Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre

[Alexander Hawkins]

I pulled out 'Humility in the Light of the Creator' last night and realised what a wonderful player I think Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre is. I subsequently ordered 'Forces and Feelings' this morning. Does anyone else have any recommendations for his playing (off the top of my head, I own HITLOTC, Roscoe Mitchell's 'Sound' and the one track from George Freeman's 'Birthsign')?

The band(s) on 'Humility...' are great as well. The two basses/drums are brilliant - I was also thinking listening last night to 'This Dance is for Steve McCall' how well it can work - and I particularly enjoy Amina Claudine Myers' piano playing here.

Anyway, I think he's a very underappreciated player (certainly he was by me - no longer!)!

[Alexander Hawkins]

Well, I got 'Forces and Feelings' this morning. It's a fascinating front line - female voice, guitar, and tenor (by and large; a little clarinet as well).

Much as I'm growing to love these early AACM works, I generally struggle with the vocalists (e.g. on 'Levels and Degrees of Light' and 'As if it were the Seasons'). However, on occasion here, I think the voice is used to brilliant effect. I think it's something to do with the chemistry between the particular sounds the musicians get on their instruments, but there are times where you almost can't tell one from the other. It brings home, in a most favourable way, the cliches about horn playing being 'vocalising', and so on.

Two other observations: the guitarist is great. I don't know many guitar players, to be honest...but I really enjoy what's here. Listening to Sarnie Garrett set me thinking. In Graham Lock's 'Forces in Motion', Braxton talks about how from the records, we only have a very slim picture of the AACM at the time, which had around 60-70 members (I think this was the ballpark figure he cited). He also reflected on how different many of these players were. I think this record gives a real glimpse of how amazing the entire scene must have been. How many other Wesley Tyuses or Sarnie Garretts were out there?

And then, Fred Hopkins...Wow. I initially couldn't get the hang of him. I think this was because I first heard his bass recorded in a way I really didn't like at all - on Don Pullen's 'Warriors'. But increasingly, I think of him as one of the most distinctive bassists there is, and certainly one of my favourites!

[Joe]

Kalaparusha's lone Black Saint date, PEACE AND BLESSINGS with Longineau Parsons, is worth investigating. Parsons is a strong presence here, but rather than overwhelm the leader, he spurs him on to some really fine playing.

Of his recent work, I still like the first CIMP recording, DREAM OF, the best.

And then there is this collaborative venture...

[Alexander Hawkins]

Kalaparusha's lone Black Saint date, PEACE AND BLESSINGS with Longineau Parsons, is worth investigating.  Parsons is a strong presence here, but rather than overwhelm the leader, he spurs him on to some really fine playing.

Of his recent work, I still like the first CIMP recording, DREAM OF, the best.

And then there is this collaborative venture...

←

Thanks - I keep meaning to have a listen to Bright Moments! Looks like a nice lineup.

[umum_cypher]

A 20-minute nice/depressing/nice again film by Danilo Parra on Kalaparusha is up at The Guardian at the moment.

[Alexander Hawkins]

Wow - beautiful film - thank you!

[paul secor]

Another for Peace and Blessings.

[Chuck Nessa]

I always loved his tone.

[JSngry]

A BIG Word on that one, Chuck.

[Larry Kart]

My memories of this are not as fresh as I would wish, but I'm trying not to forget a circa 1966-7 session held in a house I lived in in Hyde Park when I was a student at the U. of Chicago where the two horns were Kalaparusha and the late tenorman Fred Schwartz. A great evening that was, though it might have been a weekend afternoon.

[paul secor]

Just relistened to Morning Song on Delmark. Remembered liking it, but this time it sounded even better than I had remembered.

[JSngry]

ita Difda February 16, 2010 at 10:52 pm I enjoyed seeing the pictures of Kalaparusha and I look forward to seeing your film.

The woman he is with is not is wife. His wife is his daughter Debbie’s mother, his high school sweetheart he got pregnant in high school and had to marry. Ask him about the college football scholarship he gave-up to marry Debbie’s mom.

Don’t forget his Woodstock years. Ask him how he got to New York and don’t believe the lie that his mother told him to move to New York. I moved him out of his mother’s house and we came to New York together. My idea not his or his mother’s, Mine!

Ask him to tell you the story of the Volkswagon with hole in the floor and the failed electric system, we named the car the blue bomb. We saw every mile between Chicago and Woodstock, through that hole in floor of that blue Volkswagon. It started to rain and the lights went out on the car. We didn’t even have headlights. I had to stick my head out the window to help guide the car and the back window blew out on the Tappen Zee Bridge.

Ask him to tell you about the time he missed his airflight to Europe because he went by subway to buy cocaine uptown at Manny’s house instead of the train-to-the plane at JFK and how his band and the tour promoter were waiting for him to get off the plane in Luxenberg and he was still back in Brooklyn and never made the tour.

