Roy Campbell

[ghost of miles]

Any other Roy Campbell fans on the board? He's coming to Bloomington next month in some kind of configuration (not Pyramid Trio, not Die Like a Dog); I have and greatly enjoy ETHNIC STEW & BREW (with the ever awesome William Parker and Hamid Drake). Just picked up IT'S KRUNCH TIME but haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. I like how he seems to so successfully combine world, free, and straightahead jazz into his playing.

[paul secor]

g.o.m. -

There's at least one other Roy Campell fan here. I have a couple of his recordings - New Kingdom (Delmark) and Pyramid (Silkheart) - which I've enjoyed. I had the pleasure of hearing him play live with a Thurman Barker group about eight years ago, and he played some beautiful solos. Also had the opportunity to speak with him after the concert and he came across as a very nice guy.

Hope you have a great time at the concert.

[RonF]

I thought you might be talking about guitarist Royce Campbell. Royce I would definitely go see!

[JohnS]

I've enjoyed all I've heard by Roy Campbell. It's not that much, notably Other Dimesions in Music and Ethnic Stew . I've overlooked Krunch Time but it looks tasty from the lineup. Ghost of Miles, can you post your impressions.

[Vincent, Paris]

Roy has now an on-line website : Roy Campbell Music

Matthew Shipp told me he will be featured on some upcoming projects in the Thirsty Ear Blue Series.

His Delmark release are all interesting but the Pyramid Trio is his best date so far.

I would recommend also his playing on alto saxophonist Steve Lehman "Structural Fire" on CIMP.

Has anyone been to see him at his monday jam session at the Lenox Lounge ?

Edited March 29, 2003 by Vincent, Paris

[Usual Channels]

Roy's Lennox Lounge gig is high up on my "to do" list.

I've seen Roy Campbell live many times, in Other Dimensions In Music, Little Huey, and various other configurations. I don't own anything that he's a leader on... What do people recommend? Is "Ethnic Stew" the no-brainer, obvious first choice, or should I go with "Krunch Time"?

[.:.impossible]

Usual Channels,

I would recommend Ethnic Stew & Brew before It's Krunch Time. There are some great tracks on both, but overall, It's Krunch Time was a disappointment to me. Let me know if you are interested in hearing some mp3's from this disc. I ripped a couple before selling it back.

[Usual Channels]

Hey impossible, that'd be really cool. Thanks! My email is usualchannels@outgun.com.

[JohnS]

I see Roy pops up on a new Cadence Jazz cd, "Jemeel Moondoc All Stars Live in Paris". I seem to remember a report of this band live as being pretty good. Anyone tried this cd yet. I was slightly disappointed by Khan jamal CIMP cd with Roy and Jemeel hence the question.

[Alon Marcus]

For the last few weeks I've been listening to Ethnic Stew & Brew. The Pyramid trio is supposed to be in Israel on the next weekend.

It really takes time for me to get used to Roy's playing. I'm not diggin' it some of the time, maybe it will be better to listen to him live.

I love William Parker's improvisations on that record. Since he is not limited to choruses he invents his own that are somehow related to the main themes.

"New Kingdom" is next but what other Campbell albums you like?

[kh1958]

I like Roy Campbell quite a bit and have seen him live three times--the best was his quartet Shades of Trane, at the Alterknit Theater in the Knitting Factory.

I prefer his two Delmark dates (with Zane Massey, another really fine player), La Tierra Del Fuego and New Kingdom.

[sal]

I've heard a couple of his CD's, and wasn't all that impressed. But I won't write him off completely.....sometimes these things have a way of sneaking up on you.

[John B]

I really enjoy Roy's playing on From Valley to Valley (Eremite) by Brotzmann's Die Like a Dog Quartet, Ethnic Stew and Brew, which was mentioned above, and Nile River Suite by Dennis Gonzalez's Inspiration band. (daagnim)

He is alos very good on the Brotzmann Tentet discs, but it is harder fpr me to focus on his voice in their maelstroms.

[sonic1]

I love Roy Campbell. My recs:

Ethnic Stew

New Kingdom

Communion

La Tierra del Fuego

[B. Goren.]

La Tierra del Fuego ( In Spanish: The Land of Fire) is a freat recording by Mr. Campbell. Not only campbell is great: Rahn Burton is doing a perfect job and also Zane Massey on tenor sax. Recommended. If you like Campbell, you got to listen to it. Go and get it without any second thought.

[montg]

A new release due 3/11--featuring Billy Bang-- on Aum Fidelity. I keep reading how the CD is dead, but there are a lot of cool new releases coming this spring.

Sound samples

[Nate Dorward]

Nice translation of St John of the Cross, too.

[AndrewHill]

Roy's good although when it comes to outfits like Brotz's Die Like a Dog Quartet, I find Campbell a poor substitute for Kondo.

[Bright Moments]

thoroughly enjoyed this one.

am i out of touch or do i hear lee morgan's influence here?

[umum_cypher]

thoroughly enjoyed this one.

am i out of touch or do i hear lee morgan's influence here?

Morgan gave Campbell lessons at the sessions Jazzmobile ran in a Harlem high school. Campbell has a tribute to LM on his New Kingdom album.

[Bright Moments]

thoroughly enjoyed this one.

am i out of touch or do i hear lee morgan's influence here?

Morgan gave Campbell lessons at the sessions Jazzmobile ran in a Harlem high school. Campbell has a tribute to LM on his New Kingdom album.

sweet!

[Bright Moments]

i keep playing ethnic stew and brew over and over - this one is GREAT!!!!

[AndrewHill]

i keep playing ethnic stew and brew over and over - this one is GREAT!!!!

Agree!

[JohnS]

i keep playing ethnic stew and brew over and over - this one is GREAT!!!!

Agree!

Me too, sound great on every playing.

[king ubu]

Got to look for that one!

Took me a while to dig Roy, but had a very, very nice personal encounter with him in Paris.

He played (the now defunct, I think) "Sept Lezards" club with Joelle Leandre - just the two of them. There was hardly an audience - the top floor was a bar/restaurant, in the cellar there was a horrible little room for music. Some of the dining folks came down but they quickly disappeared again... I got to chat with the lady next to me, and turns out she's Roy's girlfriend. I mention having a disc or two of Roy's, and then in the break she told him and he was very pleased to find a fan in the room (well, an acquaintance of Joelle Leandre's was there, too, makes two of us... the rest of the audience consisted of three or four people).

Roy was great to talk to.... very knowledgeable and thoughtful person, seems he payed plenty of dues and knows quite well where he's going and what he's doing, musically. (I find many musicians lacking as far as reflecting their own art goes... lacking may be too negative a word as an artist doesn't have to be a critic/historian at the same time, but I still find it irritating rather often.)

Anyway, they invited me over for the second night, and of course I went back - and yes, I felt bad being on the guest list, while there were just... four or five? paying customers that night as well.

The music they performed was great, a mix of various styles that somehow turned out very well. Leandre did all that wild stuff, including frantic bowing and some of her weird singing, and Campbell played the trumpet (and/or a cornet, can't remember) as well as the flute (regular one), and brought plenty of roots into the mix. In some of his solos, I thought I could virtually hear the whole history of jazz trumpet playing... but he's working and playing with it, reflecting it, turning it into his own, personal statement, not merely recycling it.