The Squid's Ear Magazine


Shelton, Skeeter / Hamid Drake: Sclupperbep [VINYL] (Two Rooms Records)

After meeting in Detroit when tenor saxophonist & flutist Skeeter Shelton subbed for a sick player in a duo concert with drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake, the two found a bond through Shelton's father, Ajaramu Shelton, who had been one of Drake's mentor at Chicago's AACM; the concert was so successful that this recording was immediately planned, based around many of Shelton's themes.
 

Price: $19.95


Quantity:

Out of Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 24.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Skeeter Shelton-tenor saxophone, folk flute, pan flute

Hamid Drake-drums, percussion


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




Label: Two Rooms Records
Catalog ID: TR006CD
Squidco Product Code: 31110

Format: LP
Condition: New
Released: 2021
Country: USA
Packaging: LP
Recorded by Joel Peterson.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Detroit saxophonist Skeeter Shelton and Chicago percussionist Hamid Drake didn't know each other before Skeeter was subbed into a duo gig at Trinosophes (Detroit) after Hamid's partner fell ill. Shortly before the performance, it was discovered that Skeeter's father, Ajaramu Shelton, was Hamid's drum teacher and mentor at Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. There was an instant bond.

The set that night was fire. This should be no surprise, as Skeeter, through his father, grew up around AACM-affiliated musicians like Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, Fred Anderson and especially, Amina Claudine Meyers. Soon after, it was decided that Skeeter and Hamid should record together. With Hamid's international touring schedule, there was only a narrow window of opportunity. A date was picked for Hamid to come to Detroit for a day of recording and a one-night stay.

It turned out to be the morning aftermath of the polar vortex in early 2019. Hamid's just over four-hour drive from Chicago ballooned into more than nine hours. When he finally arrived, he was asked if he needed to decompress or eat something. He was sick of sitting in a car, he said, and just needed to play. That was it. Hamid was already on the house kit-no mic placement, no line check-and he and Skeeter didn't stop for 90 minutes. Then they paused and did another half- an-hour. It was an outpouring of free improvisation and Skeeter's own material-all of which was new to Hamid-that found the musicians discovering mutual sympathies and shared pathways in the music. For this release, we have highlighted mostly portions where Skeeter's themes predominate, because so many of them are excellent and largely unknown."-Two Rooms

Also available on CD.

Artist Biographies

"Detroit has long been a bebop jazz town. During the 1950s, the high schools, street academies, and jazz clubs nurtured musicians such as pianists Barry Harris and Tommy Flanagan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, bassists Doug Watkins and Paul Chambers, saxophonist Yusef Lateef, and many more who would eventually move to New York and develop international careers. The rhythmic and harmonic qualities of this music built on the radical developments of bebop but were somewhat more subtle and refined, which may have led to their broader public interest.

The city contributed mightily to the ranks of the second and third generations of modern jazz, and this kind of mainstream modernism has continued to thrive and dominate much of the local scene to this day. But the music began to change and develop various experimental directions in the Sixties, and those new trends influenced some young Detroiters as well. The pivotal moment in the development of Motor City avant-garde jazz was the founding of the group Griot Galaxy, led by saxophonist Faruq Z. Bey, in 1972. It lasted for seventeen years and provided a magnet and focal point for young musicians who were interested in exploring more experimental directions.

One of the most dynamic players who grew up in that era is saxophonist Skeeter Shelton. His father was a professional drummer who played with Gene Ammons and other mainstream players, mostly in Chicago. The younger Shelton grew up playing different kinds of music and used his time in the armed forces--he was drafted in 1970--to further develop his musical skills. He eventually came back home and got a good job touring with a soul singer for a few years and then made his way back to Detroit, where he hooked up with former members of Griot Galaxy to pursue more adventuresome music.

Shelton's main horn is the tenor saxophone, although he can play many other reed instruments, from clarinets to the tarogato, Hungarian version of a wooden saxophone. On the tenor, he exhibits a rough-and-tumble tone with a powerful voice that can dominate an ensemble, but he can take it down to a mere whisper when necessary. He also has an enviable command of the highest altissimo registers of the instrument.

