charles: talking drum;  Dennis Charles: percussion;  Ed Blackwell: rhythm logs

The Magic Of Ju-Ju

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