Archie Shepp

[Niko]

no! it's still in print, e.g., you can order it directly from the label... (18 Euro incl shipping)

http://futuramarge.free.fr/

great to see the label is going again, e.g., a meeting of Hal Singer and David Murray recorded this April is announced for September... and the sound sample for the new Alexandra Grimal Album with Konitz/Peacock/Motian makes a good impression... if all this isn't worth supporting i dunno

Edited May 26, 2010 by Niko

[AllenLowe]

it's funny because I've been listening to a fair amount of Shepp recently. Purely as a tenor player he is one of my favorites from that whole era, but musically, his sessions seem invariably to have brilliant moments, but only moments. Something is always missing on the compositional follow-through.

but than, nobody in France is naming any babies after ME -

[Pete C]

Shepp's version of Hipnosis on A Sea of Faces is one of my favorite post-Impulse tracks, but the rest of the album is pretty much a throwaway. Of his free work, I think my favorite is Life [sic] at the Donaueschingen Jazz Festival, which also has some of Jimmy Garrison's most amazing playing.

[Head Man]

My head's still ringing from listening to Archie playing live at The Hammersmith Odeon in London in the late 1960's. The group started with a very loud version of 'A Portrait of Robert Thompson' from 'Mama Too Tight' and then increased the volume and played what I think were the other tracks from the album. The audience was literally blown out of their seats!

His group was playing back-up for Miles Davis on the tour and it was obvious that the music completely polarised the audience. Archie's followers were crying out for more whilst most of those who had booked to see Miles walked out.

A very strange evening.

Oh yes, and Miles was fine too!

Edited May 26, 2010 by Head Man

[clifford_thornton]

Awesome story.

I've come around on Archie's recent, singing-heavy music and appreciate it very much. Hell, he's been moving toward this thing he's been into now for longer than he was playing "avant-garde."

[coolman]

Niko than is it really as good as the AMG review makes out? The reason i asked for a rip is 18 euros is a lot of money to put down on something I have never heard and Shepp's music ranges in quality a lot.

[Head Man]

Niko than is it really as good as the AMG review makes out? The reason i asked for a rip is 18 euros is a lot of money to put down on something I have never heard and Shepp's music ranges in quality a lot.

If you go to the Marge/Futura website at:

Futura/Marge Records

you can listen to the whole of one of the tracks from the album. That should be enough to tell you whether it's worth your money to buy the whole album.

[clifford_thornton]

Also, no public rip trading is allowed on this site, period.

FWIW, I like the Attica Blues Big Band set.

[Guest Bill Barton]

The Attica Blues Big Band set is one of my favorite recordings by Shepp (or, for that matter, one of my favorite recordings by anybody!)

[AndrewHill]

His group was playing back-up for Miles Davis on the tour ...

Do you remember who was in Shepp's band? Maybe Shepp's band in '68 was the same band he had on "The Way Ahead"? Did Miles play with GM III, Dave Burrell and Beaver Harris? Now that would've been something!

[Pete C]

His group was playing back-up for Miles Davis on the tour ...

Do you remember who was in Shepp's band? Maybe Shepp's band in '68 was the same band he had on "The Way Ahead"? Did Miles play with GM III, Dave Burrell and Beaver Harris? Now that would've been something!

I think back-up meant opening act in this context...

[AndrewHill]

His group was playing back-up for Miles Davis on the tour ...

Do you remember who was in Shepp's band? Maybe Shepp's band in '68 was the same band he had on "The Way Ahead"? Did Miles play with GM III, Dave Burrell and Beaver Harris? Now that would've been something!

I think back-up meant opening act in this context...

Oh. Wishful thinking I guess.

[Head Man]

I think back-up meant opening act in this context...

Yes, that's what I did mean.

Can you imagine Miles ever agreeing to play with a back-up band!

[clifford_thornton]

The touring band he was using in '68 was pretty similar to the one he had on "Live at Donaueschingen," right? Rudd, Moncur III, Harris, Garrison or Workman, and maybe HoJo?

