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.

Jack Dejohnette album Made in Chicago Review

    

     This is the latest Jack Dejohnette album in which he comes home to his Chicago roots and plays with some of the guys from the AACM whom he played with in his youth. This includes Henry Threadgill on alto saxophones and bass flute, Roscoe Mitchell on sopranino saxophones, soprano saxophones, alto saxophones, baroque flute, and bass recorder. In addition, there is Muhal Richard Abrams on piano, Larry Grey on bass and violoncello, and of course Jack Dejohnette on drums. What makes this 2013 performance at the Chicago Jazz Festival so great is not the compositions, but the individual and collaborative improvisation of these musicians as a whole.
      In fact, I can't tell that these compositions are even written down at all. It all sounds like improvisation and great improv at that! I've always thought that live jazz is always better than studio albums and this is one case where live performance really shines. The level of nuance and skill is just off the roof. A piece that really stands out is the second song, Jack 5, by Muhal Richard Abrams, where Jack Dejohnette opens up with drum flourishes on the cymbals and toms. What gives Jack such a unique touch on the drums is that he was a pianist when he first began playing music. I really like Jack 5 because when the melody comes in, its an odd sort of droning melody not unlike something Ornette Coleman would do. It's slow and methodical. The bass line is especially interesting. Check out this song online if possible, it is a great piece.  
     Some of the other songs have the same qualities as Jack 5 in that the beginning is a bit slow and the melody goes up and down in chromatic dramatic fashion. But when they start improvising things really go the dogs, or in this case, the cats. With the piano its hard to say what this group sounds like. I would immediatley say they sound like the Art Ensemble of Chicago but I would say this is more melodic and structured than AEOC. That's whats so great about it. This is great music for people that are just getting into free-jazz but it still contains enough free elements that free-jazz fans would love it. It's the best of both worlds. The piano really gives the group a harmonic framework in which to do the improvising. There are moments where the piano is doing its thing and it sounds like a post-bop sort of band.
     The other highlight of the performance for me was the last untitled tune. It sounds like the Art Ensemble of Chicago, all free and what not. I particularly love Roscoe Mitchell's squeaky saxophone playing on this. It's what makes free-jazz great, this piece. 
     I would say this is an important record because most of these guys are in their 70s, almost 80s now and they won't be with us forever. So it's cool to see them come back to their roots from when they used to play with each other in Chicago and now here they are at old age still playing and performing together, maybe for the last time. In addition, this is an important jazz recording because many Chicago jazz greats played at this festival as well. This is one of the best new jazz recording I've ever heard.
 As Jack says at the end, "May the Great Spirit bless you!" It certainly has blessed Jack.