The Art Ensemble of Chicago with Fontella Bass was recorded in a Paris studio in 1970. The band had been gigging regularly in the city and this session offered an intimate view of the live material including "How Strange" which appeared later on Live in Paris. "How Strange" is part of a suite with "Ole Jed," comprising nearly 22 minutes. Bass, an R&B and gospel singer by trade and Lester Bowie's wife at the time, adds a wonderful theatrical and sonic dimension to the Art Ensemble's creative juggernaut. "How Strange" begins with an African chant by Joseph Jarman and Bass. As the instruments enter in earnest, one can hear traces of "Round Midnight" waft through the background and then the musical reality play is off an running. Bass sings, roars, growls, chants and spits poetry, becoming another fiery instrument in the band's arsenal. On "Horn, Webb," Don Moye kicks it with a trap drum solo. For nearly four minutes before the tack comes to a standstill and the horns of Jarman, Bowie and Roscoe Mitchell come in, blaring in unison before the work becomes a long, spacious textural study with many dynamic and colorful shifts along the way. Thirty-six years later, this piece still sounds fresh, new, full of inquiry and excitement. This set stands the test of time beautifully.
Genre - Jazz
Styles - Free Jazz, Soul, Pop Soul, Avant Garde Jazz
Time - 41:35
Format - mp3@256 Kbps
Size - 76 mb
Tracks
01. How Strange / Two Ole Jed
02. Horn Web
Credits
Fontella Bass (vocals)
Lester Bowie (animal sounds, drums, flugelhorn, horn, trumpet)
Malachi Favors (banjo, bass, kazoo, log drums, percussion)
Joseph Jarman (clarinet, flute, guitar, oboe, alto sax, soprano sax, vibraphone)
Roscoe Mitchell (clarinet, conga, drums, flute, percussion, alto sax, soprano sax)
Don Moye (bass marimba, bells, drums, percussion, temple blocks)
Famoudou Don Moye (drums, percussion)
Label
Verve, 1970
2 comentarios:
Long before anyone had ever heard of John Zorn, there was an avant garde jazz band using duck calls, squeaky toys, and all manner of experimentation. This is a reissue of a 1970 Art Ensemble of Chicago album. 1969-70 was a period of extreme fertility for this band, and I'll go out on a limb and proclaim it: the Art Ensemble's late Sixties/early 70's albums were second only to Miles Davis' albums in quality and importance to the jazz of the time. Fontella Bass was an R&B singer in the 60's before she married Lester Bowie (the Art Ensemble's trumpeter) and started laying down some landmark jazz/funk. This album consists of two long-form compositions: "How Strange/Old Jed" and "Horn Web". "How strange, Old Jed fell into the well. Well, I just never thought that it would end this way, but it did. Never knew Jed to be wearing a loose head. How strange, I'm just saying, how strange." That is the totality of the lyric sheet that Bass sings. My interpretation is that it is a variant on Billy Holiday's "Strange Fruit", and the lament for "Old Jed" is, in reality, a not so fond farewell for "Uncle Tom". As Bass breaks into laughter at one point, reacting to the lyric, a male voice starts doing what can best be described as a 'chain gang holler.' It's pretty hard to miss the point. The Art Ensemble uses a plethora of instruments on these compositions, demonstrating complete mastery. They shift from bop improvisation to New Orleans to African to classical waltz effortlessly. These compositions are rich tapestries of sound. The Art Ensemble expressed a lot of moods within their music. The combination of sardonic humor, macabre theatre, and ghetto feeling made a lot of people a bit uncomfortable. These reissues should help revive interest and remind people how amazing this group could be.
El colectivo afro-americano más excitante del jazz de vanguardia es, a mi juicio, el denominado Art Ensemble of Chicago. Sus objetivos son difundir la cultura africana a través de música, danza, vestuario y pinturas. El efecto visual que crean al danzar con vestimentas y caras pintarrajeadas podría hacernos pensar más en un espectáculo circense pero en realidad en ese momento la música se encarga de contextualizar este círculo entre pasado y futuro, desde un presente injusto que requiere de un mensaje urgente para la correcta comprensión de lo ahí expuesto.