Art Ensemble of Chicago Naked

     

    
     So lately I've been listening to a lot jazz and even reading a lot of reviews and essays by the jazz critic Stanley Crouch. While I don't agree completely with everything Crouch says I would say he's my favorite black intellectual and academic. What I admire the most about him is that he would lay down his life for jazz, he loves the art form that much. I've also been reading the Ywngie Malmsteen biography Relentless, which is a fun read but not as stimulating as Crouch's essays. Anyways, I wanted to write a bit about this new Art Ensemble of Chicago record I got today.
     I would say I know quite a bit about the Art Ensemble and that this album captures them at their peak; right before Lester Bowie and Joseph Jarman died, and before the original line-up disbanded. This album is called Naked and was recorded at Rawleston Recording Studio in Brooklyn, New York. The album features Lester Bowie on trumpet, Joseph Jarman on flute, bass flute, sapranino, saprano, alto, and tenor saxophones, clarinet, and bass saxophones, Roscoe Mitchell on flute, clarinet, saprano, alto, tenor and bass saxophones, Malachi Favors on bass and electric bass, and Famoudou Don Moye on percussion and drums. These guys play every instrument it's absolutely amazing!
     The first track is an introduction percussion instrumental that leads to the next track, which is a very ear friendly, almost poppy kind of number. Usually the Art Ensemble is more theatrical, comical, and witty but in this album they go for more standard and typical arrangements. There's a bebop tune called We Bop that is so standard straight-ahead jazz that it could've came straight out of the Blue Note recording sessions of the 50's and 60's. The true artistic nature of the Art Ensemble's music doesn't come out till nearly the end of the album, where things take an avant-garde turn. No melodies or grooves per say, just sheets of sound but not in the Coltrane sense. More like drones, call and response, and sparse melodic attacks. They end off the album with a latin-jazz number that any jazz fan can approve of.
     I must say that this is the most commercial friendly Art Ensemble that I've ever heard. Part of me is astounded that they made an album like this that is so unlike their live shows and more catered to the plebeian understanding of jazz. By that I mean its just not them at their finest and that I think they somewhat were catering to specific kind of audience. I've seen tons of Art Ensemble footage on YouTube where they play miles ahead of the stuff they play on this album. In addition, I have Art Ensemble records both live and in the studio that are musically more stimulating than anything on this album.
     But, putting those thoughts aside, when I take this album at face value I can see that it sounds very pleasing both musically and aesthetically. The songs seem to just swing and the playing is at a high enough level to keep the tunes from becoming a dull cacophony. The album cost me 20 bucks and it came with Japanese liner notes as well as English ones. It has some sort of Buddhist poem written by Joseph Jarman. I can say that this was a great buy and I'm glad I found it at the record shop I frequent often. Its only the second time that I've seen an Art Ensemble recording at a record shop and you can bet that I was happy to find it. This would be a great introduction to the Art Ensemble for anyone who wants to get into their body of work without going full-on avant-garde. Definitely worth listening to for free jazz fans and straight ahead listeners who want to learn more about the avant-garde.