Drank Wrote:
berliner Wrote:
Drank Wrote:
Charlie Parker - Yardbird Suite
Luis Russell - The Luis Russell Story
Archie Shepp - Blase
Archie Shepp - Kwanza
Bobby Hutcherson - Happenings
The Flaming Lips - Christmas on Mars
in which direction does shepp go on his own recordings? I only know him with coltrane, and that's pretty awesome.
You have to hear Shepp's
Attica Blues if you haven't. Absolutely have to. I think it's pretty far from what he did with Coltrane, though.
The only Coltrane recording I've heard with Shepp on it is
Ascension, and it's honestly never been one of my favorites. Shepp does go a little bit into chaotic, free territory on some of his solo stuff (I only have 4 of his albums), but he tends to keep things pretty soulful and often features vocals. In fact, on albums like
Attica Blues and
Cry of My People, his sax playing really isn't the center of attention. I would highly recommend checking out those two albums (as opposed to the two I'm listening to today, which are also good).
Shepp isn't someone who really stuck with one style. In his early solo days of say the mid 60's, he was pretty much an avant garde/free jazz player similar to what you might expect from his playing with Coltrane. If you listen to Four for Trane or The Way Ahead or Fire Music, they'll probably be pretty much what you might expect from him.
Shepp got more political into the late 60's and early 70's though and more about "the black experience." His albums in the late 60's often included a song or two with a political poem or malcolm x recitation over fairly avante garde playing and there's occasionally some percussion that is fairly tribal. In the early 70's, he was a leader of the spiritual jazz or black jazz movement which you might think of as a musical stew of jazz, gospel, soul -- ie anything black with singing and highly political lyrics. I agree with drinky that this is his most interesting period. Spiritual Jazz is my favorite type of jazz and Attica Blues is easily my favorite jazz album by any artist. The Cry of My People isn't far behind it in quality and I often wonder if my liking Attica Blues more is almost entirely due to hearing it first.
In the 80's onward he released a bunch of more timid and straightforward beebop/bop/swing albums. They are still good but just not as unique or interesting. There's the occasional gem mixed in which has more of the spiritual elements to it.