Edited May 27, 2010 by clifford_thornton

[ep1str0phy]

I really have only a faint memory of this (and the files aren't accessible right now), but I recall Evan Parker talking about Shepp playing the UK around this time; Harris, Rudd, Moncur III (I think) were mentioned.

[JohnS]

My head's still ringing from listening to Archie playing live at The Hammersmith Odeon in London in the late 1960's. The group started with a very loud version of 'A Portrait of Robert Thompson' from 'Mama Too Tight' and then increased the volume and played what I think were the other tracks from the album. The audience was literally blown out of their seats!

His group was playing back-up for Miles Davis on the tour and it was obvious that the music completely polarised the audience. Archie's followers were crying out for more whilst most of those who had booked to see Miles walked out.

A very strange evening.

Oh yes, and Miles was fine too!

A night to remember, a curious evening indeed. I also had the opportunity to see the band at Ronnie Scott's on a couple of occasions. Fabulous evenings. Garrison's bass was a standout.

Edited May 27, 2010 by JohnS

[Head Man]

The touring band he was using in '68 was pretty similar to the one he had on "Live at Donaueschingen," right? Rudd, Moncur III, Harris, Garrison or Workman, and maybe HoJo?

It's along time ago now so I can't be absolutely certain who was playing in the band. However it certainly included the two trombones of Rudd & Moncur plus Beaver Harris on drums. Was anyone else there that night who can confirm the line-up?

[Niko]

just thought i'd give a heads up that two of the Tchangodei/Archie Shepp collaborations, Ginseng and Eagle's Flight, made it to deezer, emusic and probably some other digital places as well recently... both are from the mid-80s, made a good impression on me, the former is a quartet with Wilbur Little and Clifford Jarvis, the latter a duett...

[JohnS]

The touring band he was using in '68 was pretty similar to the one he had on "Live at Donaueschingen," right? Rudd, Moncur III, Harris, Garrison or Workman, and maybe HoJo?

It's along time ago now so I can't be absolutely certain who was playing in the band. However it certainly included the two trombones of Rudd & Moncur plus Beaver Harris on drums. Was anyone else there that night who can confirm the line-up?

It was certainly Rudd, Moncur, Garrison and Harris at Ronnie Scott's. I'm pretty sure it was Garrison at Hammersmith too, but it was a while ago.

[jlhoots]

I saw this band at Lennie's On The Turnpike outside of Boston.

It's 40+ years ago, but I seem to "remember" Charlie Haden on bass.

Could that be correct?

[Pete C]

I saw this band at Lennie's On The Turnpike outside of Boston.

It's 40+ years ago, but I seem to "remember" Charlie Haden on bass.

Could that be correct?

Haden recorded with Shepp, and in the notes to Mama Too Tight Shepp says he'd love to be able to get Haden in his regular band, so it's quite possible that Haden gigged with Shepp.

[i can't believe I remember minutia from liner notes...]

Edited May 27, 2010 by Pete C

[jlhoots]

I saw this band at Lennie's On The Turnpike outside of Boston.

It's 40+ years ago, but I seem to "remember" Charlie Haden on bass.

Could that be correct?

Haden recorded with Shepp, and in the notes to Mama Too Tight Shepp says he'd love to be able to get Haden in his regular band, so it's quite possible that Haden gigged with Shepp.

[i can't believe I remember minutia from liner notes...]

Also no Moncur in the band I saw, but definitely Howard Johnson.

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah, he used Johnson, Rudd and Harris at the Plugged Nickel in Chicago, '67/'68. Don't know who the bass player was.

[coolman]

okay i threw caution to the wind and got the Attica Big Band set

Also, in the liner notes to Four for Trane it mentions a group made up of Carla Bley, Alan Shorter, Pharaoh Sanders led by Charles Moffett the drummer on that recording but I have not seen it mentioned anywhere else. Does anyone know if this group ever made any recordings?

[clifford_thornton]

Not to my knowledge.