Shelton's approach to improvisation is highly extroverted: he favors long expressive lines and takes his time with his solos, which can be quite lengthy when given the chance, developing complex patterns with recurring themes. Thus, although his playing can be typecast as "free improvisation," it is essentially compositional in scope, with larger structures in mind. But for all his abstract spontaneity, Shelton is an emotional player, and his blues background comes through; he sometimes treats his instrument as an extension of his voice or spontaneously picks up a small rhythm instrument or blows into an animal horn."-Piotr Michalowski

-Ann Arbor Observer (https://annarborobserver.com/articles/skeeter_shelton.html#.YW8VIXkpCmk)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Hamid Drake (born August 3, 1955) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends a great deal of time touring worldwide. By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and avant improvised music. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and African percussion instruments and influence, in addition to using the standard trap set, Drake has collaborated extensively with top free-jazz improvisers. Drake also has performed world music; by the late 70s, he was a member of Foday Musa Suso's Mandingo Griot Society and has played reggae throughout his career.

Drake has worked with trumpeter Don Cherry, pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Fred Anderson, Archie Shepp and David Murray and bassists Reggie Workman and William Parker (in a large number of lineups)

He studied drums extensively, including eastern and Caribbean styles. He frequently plays without sticks; using his hands to develop subtle commanding undertones. His tabla playing is notable for his subtlety and flair. Drake's questing nature and his interest in Caribbean percussion led to a deep involvement with reggae."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Drake)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



SIDE A



1. We Must Play Music For The Children / Attic 4:32

2. The Call 4:37

3. Tru 2:04

4. Forest Dancer 7:15

5. Charles Miles 4:35

SIDE B



1. Like Father Like Son 17:39

2. Now That I'm Free 3:49

Related Categories of Interest:


Vinyl Recordings
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Chicago Jazz & Improvisation
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Percussion & Drums
Duo Recordings
Saxophone & Drummer / Percussionist Duos

