RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK — Aces Back To Back (1998) 4CD BOX-SET | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Whether or not the four individual albums packaged with in Aces Back to Back are among Rahsaan Roland Kirk's finest is of no consequence. The fact that they have been assembled in a package that offers the listener a sense of Kirk's development and continuity is the issue here. And in this way, Aces Back to Back is a supreme collection. The four albums included -- Left & Right, Rahsaan Rahsaan, Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle, and Other Folks Music -- date from 1969 to 1976 and chart dimensional growth of Kirk's completely original music. There's the outsider wizardry of Left & Right that melds the innovations of John Coltrane and Scott Joplin across an entire range of highly experimental yet wonderfully human music. Guests included Roy Haynes, Alice Coltrane, Julius Watkins, and many others in a band that ranged from a quartet to a full orchestra. Then there are the nine musicians who appear on Rahsaan Rahsaan, among them avant violinist Leroy Jenkins. Here, from the margins comes Kirk's preaching and poetry and also yielded the classics "The Seeker" and "Baby Let Me Shake Your Tree." The fact that they open and close the album, respectively, reveals not only Kirk's diversity, but also his commitment to a universal black music. Prepare Thyself to Deal With a Miracle is Kirk's meditation on orchestral music juxtaposed against folk and R&B forms. Form the opening "Salvation and Reminiscing," where the string section carries a monadic theme into microtonal territory, Kirk uses the "ugliness" to achieve great beauty which is fully realized when he combines a revved-up version of "Balm in Gilead" with a section of Ralph Vaughn Williams' Pastoral Symphony on "Seasons." Finally, with the issue of Others Folks Music, Kirk contributes only one composition, a beautiful meditation entitled "Water for Robeson and Williams." The rest is made up of the music of Charlie Parker ("Donna Lee"), Kirk's then pianist Hilton Ruiz ("Arrival"), Frank Foster ("Simone"), and others. This is a loose, roughneck record where Kirk uses the harmonics of others to transform his own into something that would make the music itself larger than any of its individual parts. In all for the price tag, this is a solid buy, revealing the most misunderstood innovator in the history of jazz.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
All Tracks & Credits :

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Town Hall 1972 (2002) RM | FLAC (tracks), lossless

For those seeking the deep roots of Anthony Braxton's numbered series of compositions -- numbering close to 200 -- this 1972 concert is essential in that it features live recordings of "Composition 1" (for percussionist Jerome Cooper), "Composition 2" (for pianist Frederic Rzewski), and "Composition 3." This marks a return home, albeit a temporary one, for the composer and multi-instrumentalist -- Braxton left the United States for France in 1968, where he made a few recordings for European labels. Braxton showcases his work in a number of settings here -- in a pair of trios with bassist Dave Holland and drummers Phillip Wilson and Barry Altschul, and on "Composition 3" (for vocalist Jeanne Lee) saxophonist John Stubblefield and Lee herself become a part of the band. Also in the mix is in a wildly abstract but street-tough read of "All the Things You Are." On "Composition 1," Braxton, Holland, and Wilson establish early on what would be a trait in the composer's improvisations, which is the notion of a theme thoroughly stated, abstracted, deconstructed, and reconstructed into something wholly other while remaining recognizable. Critics have argued this, but those who deny it just don't listen closely enough. Here Braxton's first quotations from Warne Marsh make their way onto tape, and his manner of shifting pitch against chromatic and even whole-tone harmonics to create the appearance of diatonic abstraction comes into play as the body of the work. Holland plays away from it, moving toward Braxton's outer reach while Wilson moves inside the thematic construct, opening it up enough to keep Holland within reach of the subtle shifts some of the improvisation requires for articulation. On "Composition 2," the center moves outward with Altschul and Holland playing on the perimeter; Braxton's complex but nonetheless readily apparent lyric fragments keep them rooted to a space just within his reach improvisationally, inverting the traditional operation of a trio. Finally, on "Composition 3," Lee adds a kind of (a)tonal center as Braxton tries out six different reeds. Stubblefield offers a muscular counterpart to Braxton's more speculative tone, and offers a spatial figure for all things to exist in equally. Silence is an integral part of the dynamic in this quintet, where no player oversteps her or his placement within the construct of the whole. And while it is true, other than the cover tune, none of this "swings" per se; it doesn't reek of academia either. The playing here is soulful and engaging throughout it features some crack improvisation. This is a welcome reissue in Braxton's voluminous back catalog.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Composition I: Dedicated To Composer-Percussionist Jerome Cooper / Composition II: Dedicated To Composer-Pianist Frederic Rzewski    18:21
2    All The Things You Are    14:33
3    Composition III: Dedicated To The Vocalist Jeanne Lee    35:38
Credits :
Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Contrabass Clarinet, Clarinet, Percussion, Composed By, Producer [Concert] – Anthony Braxton
Double Bass – Dave Holland
Percussion, Marimba – Barry Altschul (pistas: 3)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Bass Clarinet, Gong, Percussion – John Stubblefield (pistas: 3)
Voice – Jeanne Lee (pistas: 3)

