Don Byas and Archie Shepp with Ellington

[medjuck]

With the NYT/Steve Coleman thread veering into a discussion of Byas I thought this might be of interest to board members:

http://nepr.net/music/2015/04/28/duke-ellington-welcomes-don-byas-and-archie-shepp/

[JSngry]

whoa...

[flat5]

Too bad he did not have his horn.

[paul secor]

I recall seeing a photograph in Down Beat years ago of Archie Shepp sitting in with the Ellington band. Always wondered what the story was behind that. I had no idea that Don Byas was also involved.

Thanks for posting the link.

[Chuck Nessa]

What an interesting mess!

[Ken Dryden]

I've got an Affinity LP by Duke Ellington entitled Paris Jazz Party. I know Don Byas is on it, but didn't remember Archie Shepp. I'll have to go downstairs to take a look and listen.

[clifford_thornton]

Shepp's solo on "C Jam Blues" definitely made me smile. Would've been fun to witness the whole concert, even with a messy "Divertimento and Crescendo."

[l p]

shepp and byas sit in on only 2 tunes on this concert.

[Caravan]

shepp and byas sit in on only 2 tunes on this concert.

One tune each that is, not together.

[JSngry]

When Byas comes back in after Tunney (and hey holyshit Norris TUNNEY ok?). at first it ounds like he's just drunk and out of the time, and I've no doubt that he's not drunk, but the way his notes move across the time create a not-unconvincing suggesting that he's playng exactly what he's hearing, and that what he's hearing is a line of pretty advanced harmonic extrapolations. And his time, not his attack, but his time, kinda weirdly reminds me of Hank, who if my memory serves was along with these two on the midnigh (and beyond) creep...would it have been possible for Hank to have shown up here along with Byas & Shepp (possible as in is this gig from when they had that hang)?

[johnblitweiler]

Yes, Hank was (as he put it) helping Shepp and Byas get Gonsalves back to the band on time.

[JSngry]

And Byas baked a cake int he morning! One of the most memorable images I have, for whatever reason.

I pretty much have this article memorized...not in sequence, but in content. Thank you.

[Gheorghe]

JSngry: Great reading. I heard about that John Litweiler DB article and Hank´s impressions about Paris, with Archie Shepp and Don Byas. Please, can you post the rest of the article ?

[JSngry]

With pleasure.

And thanks again to John Litweiler for writing one of, imo, the most important - and readable - pieces that down beat ever published.

[Gheorghe]

Thank you so much ! Great reading.

Well, I think 1973 was quite a rough period for acoustic jazz. I think, Mr. Mobley suffered very much from the loss of interest in what he was doing, what he had planned to do in future. And even in the late 70´s with all that bop revival that I witnessed, it seems there was no place for Hank.

I think, Hank and Archie Shepp were quite close, even if they had different conceptions about music. And later, when all people started to re-consider straight ahead stuff, Archie played A-Train, Sophisticated Lady and much Ellington-compositions....

[Steve Reynolds]

As good as it gets

Thanks for posting this

Thanks, John

[l p]

not to sidetrack, but i find this guest appearance fascinating

Miles Davis sits in for one tune at a B.B. King concert, Barcelona 11-13-73

[johnblitweiler]

Jim, thank you for posting that article. My DB copy of that was among the stuff that vanished after the fire, and now I have a copy again.

[romualdo]

what a wonderful article - great read!!

I presume that soundtrack to a movie (French-Algerian War) he recorded for Blue Note has never been released

[Chuck Nessa]

I guarantee Archie whispered his name in Duke's ear at the end.

[clifford_thornton]

Mobley and Muhal? Wow. Great piece, John.

[bopandbeyond]

I've always heard a lot of Byas in Hank's playing, would've loved to hear them jam together.

[johnblitweiler]

But a few years ago Muhal told me that Hank never actually produced those arrangements.

[medjuck]

not to sidetrack, but i find this guest appearance fascinating

Miles Davis sits in for one tune at a B.B. King concert, Barcelona 11-13-73

Miles also plays with john Lee Hooker on the soundtrack to the film The Hot Spot.

Edited May 7, 2015 by medjuck

[Chuck Nessa]

Mobley and Muhal? Wow. Great piece, John.

I did see the Mobley group with Muhal at a south side church if I remember correctly.