ARCHIE SHEPP - The Impulse Story (2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Archie Shepp's volume in The Impulse Story series, with liner notes by Ashley Kahn, author of The House That Trane Built: The Impulse Story, is arguably the best and most representative of any of the editions in it. These ten cuts capture Shepp's many faces. There's his wonderful look inside the music of his mentor John Coltrane ("Naima" from Four for Trane), through to his gaze at the jazz tradition (Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady"), to bossa nova (a very unique read of "Girl from Ipanema") to the weighty concerns of his own compositions that engaged everything from the avant-garde "Les Matin des Noires" to politics ("Malcolm Malcolm -- Semper Malcolm"), to R&B and soul ("Damn If I Know" "Mama Too Tight," and "Attica Blues"). While certain albums are not represented here -- the magnificent Magic of Ju-Ju being one -- the breadth and depth of Shepp's true genius is all here. That said, it is a shame that many of his albums recorded for Impulse (the classic Fire Music and Magic of Ju-Ju just to name two) are currently out of print. Of all the volumes in this fine collection, Shepp's stands, with Alice Coltrane's as the very best in that it gives a true introduction to an artist often misunderstood, but during his tenure for this label, he was creatively unstoppable.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Naima 7'10
(John Coltrane)
Bass – Reggie Workman
Drums – Charles Moffett
Flugelhorn – Alan Shorter
Producer – John Coltrane
Trombone – Roswell Rudd
2     Los Olvidados 8'56
(Archie Shepp)
Alto Saxophone – Marion Brown
Bass – Reggie Johnson
Drums – Joe Chambers
Trumpet – Ted Curson
3     The Girl from Ipanema 8'35
(Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes)
Alto Saxophone – Marion Brown
Bass – Reggie Johnson
Drums – Joe Chambers
Trumpet – Ted Curson
4     Malcolm, Malcolm - Semper Malcolm 4'51
(Archie Shepp)
Bass – David Izenzon
Drums – J.C. Moses
Vocals [Recitation] – Archie Shepp
5     Le Matin des Noires 8'00
(Archie Shepp)
Bass – Barre Phillips
Drums – Joe Chambers
Vibraphone – Bobby Hutcherson     
6     Scag 3'23
(Archie Shepp)
Bass – Barre Phillips
Drums – Joe Chambers
Vibraphone – Bobby Hutcherson
Vocals [Recitation] – Archie Shepp
7     Mama Too Tight 5'25
(Archie Shepp)
Bass – Charlie Haden
Clarinet – Perry Robinson
Drums – Beaver Harris
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III, Roswell Rudd
Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine
Tuba – Howard Johnson
8     Damn If I Know (The Stroller) 6'19
(Walter Davis, Jr.)
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Beaver Harris
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owens
9     Sophisticated Lady 7'10
(Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Mitchell Parish)
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Roy Haynes
Trombone – Grachan Moncur III
Trumpet – Jimmy Owen
10     Attica Blues 4'47
(Beaver Harris / Archie Shepp)
Alto Saxophone – Clarence White, Marion Brown
Backing Vocals – Albertine Robinson, Joshie Armstead
Baritone Saxophone – James Ware
Bass [Fender] – Jerry Jemmott, Roland Wilson
Cello – Calo Scott, Ronald Lipscomb
Cornet – Clifford Thornton
Drums – Beaver Harris
Guitar – Cornell Dupree
Lead Vocals – Henry Hull
Percussion – Juma Sutan*, Nene DeFense, Ollie Anderson
Producer – Ed Michel
Tenor Saxophone – Roland Alexander
Trombone – Charles Greenlee, Charles Stephens, Kiane Zawadi
Trumpet – Charles McGhee, Michael Ridley
Tuba – Hakim Jami
Violin – John Blake, Leroy Jenkins, Shankar

ARCHIE SHEPP - Fire Music (1965-1995) RM | Impulse! Master Sessions | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of forward-looking tenor man Archie Shepp's definitive early albums, 1965's Fire Music set the tone for much of what was to come over the next several years, both in Shepp's own career and in the jazz scene as a whole. Moving far beyond bebop toward more avant-garde realms, Fire Music was simultaneously a central document of the mid-'60s "New Thing" school of jazz and an arrow that pointed towards the subsequent explorations of Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, et al. The title refers to an African ceremony, and there's an urgency here that's fueled by the civil rights unrest of the day and aimed towards the burgeoning Black Power movement, both of which would remain key jazz subtexts for some time. Fire Music is far from the first free jazz album; Coleman and others had already experimented with free-form improvisation before this. But it subverts the conventions of the bebop generation thoroughly, turning melodies and harmonies both inward and outward upon themselves, throwing open the doors to open-ended structures and tonal experimentation. Even the "straight" tunes interpreted here are given a funhouse-mirror treatment, stretching them beyond expectations. Just as psychedelia expanded rock's palette in the '60s, so Shepp's Fire Music helped broaden the possibilities of jazz. Jim Allen  
