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Still a Debate in 1966, also an Archie Shepp 'On This Night' Review

For this blog entry I thought I would extract some further 'nuggets' from one of the Jazz publications I've researched and purchased for these blogs.
Jazz Journal from November 1966 was the source for a previous blog entry "Coltrane & Coleman - a Critical View from 1966", in which Martin Williams comes up to speed on A Love Supreme to Ascension, Coleman's At the Golden Circle records and The Avant Garde - Coltrane and Don Cherry playing Coleman numbers.

The publication has some other articles and reviews, which at the end of 1966, is interesting given the time in the evolution of the "New Music".
The British Jazz critic Stanley Dance in his two page entry of notes of wisdom includes a couple of contemporary quotes from two sides of the debate, from two well known musicians.
"But I don't want to hear pleasant music today. I want to hear screaming and hollering and picking and biting. That's what the world's about today. And I believe the music should reflect life". Charlie Mariano interviewed in the Melody Maker.
"It's ridiculous. I haven't heard anything in their playing that sounds complete. Perhaps they are building a bridge which someday one may come along and complete. On the other hand, it is possibly a display of their social philosophy and frustration set to music". Bill Evans on the avant-garde, The Telegram, Toronto.

Here is a full page advert from EMI/HMV showing new releases for 1966. A typical eclectic mix for 1966 and has Coltrane's classic free jazz Meditations on the bottom row, sitting next to Benny Carter's Further Definitions, another pet project from Impulse's Bob Thiele, re-imagining his old jazz favourites.

Amongst many other wide ranging album reviews there is an Archie Shepp On This Night review by Barry McRae.

ARCHIE SHEPP ON THIS NIGHT:
(a) The Mac Man; (b) In A Sentimental Mood;
(c) Gingerbread, Gingerbread Boy (204 min)—
(d) On This Night; (e) The Original Mr. Sonny
Boy Williamson; (f) The Pickaninny (223 min)
(HMV ® CLP © CSD 3561 32s. 6d.)

It is ironical that opponents of the new order claim that much of it does not swing. This album is typical of the tremendous rhythmic potency to be found in most of the new wave groups. On three of its tracks, the presence of two percussion men ensures cross currents of great complexity, while the work of Hutcherson adds a further dimension. At times the young vibraphonist abandons the concept of note displacement and creates an arhythmic layer of great subtlety. The pulse is often only implied but the sharply antithetical rhythmic lines provide a climate in which Shepp functions perfectly.

More than any previous collection, these six tracks show how well he has synthesized the harmonic freedom of Coleman with the use of metric denials in the Rollins’ manner. They also re-affirm Shepp’s ease with a wide variety of material. The title track, although ambitious, is the most disappointing. The cultured voice of soprano Christine Spencer is used as a tonal variant rather than a vocal, but her stiff, mannered style is woefully out of place in a jazz setting. I have never enjoyed the instrumental use of the human voice, even in the Ellingtonian context and admit my own prejudice in this matter. Nevertheless, I feel that even the most limited jazz singer could have improved on this performance. A complete contrast is
Mr. Sonny, a tribute to the man that blues expert D.S-B. tells us is not the original. Here Shepp delivers jazz at its strongest, heavily blues influenced and unremittingly passionate. He cries in the same way as the great ‘harp’ blowers and maintains a level of invention that is extremely impressive. On a much lighter, emotional plane is the beautiful Sentimental. Like Call Me from the Newport recordings, the influence of Hodges is very apparent. One of the most noticeable legacies that Shepp has retained from his period with Cecil Taylor, is his strong romanticism on ballads.. Here he sustains a lyrical mood throughout and uses a strangely thin vibrato to lend a flowing quality to his solo.

Despite the rather contrived theme statement of Gingerbread, the remaining tracks are good and Shepp enjoys exemplary support. Few musicians can be as aware of their colleagues as Hutcherson, who seems to adapt to Shepp’s moods without surrendering his own sense of purpose. The structural nature of some of his backing figures even makes me suspect his hand in certain of the arrangements. All of the percussionists play well, although depriving Blackwell of his drum kit was unfortunate. The variety that the African logs provide does not totally compensate for the loss of his excellent
drumming.

I hope that Shepp’s future lies with slightly larger groups than heard here. He is a writer of some significance and Four For Trane was an album that showed his potential. Since he is an outstanding soloist, this record offers a great deal but it is unlikely that readers with only a slight interest in the latest developments will want both this and the New Thing At Newport release. This one just has the edge. B.McR.

(a) Archie Shepp (ten); Bobby Hutcherson (vbs); Rashied
Ali (d); Henry Grimes (bs); Eddie Blackwell (rhythm logs).
(b) as (a) except Joe Chambers (d) replaces Ali; Blackwell
omitted.
(c) as (b) except Barre Phillips (bs) replaces Grimes.
(d) as (a) except Joe Chambers (tympany) replaces
Blackwell; add Christine Spencer (vcl).
(e) as (a) except J. C. Moses (d) replaces Ali.
(f) Archie Shepp (ten); David Izenzon (bs); J. C. Moses
(d).

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