John Tchicai's Five Points - One Long Minute

Styles: Saxophone And Clarinet Jazz
Year: 2008
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:31
Size: 91,6 MB
Art: Front

(9:47)  1. Venus
(7:02)  2. Anxiety Disorder
(1:35)  3. Yojimbo
(7:05)  4. Glass Houses and Gift Horses
(5:37)  5. One Long Minute
(3:13)  6. Spectronomous
(5:08)  7. Parole Ambulante

Saxophonist John Tchicai was best known for his time in New York during the height of the '60s free jazz explosion, but he actually spent the majority of his career advancing the cause of avant-garde jazz in Northern Europe. Tchicai was born April 28, 1936, in Copenhagen to a Danish mother and Congolese father; he began playing violin at age ten, switched to both clarinet and alto sax at 16, and focused on the latter at Denmark's Conservatory of Music. In the late '50s, Tchicai began making the rounds of the North European jazz scene, which was quick to pick up on the early innovations of the American avant-garde. In 1963, he moved to New York City to immerse himself in the epicenter of free jazz. He hooked up with Archie Shepp and Don Cherry, eventually co-founding the New York Contemporary Five with them; he was also a founding member of the New York Art Quartet with Roswell Rudd and Milford Graves. Tchicai also recorded with Albert Ayler (on New York Eye and Ear Control), the Jazz Composers Guild, and John Lennon (Life with the Lions), and most importantly appeared on John Coltrane's legendary free jazz landmark Ascension. After a whirlwind three years, Tchicai returned to Denmark in 1966 and founded a large workshop ensemble called Cadentia Nova Danica, which he led until 1971. Shortly thereafter, he cut back on performing to concentrate on teaching full-time. In 1977, he returned to the studio, leading a fairly steady series of recording dates into the '80s, when he switched to tenor sax and joined Pierre Dorge's New Jungle Orchestra. 

In 1990, Tchicai received a lifetime grant for jazz performance from the Danish Ministry of Culture; and the following year he relocated to California's Bay Area, where he and his keyboardist wife Margriet founded John Tchicai & the Archetypes and the John Tchicai Unit, which both recorded during the '90s. After the turn of the millennium he returned to Europe and moved to Southern France; in June 2012 Tchicai suffered a brain hemorrhage, and although he reportedly began physiotherapy, he died in Perpignan, France in October of that year. John Tchicai was 76 years old. ~ Steve Huey http://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-tchicai-mn0000814077/biography

Personnel:  John Tchicai (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet);  Alex Weiss (tenor saxophone; alto saxophone; percussion);  Garrison Fewell (guitar, percussion, bow);  Dmitry Ishenko (bass);  Ches Smith (drums)

One Long Minute

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Charles Gayle Quartet - Always Born (feat. John Tchicai)

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 56:51
Size: 131,1 MB
Art: Front

( 9:48)  1. Always Born
(11:52)  2. Needs
(12:58)  3. Solid Clouds
( 5:22)  4. Coming Together
( 6:17)  5. Rainbow's Praise
(10:31)  6. Then Offer All

"Charles Gayle is carving out a free jazz that is muscular, impassioned, clearly structured, and wonderfully volatile." 

~ Jon Pareles, New York Times https://silkheart.bandcamp.com/album/always-born

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Composed By, Producer - Charles Gayle;  Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone - John Tchicai; Bass - Sirone; Drums - Reggie Nicholson

Always Born (feat. John Tchicai)

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John Tchicai - In Monk's Mood

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:46
Size: 153,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:25)  1. Monk's Mood
(4:53)  2. Coming On the Hudson
(4:34)  3. Light Blue
(6:15)  4. Ugly Beauty
(9:42)  5. Round About Midnight
(4:28)  6. Cool Copy
(8:45)  7. Easy Street
(9:15)  8. Ruby My Dear
(6:13)  9. Ask Him Now
(6:11) 10. Monk's Mood

John Tchicai has long been devoted to avant-garde jazz, having played with Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, and Pierre Dørge's New Jungle Orchestra, plus extensively recording as a leader. This session is a bit of a twist, as producer Nils Winther responded to Tchicai's interest in recording once more for Steeplechase by suggesting that he switch back from tenor to alto, while also devoting most of his program to the music of Thelonious Monk. While this might seem restrictive to most artists, Tchicai flourished in this setting, borrowing his wife's instrument and quickly finding common ground with veterans Steve LaSpina (bass) and Billy Drummond (drums) and the fast-rising younger pianist George Colligan. While songbook-type CDs often come off as tepid affairs, Tchicai's staccato approach to the alto and his way of often extending its range to where it sounds much like a soprano gives this predominately ballad collection a very fresh sound. 

Of particular interest is the leader's choice of relative obscurities like “Coming on the Hudson" and “Light Blue." The CD opens and closes with “Monk's Mood," the opener with the full band and the finale (which was actually recorded first) omitting Drummond, both of which feature Colligan on a Hammond organ that happened to be available in the recording studio. Tchicai also adds two originals to the mix, the free jazz vehicle “Cool Copy" and a loose reworking of Monk's “Ask Me Now," titled “Ask Him Now." While this session may not be as free-form as many Tchicai fans would prefer, it is very valuable music and proves to be an excellent introduction to those who might not already be familiar with this veteran's recorded output. ~ Ken Dryden  http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-monks-mood-mw0001787700

Personnel: John Tchicai (alto saxophone); George Colligan (piano, Hammond b-3 organ); Billy Drummond (drums).

In Monk's Mood

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