ANTHONY BRAXTON - Town Hall (Trio & Quintet) 1972 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Composition 6 N Dedicated To Jerome Cooper / Composition 6 (O) Dedicated To Frederic Rzewski    18:18
Written-By – Anthony Braxton
2    All The Things You Are 14:12
Written-By – Jerome Kern
3    Composition 6 P I    13:46
Written-By – Anthony Braxton
4    Composition 6 P II Dedicated To Jeanne Lee    21:25
Written-By – Anthony Braxton
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Anthony Braxton
Double Bass – Dave Holland
Drums – Phillip Wilson (pistas: 1, 2)
Percussion, Marimba – Barry Altschul (pistas: 3, 4)
Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Contrabass Clarinet [Contrabasse], Soprano Clarinet, Clarinet [B-Flat], Percussion – Anthony Braxton (pistas: 3, 4)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Bass Clarinet, Gong, Percussion – John Stubblefield (pistas: 3, 4)
Voice – Jeanne Lee (pistas: 3, 4)

RAHSAAN ROLAND KIRK - Prepare Thyself To Deal With a Miracle (1973-2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded in 1973, this is yet another criminally underappreciated Rahsaan Roland Kirk recording from the last phase of a remarkable career. This is perhaps Kirk's most experimental recording in that it involves his most involved performing on multiple horns and flutes -- including his infamous and wonderful nose flute -- and working with drones on a more surface level. Given Kirk's system of playing three horns at once, the drone horn was always a part of his sonic architecture. The difference here is that the melodic and improvisational lines take a back seat on tunes such as the opening "Salvation and Reminiscing," where he makes fantastic use of a baby E-flat saxophone, and on "Celestial Bliss," on which he is accompanied on his "black mystery pipes" only by percussion. On the medley "Seasons: One Mind Winter/Summer/Ninth Ghost," Kirk begins with the nose flutes, playing a part of "Balm in Gilead," before bringing in a six-piece string orchestra to play behind him as he improvises on all the melodies and modes. And this improvisation is not just a series of out arpeggios playing legato and running through and over the changes, but intricately nuanced, gentle, and architecturally sophisticated wanderings. Despite the beauty of the album's first three tracks, it is on the closer, the 21-and-a-half-minute "Saxophone Concerto," where Kirk most leaves his mark as a composer and innovator on the jazz world. Kirk comes out blowing literally like a train and weaves in, with vocalists Jeanne Lee and Dee Dee Bridgewater, a series of muted horn lines and rhythm figures. The band is 16 pieces total, and the concerto is structured in movements from an intro in which the purpose is stated: "time for America to discover some of its true Black miracles," wherein bebop and hard bop shimmy up against free modes and articulations by the rhythm section and the other horns. Kirk may solo on top with his tenor, but he holds close to the rhythm section's articulation of mutated blues. From here, Latin and faux classical chromatics are shaded into the whole as the pace becomes more and more frenetic, and just as the piece becomes perhaps circus-like, Kirk and company strip it all back and out, into a free universe washed by improvising vocalists, crashing cymbals, droning brass, and rumbling tom-toms before it's all a hush of unidentifiable sounds except for those of breaking glass. There are numerous metaphors and metonyms here, but they will not come to the listener until later, when she or he regains the conscious notion of breathing.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Salvation And Reminiscing 5:14
Backing Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jeanne Lee
Clarinet – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Conductor – Dick Griffin
Seasons (10:32)
Nose Flute, Flute – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
2a    One Mind Winter/Summer    
2b    Ninth Ghost    
3    Celestial Bliss 5:47
Backing Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jeanne Lee
Performer [Black Mystery Pipes], Saxophone [Baby E Flat] – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Saxophone Concerto (21:31)
Backing Vocals – Jeanne Lee
Tenor Saxophone – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
4a    Saxophone Miracle    
4b    One Breath Beyond    
4c    Dance Of Revolution
Credits :
Arranged By [Strings] – Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Bass – Henry Pearson
Cello – Kermit Moore
Drums – Robert Shy
English Horn, Oboe – Harry Smiles
Percussion – Ralph MacDonald, Sonny Brown
Piano – Ron Burton
Trombone – Dick Griffin
Trumpet – Charles McGhee
Viola – Al Brown
Violin – Gayle Dixon, Julien Barber, Sanford Allen, Selwart Clarke
Written-By – Rahsaan Roland Kirk