Tracklist :
1    Hambone 12:28
Written-By – Archie Shepp
2    Los Olvidados 8:53
Written-By – Archie Shepp
3    Malcolm, Malcolm - Semper Malcolm 4:48
Written-By – Archie Shepp
4    Prelude To A Kiss 4:49
Written-By – Duke Ellington
5    The Girl From Ipanema 8:33
Written-By – Antonie Carlos Jobim, Norman Gimbel, Vinicius De Moraes
6    Hambone (Live Version) 11:50
Written-By – Archie Shepp
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Marion Brown (pistas: 1, 2, 4 to 6)
Baritone Saxophone – Fred Pirtle (pistas: 6)
Bass – David Izenzon (pistas: 3), Reggie Johnson (pistas: 1, 2, 4 to 6)
Drums – J.C. Moses (pistas: 3), Joe Chambers (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5), Roger Blank (pistas: 6)
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Ashley Fennell (pistas: 6), Joseph Orange (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5)
Trumpet – Ted Curson (pistas: 1, 2, 4, 5), Virgil Jones (pistas: 6)

ARCHIE SHEPP - Attica Blues (1972-2003) RM | Serie: LP Reproduction | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Refining his large-ensemble experiments of 1971, Attica Blues is one of Archie Shepp's most significant post-'60s statements, recorded just several months after authorities ended the Attica prison uprising by massacring 43 inmates and hostages. Perhaps because Shepp's musical interests were changing, Attica Blues isn't the all-out blast of rage one might expect; instead, it's a richly arranged album of mournful, quietly agonized blues and Ellingtonian swing, mixed with a couple of storming funk burners. Of course, Shepp doesn't quite play it straight, bringing his avant-garde sensibilities to both vintage big band and contemporary funk, with little regard for the boundaries separating them all. His soloing on tenor and soprano is typically sharp-edged and modal, and his nasal, slicing tone on soprano is featured quite heavily. The stylishness of the slow numbers is undercut with quivering, faintly unsettling dissonances, and the up-tempo funk cuts recall the way Sly Stone's arrangements ping-ponged many different elements off each other in a gleeful organized chaos. That's especially true on the gospel-inflected title song, a monster of a groove that later became a hit on the acid jazz revival circuit (and stands up to anything recorded by straight-up funk bands of the era). In the same vein, "Blues for Brother George Jackson" sounds like an edgier Isaac Hayes-style blaxploitation soundtrack cut. Vocal ballads are plentiful, and Joe Lee Wilson ("Steam," a song Shepp would return to often) and Carl Hall (aka Henry Hull) both acquit themselves well; more debatable are the poetic recitations and the choice of flügelhornist/composer Cal Massey's young daughter Waheeda to sing "Quiet Dawn" (although Waheeda's almost-there intonation is effectively creepy). Still, in the end, Attica Blues is one of Shepp's most successful large-group projects, because his skillful handling of so many different styles of black music produces such tremendously groovy results. Steve Huey
Tracklist :
1     Attica Blues 4'47
(W.G. Harris / Archie Shepp)    
Alto Saxophone – Marion Brownburr
Backing Vocals – Albertine Robinson, Joshie Armstead
Bass [Fender] – Jerry Jemmott
Lead Vocals – Henry Hull
2     Invocation: Attica Blues 0'19
(W.G. Harris)    
Narrator – William Kunstler
3     Steam, Pt. 1 5'07
(Archie Shepp)
Electric Piano – Dave Burrell
Flute [Bamboo] – Marion Brown
Lyrics By – Archie Shepp
Vocals – Joe Lee Wilson    

4     Invocation to Mr. Parker 3'16
(Bart Gray / Archie Shepp)    
Flute – Marion Brown
Narrator, Other [Text] – Bartholomew Gray
5     Steam, Pt. 2 5'10
(Archie Shepp)    
Electric Piano – Dave Burrell
Flute [Bamboo] – Marion Brown
Lyrics By – Archie Shepp
Vocals – Joe Lee Wilson
6     Blues for Brother George Jackson 4'00
(Archie Shepp)    
Alto Saxophone – Marion Brown
7     Invocation: Ballad for a Child 0'29
(W.G. Harris)    
Narrator – William Kunstler
8     Ballad for a Child 3'36
(W.G. Harris / Archie Shepp)    
Vocals – Henry Hull
9     Goodbye Sweet Pops 4'22
(Cal Massey)
Conductor – Romulus Franceschini
Drums – Billy Higgins
Music By – Cal Massey
10     Quiet Dawn 6'12
(Cal Massey)
Conductor – Romulus Franceschini
Drums – Billy Higgins
Flugelhorn, Music By, Lyrics By – Cal Massey
Vocals – Waheeda Massey
Credits
Alto Saxophone – Clarence White (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10)
Baritone Saxophone – James Ware (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10)
Bass – Jimmy Garrison (pistas: 3, 4, 5, 9, 10)
Bass [Fender] – Roland Wilson (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8)
Cello – Calo Scott (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10), Ronald Lipscomb (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10)
Cornet – Clifford Thornton (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10)
Drums – Beaver Harris (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8)
Euphonium – Hakim Jami (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10)
