A grand reunion of sorts in Berlin on the first day of November, 1996. Under the auspices of Free Music Production, Cecil Taylor, the great pianist and one of the premier musical minds of the 20th century, joined forces with his early comrade, drummer Sunny Murray, for a set of improvised duets. Murray was part of Taylor’s important groups starting in 1959, including the trio with alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, with which Taylor toured Europe in 1962 and 1963, recording the seminal Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come and Live at the Café Montmartre. On the latter tour, Murray met Albert Ayler when the saxophonist joined Taylor’s group for some concerts; they would go on to record one of the greatest free jazz records in history, Ayler’s Spiritual Unity. Thirty-six years later, Taylor and Murray were back together and better than ever. Never to do things a straightforward manner, Taylor began the concert by inviting eight members of his band to kick things off with an intonation choir, the master himself leading the sound poetry incantation. Taylor and Murray then moved into a 48-minute exchange of energies, peaks and valleys of expressive intensity rolling along, the two veteran improvisors slipping back into sync as if the decades had simply vanished. This extraordinary music has never been publicly released on CD. Gorgeously recorded, with action photos by Dagmar Gebers and a cover painting by Jacqueline Humphries, the music is issued under license from FMP. And yes, the title was all Taylor’s, as if he knew his music would be released during a virus of the same name.
2013 release. An expanded reissue of Sun Ra's Continuation, originally released in 1970. A special two CD reissue of the hyper-rare El Saturn Records album, recorded in 1963, early in the Arkestra's New York period, paired with a full disc of extra material. Loaded with John Gilmore, one of the greatest and rarest slabs of Sun Ra vinyl, on CD for the first time. Recorded on March 10, 1963 at the Choreographer's Workshop in New York City. Remastered from the original tapes by Michael D. Anderson; Reissue produced by John Corbett and Adam Abraham.
Discussing this impending studio date, the indefatigable saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and intrepid vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz decided to compose new pieces for one another. The resulting tracks - which also include a hallucinogenic arrangement of "Timeless", dedicated to it's composer, the recently deceased guitarist John Abercrombie - show a markedly different side of both musicians. Quiet, at times tender, this meeting of like-minded musicians evoked a new kind of tension, not one birthed out of screams and wallops, but instead one marshaling the power of restraint. Gustafsson's work with groups like The Thing and Fire! Orchestra have made him one of the most renowned figures in contemporary energy music, and Adasiewicz's joyous noise in his own bands and with Peter Brotzmann, Rob Mazurek, and many others have likewise earned him top status in the pantheon of today's free musicians. On Timeless, they explore low dynamics, static soundscape, and melodic lyricism, infused with passion and intellect. One track features the wooden-keyed African balafon, coaxing a buoyant response on alto from Gustafsson, while their mutual boyhood love of highly select fusion records provided an unforeseen jumping off point for the whole record. On the cover, a painting by Charline von Heyl; across the interior, a photo portrait of the musicians. Personnel: Mats Gustafsson - alto, tenor and baritone saxophones; Jason Adasiewicz - vibraphone and balafon. Recorded October 1, 2017, by Alex Inglizian at Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago.
2016 release. A reissue of Jimmy Lyons's Push Pull, originally released on Hat Hut Records in 1979. Long known as Cecil Taylor's most reliable and loyal colleague, alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons has a select discography as a leader, and among it's best entries is Push Pull, originally issued by Hat Hut Records as a massive three LP set. Recorded during a single marathon performance at the Collective for Living Cinema in New York in 1978, Push Pull features five extended pieces, all by Lyons, with his working quintet that included his wife Karen Borca on bassoon, Hayes Burnett on bass, Munner Bernard Fennell on cello, and Roger Blank on drums. Jolting, quicksilver free jazz with terse themes and brilliant interplay, the music is quintessential Lyons - searching, pliant, and sincere. Remastered from the original tapes, this first reissue of Push Pull compiles the original tracks - two of which were split to accommodate the 20-minute limit of LP - into their original full-length, fitting the whole program onto two CDs, lovingly repackaged featuring the original Klaus Baumgartner cover. Recorded by Karen Borca on May 6, 1978 at the Collective for Living Cinema in New York. Photos by Ken Brunton and H.L. Lindenmaier; Cover by Klaus Baumgartner. Remastered at Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, 2015; Tapes transferred at Chicago Mastering Service, 2015; Reissue produced by John Corbett.
Hailing from the Germantown section of Philadelphia, well known as the site of the Sun Ra Arkestra communal homestead, Sounds of Liberation were at the forefront of '70s Black liberation music. After a series of gigs in elementary schools, prisons, and community centers, in 1973 the band travelled along with their manager George Gilmore (father of Linc Gilmore of Breakwater fame) to NYC for a recording session at Columbia University. This five-song session has never been heard until now. Had it ever been issued, it would have followed on the band's debut, New Horizons, released on Dogtown Records in 1972. Sounds of Liberation formed in early 1970, initially lead by vibraphonist Warren Robert Cheeseboro, aka Khan Jamal, but it wasn't until the eventual arrival of Byard Lancaster that the band's prospects started to take off. Lancaster was a master at making a deal. This deal-making lead to more gigs and more recognition, especially from local newspapers. Sounds of Liberation was more of a community than a band at times and because of that spirit there was a strong desire by the entire group to work with schoolchildren as well as inmates. They did just that, and continued to do so throughout the early to mid-70s. Released briefly in 2018 as a special edition of 100 copies by Brewerytown Beats, the music on Sounds of Liberation has never been heard before. Shoulder-deep in groove juice, it's a record with heavy ostinato and beautiful backbeats, including the mellowing influence of Jamal's vibes and the incisive guitar of Monette Sudler, the final track featuring an unidentified vocal group singing a stone-cold soul hit, also featuring some searing saxophone courtesy of Mr. Lancaster. A treasure for fans of so-called spiritual jazz and free funk, Sounds of Liberation is a snapshot of it's era and equally an inspiration in ours. The package comes with never seen photos of the band and a cover design by artist LeRoy Butler, who worked with the SoL in the era, at the same time he was designing records for Sun Ra. Lovingly coaxed from long-unplayed original tapes, Sounds of Liberation is a new line item in the soul improvisation pantheon. Personnel: Byard Lancaster - flute, alto saxophone; Khan Jamal - vibraphone; Monnette Sudler - guitar; Billy Mills - bass; Dwight James - drums; Rashid Salime - congos; Omar Hill - percussion; vocalists on "New Horizon/Backstreets of Heaven" are unidentified. Recorded at Columbia University, NYC, in 1973.