ARCHIE SHEPP - Blasé + Live At The Pan-African Festival (2001) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

As the '60s drew to a close in a hail of blood and lead, jazz gradually began to close its doors. What had blossomed in the '50s and '60s as young men struggled to raise a music out of the whorehouses of New Orleans and into the concert halls turned into something less and more than it had been. Musicians like Archie Shepp no longer looked to the future or to what they might borrow from classical forms. Instead, they looked back to the cotton fields, the slave market, and the slum to find their voice. The music took an angry turn, emphatically stating, "This is our music." Stunned by the assassinations of Martin and Malcolm, many young musicians turned from a country and a culture they thought had betrayed them. Archie Shepp went to Paris. There, in the summer of 1969, he cut these albums, each a classic in its own right, each a milestone in an under-appreciated career. Blasé looks back to the blues, soaked in harmonica and the brooding duet of Shepp's throaty tenor and Jeanne Lee's magnificent, pensive voice. The mood is dark, but proud and unyielding. This is the sound of those who have been wounded, those who will rise yet again. The overall effect is like some wonderful, alternate version of Porgy & Bess, an expression of hope and dignity where few would bother to look. The live record that closes the set finds Shepp reaching deeper into the music's past, going all the way to Algiers to play in the streets with whoever wants to lend a hand. The metaphoric value of that union is profoundly moving. The sound of the music is a joy, and one that will reward repeated listening. The '60s weren't a lot of fun for black musicians, regardless of what happened to flower power. This set is proof that for all the abuse that was heaped on them by their nation, for all the disappointments they endured, men and women could somehow emerge with their dignity intact. Rob Ferrier
Blasé (1969)   
1-1    My Angel    10:08
 Archie Shepp
1-2    Blasé    10:25
 Archie Shepp
1-3    There Is A Balm In Gilead 5:57
 Archie Shepp
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Lester Bowie
1-4    Sophisticated Lady    5:11
 Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Mitchell Parish
1-5    Touareg    9:15
 Archie Shepp
Live At The Pan-African Festival (1969)
2-1    Brotherhood At Ketchaoua 15:55
 Archie Shepp
Performer – Algerian Musicians
2-2    We Have Come Back
 Archie Shepp
Bass – Alan Silva 31:19
Drums – Sunny Murray
Performer – Algerian Musicians, Tuareg Musicians
Credits
Bass – Malachi Favors (pistas: 1-1 to 1-5)
Cornet – Clifford Thornton (pistas: 2-1, 2-2)
Drums – Philly Joe Jones (pistas: 1-1 to 1-5)
Harmonica – Chicago Beau (pistas: 1-1, 1-2), Julio Finn (pistas: 1-1, 1-2)
Piano – Dave Burrell (pistas: 1-1 to 1-4, 2-2)
Tenor Saxophone, Arranged By – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III (pistas: 2-1, 2-2)
Vocals – Jeanne Lee (pistas: 1-1 to 1-4)

ARCHIE SHEPP & JEANNE LEE - Archie Shepp & Jeanne Lee (1984-1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Sophisticated Lady    6:36
Written-By – Duke Ellington
2    Mama Rose    6:07
Written-By – Archie Shepp
3    Bahia    10:50
Written-By – Ary Barroso
4    Blue Monk    5:50
Written-By – Thelonious Monk
5    'Round Midnight    7:55
Written-By – Hanighen, Williams, Monk
6    Tune For Shepp (Dedicated To Sun Ra)    11:50
Written-By – Patricia Jones / Jeanne Lee
7    U-Majaa    17:06
Credits :
Bass – Peter Bockius
Drums – Don Mumford
Piano – Siggi Kessler
Saxophone, Vocals – Archie Shepp
Vocals – Jeanne Lee
Notas.
Track 7 is unlisted.

