Archie Shepp

[Chuck Nessa]

Reuben Jackson posted on Facebook that Mr Shepp is in hospice care in Paris.

[felser]

Sorry to hear that, amazing body of work.

[JSngry]

Best wishes for a graceful transition. 

[Gheorghe]

oh, that´s bad news. 

I´m not sure but I had noticed that he had difficulties to walk as early as in the 80´s . 

I saw him many times from the late 70´s to the early 2000´s . 
The very best and most exiting gig I saw was with a stellar quartet with Siegfried Kessler, Bob Cunningham and Clifford Jarvis. 
Also very good was a concert with Ken Werner, Santi Debriano and John Betsch....
The last time I saw him, he played a lot of piano also. He did a version of "Ask me Now" that sounded so near to the original that if you closed your eyes you might believe it´s Monk himself who plays. 

[jlhoots]

Bad news. Have many of his albums.

[Pim]

Hope all the best for him. A huge fan! Shepp got me into the free stuff

Edited November 5, 2023 by Pim

[felser]

7 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

oh, that´s bad news. 

I´m not sure but I had noticed that he had difficulties to walk as early as in the 80´s . 

I saw him many times from the late 70´s to the early 2000´s . 
The very best and most exiting gig I saw was with a stellar quartet with Siegfried Kessler, Bob Cunningham and Clifford Jarvis. 
Also very good was a concert with Ken Werner, Santi Debriano and John Betsch....
The last time I saw him, he played a lot of piano also. He did a version of "Ask me Now" that sounded so near to the original that if you closed your eyes you might believe it´s Monk himself who plays. 

Saw him with Beaver Harris, Dave Burrell, Cameron Brown, and Charles Majid Greenlea at the Empty Foxhole Cafe in mid-70's.  Unforgettable, especially "African Drum Suite".  Harris was a monster live.

[Pim]

1 hour ago, felser said:

Saw him with Beaver Harris, Dave Burrell, Cameron Brown, and Charles Majid Greenlea at the Empty Foxhole Cafe in mid-70's.  Unforgettable, especially "African Drum Suite".  Harris was a monster live.

That's the Montreux group right? On Freedom records? Those are among my favorite Shepp records. I was so fortunate to see him at the Bimhuis in 2010. Though not really comparable to his 60's and 70's work it was an unforgettable experience.

[optatio]

Saw him live four times: in Berlin (Jazzfestival), Hildesheim (Jazztime), Kassel (Documenta) and Göttingen (Jazzfestival)- always an event!

[jlhoots]

4 hours ago, jlhoots said:

Bad news. Have many of his albums.

I saw him at Lennie's On The Turnpike outside of Boston in the 60s. As I recall the group was Shepp, Roswell Rudd, Howard Johnson, Charlie Haden & Beaver Harris. No guarantees. That was a long time ago.

Edited November 5, 2023 by jlhoots

[felser]

2 hours ago, Pim said:

That's the Montreux group right? On Freedom records? Those are among my favorite Shepp records. I was so fortunate to see him at the Bimhuis in 2010. Though not really comparable to his 60's and 70's work it was an unforgettable experience.

Yes, that group!

[Rabshakeh]

I saw him recently with Jason Moran a year or two ago at the Barbican. Shepp looked very unwell even then, so this news is not a surprise. 

Probably one of the last of the greats surviving from the hero period of the music, so it will be the end of an era when he passes.

[felser]

He is 86.  Full life.

[adh1907]

Blimey. “When he passes”. 

[danasgoodstuff]

Wish him all the best.  Saw him a few years back, had lost a step but still an imposing presence.  Made some of my favorite recordings.

[AllenLowe]

Roswell Rudd told me that Shepp is so famous in France that people were naming their babies after him.

[medjuck]

10 hours ago, felser said:

Saw him with Beaver Harris, Dave Burrell, Cameron Brown, and Charles Majid Greenlea at the Empty Foxhole Cafe in mid-70's.  Unforgettable, especially "African Drum Suite".  Harris was a monster live.

I saw him with Beaver Harris shortly after the release of Momma Too Tight and remember thinking that this drummer could make a 50 piece brass band swing. 

[jazzbo]

Yes, Beaver Harris. . . quite a drummer. Another of the long list of jazz men who should have been with us longer.

[clifford_thornton]

God dammit. Thanks for letting us know.

FWIW I had a great time talking to him on the phone many years ago for an interview... I was anxious, expecting him to be a tough person to interact with (probably had heard some vintage reports), but he was so sweet and professorial. It felt like "office hours" in college. It was a neat experience and I appreciated that he took the time to answer my questions and explore ideas.

[John L]

Best wishes to Archie Shepp!