The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!

The Squid's Ear
Facebook: Squidco Sales



Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Archie Shepp 
  Blasé and Yasmina Revisited
  (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd) 


  
   review by Paul Serralheiro
  2021-09-14
Archie Shepp: Blasé and Yasmina Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

These two 1969 recordings reissued on CD by Hat Hut are rich with musical creativity of a highly sensitive and interactive kind. The album features the leader's tenor saxophone voice at its most lyrical and fluent, but also includes the impressive talents of other musicians, the most outstanding of which, to these ears, is vocalist Jeanne Lee, who brings a voice that is paradoxically both raw and highly sophisticated. Also at work on these tracks are pianist Dave Burrell, bassist Malachi favors, trumpeter Lester Bowie and drummer Philly Joe Jones and Sunny Murray, to name but a few.

The bulk of the total 61 minutes is devoted to the Blasé album, recorded on August 16, 1969 (over 40 minutes), and the 20-minute Yasmina follows this. The first album is the centerpiece and what a centerpiece it is! It has the suppleness of "My Angel & Blasé" with its soulful lament by Jeanne Lee that seems to cry from the heart of an imitate relationship in the throes of abuse and disappointment, to the soothing spiritual tones of hopefulness in "There is a Balm in Gilead", to the silky saunter of "Sophisticated Lady" (one of the best renditions of this elegant Lawrence Brown-Duke Ellington song that I have ever heard), and the funky, tumultuous "Touareg" to close that first section of the album. An interesting added sound spice to the mix is the harmonica playing of Chicago Beau on the first track.

The closing track is a full-length jam on Yasmina, which features several of the budding luminaries of the day from the Chicago creative scene, including Roscoe Mitchell and the aforementioned Bowie. They stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the veteran players like Philly Joe Jones and Art Taylor. A total of 11 musicians are present here, all in service to Shepp's vision, which they realize with beauty and extraordinary aplomb!







Comments and Feedback:



The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Kim Jae Jung:
Shamanism
(Relative Pitch)



Joe McPhee/
Susanna Gartmayer/
John Edwards/
Maria Portugal:
Monster
(Klanggalerie)



Signe Emmeluth/
Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten/
Axel Filip:
Hyperboreal Trio
(Relative Pitch)



John Butcher/
John Edwards:
This Is
Not Speculation
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Izumi Kimura/
Lina Andonovska/
Dominique Pifarely:
Seven Dreams
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Jerome Deupree/
Sylvie Courvoisier/
Lester St. Louis/
Joe Morris:
Canyon
[2 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Marc Baron/
Eric La Casa:
Contrefacons
(Swarming)



Francisco Lopez:
Untitled (
2021-2022)
[2 CDs]
(Bu Lang Tribute Cake)



Eventless Plot |
Haarvol:
The Subliminal Paths
[CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD]
(Innovo Editions)



Akmee:
Sacrum Profanum
(Nakama Records)



Karl Evangelista Quintet
feat. Bobby Bradford and
William Roper:
Solace Angles
(Asian Improv)



Sveio:
Latent Imprints
(577 Records)



The Sleep Of Reason
Produces Monsters (
Rasmussen/
Mitelli/
Rezaei/
Koenig):
The Sleep Of Reason
Produces Monsters
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)



Dan Brown/
Dan Reynolds:
Live At
The Grange Hall
[unauthorized][CASSETTE]
(Sacred Realism)



Matt Mitchell:
Sacrosanctity
(Obliquity)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj/
Mike Majkowski/
Magda Mayas/
Tony Buck):
Love
(thanatosis produktion/
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj/
Mike Majkowski/
Magda Mayas/
Tony Buck):
Love
[VINYL]
(thanatosis produktion/
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Mary Halvorson Septet:
Illusionary Sea
[2 LPS]
(Firehouse 12 Records)



Darius Jones:
Legend of e'Boi (
The Hypervigilant Eye)
[VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
(Aum Fidelity)



Irene Schweizer/
Rudiger Carl/
Johnny Dyani/
Han Bennink:
Irenes Hot Four
(Intakt)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (17102)