ARCHIE SHEPP - Perfect Passions (1978-1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Recorded in 1978 in Warsaw, Poland, this set of Archie Shepp's was played before it became his journeyman live gig. The greasy rhythm section includes Wilber Little on bass, the amazing Clifford Jarvis on drums, and German pianist Seigfried Kessler on piano. There are three tunes in the set: one of the finest and most involved harmonic performances of "Mama Rose"; "Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life," which is a mirror image of Coltrane's 19546 read, and goes on for a full 20 minutes. Finally, there is a shorter and more workmanlike reading of Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood," which nonetheless captures all of the emotion in the original. But it's "Mama Rose" that shows Shepp at his best, turning the modal structure of the tune to his own intervallic dimensional favor. Shepp goes meditating on breath and scales, and Jarvis anticipates his every move and gives him the platform to roll out onto. It's astonishing, the intensity he gets to, especially while keeping the melodic fragments together and stringing them together with long open legatos of Eastern original and intricate modal density. "Lush Life" is its stellar opposite, with Shepp staying deeply in the roots of blues and swing, and Little doing some beautifully spacious arco work on the bass. There is a problem, however, when one considers that this is on the notorious (read: pirate) West Wind label. The recording quality is less than stellar, and there's more than a good chance that Shepp never saw a dime from this recording. That said, the performance is so stunning, it would be worth purchasing and then sending Shepp a check through his management.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    Mama Rose 26:39
Composed By – Archie Shepp
2    Lush Life 20:01
Composed By – Billy Strayhorn
3    In A Sentimental Mood 8:49
Composed By – Ellington, Mills, Kurtz
Credits :
Bass – Wilbur Little
Drums – Clifford Jarvis
Piano – Siegfried Kessler
Tenor Saxophone [Tenor Sax], Vocals [Vocal] – Archie Shepp

ARCHIE SHEPP - Bird Fire : A Tribute to Charlie Parker (1979-1987) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This Shepp date, recorded in Paris in 1979 under the auspices of being a tribute to Charlie Parker with a host of stringers, is a testament to two things: how far Shepp's star had fallen despite his still-considerable abilities as a musician, and how dire times must have been for him to choose such a bad band to hook up with. With a trumpet player and rhythm section -- all of who will remain nameless -- Shepp bills this set as a "tribute to Charlie Parker." The real reason these three Parker tunes were chosen and the other standard, "Lover Man," was because this was the only material the band could agree on. Many might argue that with choices like "Au Privave," "Parker's Mood," and "Now's the Time," the material is plenty hot on the bebop chart. But this music isn't played like that; it's played at a drugged-out tempo. The common wisdom is that Shepp could no longer -- if he ever could -- play these tunes in their original time signatures. That's ridiculous. The fact of the matter is that his pianist and bass player are sluggish; Shepp had to turn the standards into blues jams so they could hang. And why would he do this? To eat, man, to eat. Things were tough scuffling in 1979 before the Wynton revival in jazz really polished off the '60s cats, and at that time Shepp was down on his luck. As a tenor player, however, his solos here are as inspired as ever, which makes this record even more of a heartbreaking shame.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1     Lover Man 8:59
Jimmy Davis / Roger "Ram" Ramirez / Jimmy Sherman    
2     Au Privave 10:22
Charlie Parker    
3     Parker's Mood 11:13
Charlie Parker    
4     Now's the Time 8:47
Charlie Parker
Credits
Bass – Bob Cunningham
Drums – Clifford Jarvis
Piano – Siegfried Kessler
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Trumpet – Everett Hollins

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.

ARCHIE SHEPP - Little Red Moon (1986) FLAC (tracks), lossless

 By 1985 Archie Shepp's tone on tenor had declined quite a bit from just a few years earlier. This should have been a strong set for the sidemen (trumpeter Enrico Rava, keyboardist Siegfried Kessler, bassist Wilbur Little and drummer Clifford Jarvis) are excellent and the repertoire is both diverse and challenging. However Shepp fouls up "Naima" by playing his out-of-tune soprano, talks and sings on the 18-minute "Little Red Moon" more than he plays tenor and his sax sounds quite sloppy on "Whisper Not" and "Sweet Georgia Brown." Despite some good moments from the supporting cast, this is one to skip. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Little Red Moon 17'59
Archie Shepp
2     Impromptu 4'00
Archie Shepp    
3     Naima 7'51
John Coltrane    
4     Whisper Not 9'08
Benny Golson    
5     Sweet Georgia Brown 6'59
Ben Bernie / Kenneth Casey / Maceo Pinkard
Credits
Bass – Wilbur Little
Drums – Clifford Jarvis
Piano, Synthesizer – Siegfried Kessler
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Vocals [Vocal] – Archie Shepp
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Enrico Rava

ARCHIE SHEPP | SIEGFRIED KESSLER - First Take (2005) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is the first release from a new label dedicated to the music of Archie Shepp. At this point in his career, the saxophonist's output has shown a serious lack of consistency, but this meeting between two longtime accomplices proves that he can still deliver. Originally, this was German pianist Siegfried Kessler's live date, and Kessler incidentally decided to invite Shepp. As his excellent recordings with Horace Parlan also bear witness, the saxophonist seems to entertain a special relationship with pianists. He met Kessler in the late '60s and this date gives them the opportunity to revisit some themes that they have often played together, such as the opener, an epic rendition of "Les Matins Noirs," which features Shepp on soprano and is alone worth the price of admission. His raw and emotional blowing is instantly gripping. Elsewhere, he remains in full command of his instrument, constantly switching from tenor to soprano, and delivers some beautifully heartfelt and expressive lines -- he has seldom sounded so moving and dramatic. Kessler can be economical, which always leaves many options to the saxophonist, but what strikes most is his percussive style sustained with a very strong left hand. On most tracks, Shepp sings and his smoky voice has enough endearing power to overcome its limitations. While First Take is far from the innovations and urgency of Shepp's early recordings, it is a fine addition to the saxophonist's collection. Alain Drouot
Tracklist :
1    Le Matin Des Noirs 23'24
 Archie Shepp
2    Lush Life 10'44
 Billy Strayhorn
3    Don't Get Around Much Anymore 6'34
 Duke Ellington / B. Russell
4    Steam 12'12
 Archie Shepp
5    Misterioso / California Blues 10'35
 Archie Shepp
6    Ujaama 8'36
 Archie Shepp
Credits
Piano – Siegfried Kessler
Saxophone, Vocals – Archie Shepp