Ask him about doing drugs with Miles Davis, Leroy Jenkins and Jerome Cooper in the early 80′s at Miles’ Brownstone. Please, please ask him why he loves drugs more than he loves himself.

Ask him about the time Clive Davis called our apartment in Brooklyn because he wanted to buy a master tape from one of Dif’s (that’s what I called Kalaparush) European tours I arranged and how he left an entire briefcase of master tapes on the subway and showed up at Clive Davis’ office empty-handed and Clive told him to come back after he found the tapes and never did.

Tell him I said this is chance to document his life and he should tell you the truth because he’s going to be really BIG after he dies, just like I told him during the 10 or 11 years we were together. Tell him I said I still have my finger on the pulse of the public and the truth is better than any lie he can tell. Please ask him to put his Aries pride and Southside ego on the back burner and document his real life. Tell him Sita said that woman he’s with now don’t look like Charlies Parker’s Chan to me! (he’ll know what I mean by that).

And would you please tell him that my son James graduated from College with two degrees music and english and is living and working 2 jobs in California one music and one to make sure he can always pay his rent, Melvin’s doing fine and I’m alive and well and living in New Jersey and got a college degree myself finally at age 49. Sometimes I miss him but I don’t miss being broke and unable to pay the rent or buy food or his drug use. And please tell Debbie I said hello and I hope her and her children are doing fine.

And thank you for documenting Kalaparusha’s life. His name is Kalaparush(a) Maurice McIntyre or Kalaparusha Ahra Difda. It is not Kalo. Peace…

http://lovebryan.com/danilo/2010/01/more-closeness-but-even-closer/

[Joe]

Yes, the truth is usually stranger than any documentary, fine as that documentary may be.

Edited September 14, 2010 by Joe

[Larry Kart]

Heartbreaking.

[John L]

Just relistened to Morning Song on Delmark. Remembered liking it, but this time it sounded even better than I had remembered.

The same trio recorded The Moment on Entropy records a few years before that. I actually prefer that recording to Morning Song.

[mjazzg]

Interesting and touching viewing. Just ordered 'Humility....' and 'Peace and Blessings' off the back of it and everyone's comments. thanks

[Lazaro Vega]

Had the pleasure of bringing Kalaparush and The Light to Grand Rapids Kendall School of Art and Design, a coffeehouse concert, on April 1, 2004; and that trio appeared live from the studios of Blue Lake Public Radio the first night we offered a web stream, March 3, 2005.

If any one is interested I'm sure he could use a gig.

[Justin V]

McIntyre was totally new to me prior to stumbling upon this thread. After watching the documentary, I'm curious as to when the album will be released and on what label.

[AndrewHill]

Humility in the Light of the Creator is a stone-cold classic for me. Very nice stuff from the AACM era.

[Chuck Nessa]

Humility in the Light of the Creator is a stone-cold classic for me. Very nice stuff from the AACM era.

Curious if you know this from lp or cd. Thanks.

Even more curious about folks listening to "Forces and Feelings".

[AndrewHill]

Humility in the Light of the Creator is a stone-cold classic for me. Very nice stuff from the AACM era.

Curious if you know this from lp or cd. Thanks.

Even more curious about folks listening to "Forces and Feelings".

CD. Glad to have the bonus track.

[mjazzg]

McIntyre was totally new to me prior to stumbling upon this thread. After watching the documentary, I'm curious as to when the album will be released and on what label.

Yes, I wondered that too.

Listening to Peace and Blessings which has just arrived on the back of people's recommendations here - Longineu Parsons immediately stands out - someone I've not come across before. Enjoying this disc, so thanks to those who mentioned it

[Guy Berger]

There's a very goofy story about McIntyre in Paul Tingen's book about the Miles Davis electric period.

[clifford_thornton]

Humility in the Light of the Creator is a stone-cold classic for me. Very nice stuff from the AACM era.

Curious if you know this from lp or cd. Thanks.

Even more curious about folks listening to "Forces and Feelings".

Mine are on LP - what should I know about the CDs?

Heartbreaking.

Agreed.

[Joe]

McIntyre was totally new to me prior to stumbling upon this thread. After watching the documentary, I'm curious as to when the album will be released and on what label.

Yes, I wondered that too.

Listening to Peace and Blessings which has just arrived on the back of people's recommendations here - Longineu Parsons immediately stands out - someone I've not come across before. Enjoying this disc, so thanks to those who mentioned it

There was a fine Parsons compilation issued a few years back... SPACED on Ubiquity.

http://www.ubiquityrecords.com/artists/LONGINEU-PARSONS.html

I'm also wondering about the session documented in the Kalaparusha film. Another CIMP release?