RAN BLAKE & JEANNE LEE - Free Standards : Stockholm 1966 (2013) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

JEANNE LEE & RAN BLAKE - The Legendary Duets (1961-1987) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is a classic. Singer Jeanne Lee and pianist Ran Blake both made their recording debuts on this set of duets (two songs add bassist George Duvivier), and their interplay is quite memorable. Blake's emotional style makes dramatic use of sound and space, while Lee's haunting vocals also make each note count. The CD reissue (which adds four previously unreleased songs to the original ten-tune program) is highlighted by "Laura," "Where Flamingos Fly," "Evil Blues," and "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child"; included are some very slow ballads ("Lover Man," et al.) that are full of inner tension. Fascinating music, highly recommended. by Scott Yanow

Tracklist:

1 Laura 5:05

2 Blue Monk 4:47

3 Church On Russell Street 3:09

4 Where Flamingos Fly 4:15

5 Season In The Sun 2:27

6 Lover Man 5:13

7 Evil Blues 3:06

8 Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child 2:41

9 When Sunny Gets Blue 4:53

10 Love Isn't Everything 1:18

11 Vanguard 3:12

12 Left Alone 2:51

13 He's Got The Whole World In His Hands 2:04

14 Straight Ahead 3:08

Credits:

Bass – George Duvivier (tracks: 5, 7)

Piano – Ran Blake (tracks: 1 to 7, 9 to 12, 14)

Vocals – Jeanne Lee (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 14)

JEANNE LEE - Natural Affinities (1992) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Jeanne Lee was always an unusual singer, one of the most adventurous to emerge out of the 1960s in jazz. Listening to this 1992 recording, one hears many moments that sound a bit like Cassandra Wilson would a decade later. Lee has a warm but dark voice, often floating as part of the ensemble rather than dominating the music, although in reality she is the dominating force. During this set, although there are conventional moments (particularly a straightforward "I Thought About You" and parts of the closing number, which is Brazilian-oriented), much of the haunting music is quite atmospheric and beyond any specific style. "Mingus Meditations" has Lee at a couple points reciting the words of Charles Mingus from his semi-fictional memoirs, "Peace Chorale" and "Free Space" are not too conventional, and in some spots Lee gives prominent roles (even during her vocals) to bassist Dave Holland, trumpeter Leo Smith, and altoist Mark Whitecage. The overall results are intriguing and will take several listens to fully appreciate. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Mingus Meditations 12:06
Dave Holland / Jeanne Lee / Charles Mingus
Bass, Music By – Dave Holland
Vocals, Music By – Jeanne Lee
Words By – C. Mingus
2 I Thought About You 5:04
James Van Heusen / Johnny Mercer
Bass – Lisle Atkinson
Drums – Newman Baker
Music By, Lyrics By – J. Van Heusen, J. Mercer
Piano, Vocals – Paul Broadnax
Vocals – Jeanne Lee
3 Journey to Edaneres 12:22
Gunter Hampel / Jeanne Lee
Bass – Lisle Atkinson
Drums – Newman Baker
Piano, Vocals – Amina Claudine Myers
Vibraphone, Flute, Music By – Gunter Hampel
Vocals, Lyrics By – Jeanne Lee
4 Peace Chorale I/Bushwacked/Peace Chorale II 8:37
Jeanne Lee
Bass – Lisle Atkinson
Drums – Newman Baker
Music By – Jay Clayton
Trumpet – Leo Smith
Vocals – Jeanne Lee
Words By – Lao Tse
5 Free Space 2:52
Sharon Freeman
Alto Saxophone – Mark Whitecage
Bass – Lisle Atkinson
Drums – Newman Baker
Music By, Lyrics By – L. Sharon Freeman
Trumpet – Leo Smith
Vocals – Jeanne Lee
6 Trilogy 10:46
L. Michael Smith
Bass – Lisle Atkinson
Drums – Newman Baker
Trumpet, Music By, Lyrics By – Leo Smith
Vocals – Jeanne Lee
7 Ambrosia Mama/Celebration of a State of Grace 8:00
Jeanne Lee / Ntozake Shange
Bass – Lisle Atkinson
Drums – Newman Baker
Guitar – Jerome Harris
Lyrics By – N. Shange
Vocals, Music By – Jeanne Lee