Guitar – Cornell Dupree (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 8)
Lyrics By – William G. Harris (pistas: 1 to 8)
Music By – Archie Shepp (pistas: 1 to 8)
Percussion – Juma Sutan (pistas: 1, 6, 10), Marion Brown (pistas: 3, 4, 5), Nene DeFense (pistas: 1, 6, 10), Ollie Anderson (pistas: 1, 6, 10)
Piano – Walter Davis Jr. (pistas: 6, 8, 9, 10)
Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp (pistas: 3, 5, 9)
Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp (pistas: 1, 6, 8, 10), Billy Robinson (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10), Roland Alexander (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10)
Trombone – Charles Greenlee (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10), Charles Stephens (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10), Kiane Zawadi (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10)
Trumpet – Charles McGhee (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10), Michael Ridley (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10), Roy Burrowes (pistas: 1, 6, 9, 10)
Violin – John Blake (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10), Leroy Jenkins (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10), Shankar (pistas: 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10)

ARCHIE SHEPP - Attica Blues Big Band (1979-2004) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist 1 :
1-1    Attica Blues, Part 1 4:39
Arranged By, Conductor – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Vocals – Irene Datcher
Written-By – A. Shepp, W.G. Harris
1-2    Steam 7:33
Arranged By, Conductor – Charles Greenlee
Soloist, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Trombone – Charles Greenlee
Soloist, Vocals – Joe Lee Wilson
Written-By – A. Shepp
1-3    Quiet Dawn 5:46
Arranged By – Cal Massey
Arranged By, Conductor – Ray Copeland
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Vocals – Irene Datcher
Written-By – C. Massey
1-4    Hi-Fly 7:26
Arranged By – Melba Liston
Conductor – Ray Copeland
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp, Marvin Blackman
Soloist, Trumpet – Eddie Preston
Written-By – R. Weston
1-5    U-Jaama 7:41
Arranged By, Conductor – Charles Greenlee
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Trombone – Charles Greenlee
Written-By – A. Shepp
1-6    Antes De Adios 2:50
Arranged By, Conductor – Terry Jenoure
Soloist, Guitar – Brandon Ross
Soloist, Vocals – Terry Jenoure
Written-By – T. Jenoure
1-7    Star Love 3:35
Arranged By, Conductor – Archie Shepp
Conch [Sea Shell] – Steve Turre
Soloist, Violin – Terry Jenoure
Written-By – A. Shepp
1-8    Moon Bees 6:05
Arranged By, Conductor – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Alto Saxophone – Marion Brown
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Marvin Blackman
Soloist, Trombone – Charles Greenlee, Charles Stephens, Malachi Thompson
Written-By – A. Shepp
Tracklist 2 :
2-1    Strollin' 6:10
Arranged By, Conductor – Ray Copeland
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Trumpet – Charles McGhee
Soloist, Vocals – Joe Lee Wilson
Written-By – H. Silver
2-2    Ballad For A Child 5:37
Arranged By, Conductor – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Piano – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Vocals – Irene Datcher
Written-By – A. Shepp, W. G. Harris
2-3    Simone 7:34
Arranged By – Frank Foster
Conductor – Ray Copeland
Soloist, Piano – Art Matthews
Soloist, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Trumpet – Kamal Alim
Written-By – F. Foster
2-4    Crucificado 6:19
Arranged By, Conductor – Charles Greenlee
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Trombone – Charles Greenlee
Soloist, Vocals – Joe Lee Wilson
Written-By – D. Burrell
2-5    A Change Has Come Over Me 5:35
Arranged By – Steve Turre
Conductor – Ray Copeland
Soloist, Vocals, Piano – Akua Dixon
Written-By – W. Hawkins
2-6    Goodbye Sweet Pops 5:54
Arranged By – Cal Massey, Romulus Franceschini
Arranged By, Conductor – Ray Copeland
Soloist, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Written-By – C. Massey
2-7    Skippin' 4:29
Arranged By, Conductor – Ray Copeland
Soloist, Piano – Art Matthews
Soloist, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Written-By – R. Lewis
2-8    Attica Blues, Part 2 8:43
Arranged By, Conductor – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Tenor Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Soloist, Vocals – Irene Datcher
Written-By – A. Shepp, W. G. Harris
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass – Avery Sharpe
Acoustic Bass, Tuba – Hakim Jami
Cello, Piano, Vocals – Akua Dixon
Directed By – Ray Copeland
Drums – Clifford Jarvis
Guitar – Brandon Ross
Percussion – Kevin Jones
Piano – Art Matthews
Saxophone, Flute – James Ware, John Purcell, Marion Brown, Marvin Blackman, Patience Higgins
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Piano, Leader – Archie Shepp
Synthesizer – Clyde Crimer
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