Search for other titles on the label:
Two Rooms Records.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Other Recommended Releases:
Tsahar, Assif / William Parker / Hamid Drake
In Between The Tumbling A Stillness [VINYL]
(Hopscotch Records)
A fierce free jazz concert recorded live at Levontin 7, in Tel Aviv by three players with a long history of collaboration and dynamic trio settings, from Israeli saxophonist formerly based in NYC Assif Tsahar, bassist William Parker and Chicago drummer Hamid Drake, in two extended, energetic and inventive improvisations and a concise closing "Stillness".
Phillips, Dan / Hamid Drake
L'Avventura Di Vivere
(Lizard Breath)
The second duo collaboration of Chicago percussionist Hamid Drake (Fred Anderson, Peter Brotzmann, DKV Trio, &c) and guitarist Dan Phillips (Chicago Edge Ensemble, Quartet Next, Dan Phillips Trio, Dan Phillips Quartet), recording in the studio for 11 improvisations that present a variety of moods and intensity, in textures and melodies from minimal to intricate interplay.
Shelton, Skeeter / Hamid Drake
Sclupperbep
(Two Rooms Records)
After meeting in Detroit when tenor saxophonist & flutist Skeeter Shelton subbed for a sick player in a duo concert with drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake, the two found a bond through Shelton's father, Ajaramu Shelton, who had been one of Drake's mentor at Chicago's AACM; the concert was so successful that this recording was immediately planned, based around many of Shelton's themes.
Parkins, Zeena / Jeff Kolar
Scale
(Two Rooms Records)
Commissioned by choreographer Jennifer Monson, the collaboration of Downtown NY electric harpist and sound artist Zeena Parkins and Chicago sound artist Jeff Kolar explore the intersection of acoustic phenonema against electronic, synthetic & radio sounds, inspired by the timing of natural phenomena like ocean currents and daylight emergence; fascinating.
Dunmall / Pursglove / Tromans / Kane / Drake
Soultime
(FMR)
The 2nd concert at Eastside Jazz Club for the quintet of Paul dunmall on saxophone & penny whistle, Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Steve Tromans on piano, Dave Kane on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums, in a powerfully passionate and profoundly masterful set of lyrical free jazz, the perfect example of Dunmall's skill at assembling inspired jazz bands; highly recommended!
McPhee, Joe / Hamid Drake
Keep Going
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
The second duo album between saxophonist & pocket trumpeter Joe McPhee and drummer/frame drummer Hamid Drake begins with McPhee reciting words by Harriett Tubman (Keep Going), as the two inform and astound through masterful playing, together and solo, shaking the listener through intense and unambiguously clear playing, with pieces reflecting our world situation.
Gratkowski, Frank / Hamid Drake
Live In New Orleans
(Valid Records)
Live recordings from the duo of saxophonist Frank Gratkowski and drummer Hamid Drake performing in New Orleans in 2009; amazing and far-ranging dialog from two masters.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Rempis, Dave / Avreeayl Ra
Bennu [VINYL]
(Aerophonic)
The first recorded document of longtime collaborators performing as a duo, Dave Rempis (alto & tenor saxophones) and Avreeayl Ra (drums & percussion), in a thoughtfully building and muscular sax/drum pairing of both meditative and joyful free playing, captured at Constellation in Chicago after months where both players were unable to perform in person; exceptional!
Rossetto, Vanessa / Lionel Marchetti
The Tower (The City)
(erstwhile)
Three distinct compositions from the collaborative work of sound artists Vanessa Rossetto and Lionel Marchetti, the first a wonderfully complex work of musique concrète and acousmatic sources guided by the composers' instincts; "The Tower" expands their concepts through the addition of 18 voices, while the final track features the violin of Anouck Genthon.
Hoffman, Christopher
Asp Nimbus [VINYL]
(Out Of Your Head Records)
With many parallels to and collaborative work with Henry Threadgill, cellist Christopher Hoffman pens eight dynamic compositions for his superb quintet of Bryan Carrott on vibraphone, Rashaan Carter on bass, Craig Weinrib on drums and David Virelles on piano, merging melodic approaches to creative jazz with interesting structures and virtuosic soloing from all performers.
Parker, Evan / John Edwards / Tony Marsh
Medway Blues
(FMR)
A superb 2009 concert at Command House, in Chatham, UK from the trio of saxophonist Evan Parker, double bassist John Edwards, and late drummer/percussionist Tony Marsh, a single 36 minute improvisation of cohesive and energetic free jazz where all three pull together as a nearly telepathic unit, plus two extended duo sections between Edwards and Marsh and a Marsh solo.
Zethson, Alex Ensemble
Some Of Them Were Never Unprepared
(Relative Pitch)
Exploring how a composition can provide a sense of weightlessness, and influenced by the music of gamelan, krautrock, Tony Conrad & Arnold Dreyblatt, composer Alex Zethson structured these works to influence the 13 performers in his ensemble into a state of intense focus and listening as they strike, bow and pluck their instruments, creating an ecstatic sense of infinite motion.
Who Trio (Wintsch / Hemingway / Oester)
Strell [VINYL]
(Clean Feed)
The collective Who Trio of pianist Michel Wintsch, bassist Bänz Oester and drummer Gerry Hemingway take on the music of Billy Strayhorn & Duke Ellington in eight studio recordings and one live performance, interpreting in a collective fashion rather than straight readings of each work, allowing a unique level of freedom to be applied to these essential jazz compositions.
Ballrogg (Ellerhusen-Holm / Arntzen / Stackenas)
Rolling Ball [VINYL]
(Clean Feed)
The Norwegian trio Ballrog, which started as the duo of Klaus Ellerhusen-Holm on clarinet and Roger Arntzen on double bass, then expanded with guitarist Ivar Grydeland, who is replaced by guitarist David Stackenäus, a perfect choice for the lyrical chamber approach of intertwining lines and fluid melodic statement, with a sense of "free chamber americana"; beautiful.
Feldman, Morton (Judith Wegmann / Andreas Kunz)
For John Cage [2 CDs]
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
First performed in 1982, Morton Feldmans' monumental composition for piano and violin dedicated to peer John Cage creates a distinctive environment of instrumental interaction where patterns are subtly varied in a virtual suspension of time as the music drifts and reflects, beautifully rendered in this 2021 recording by pianist Judith Wegmann and violinist Andreas Kunz.
Perelman, Ivo (Duos w/ Burrell / Crispell / Ortiz / Parks / Courvoisie / Fernandez / Taborn / Sanchez / Iyer)
Brass And Ivory Tales [9-CD BOX SET]
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Referring to the brass saxophone and the piano's ivory keys, Brazilian saxophonist based in New York City Ivo Perelman celebrates his 60th birthday with this 9-CD set of diverse approaches to sax & piano duos, performed with some of world's finest improvising pianists: Dave Burrell, Marilyn Crispell, Aaron Parks, Augusti Fernandez, Craig Taborn, Angelica Sanchez and Vijay Iyer.
Gjerstad, Frode / Kent Carter / John Stevens
Detail-90 [VINYL]
(NoBusiness)
The second incarnation of the Detail trio of saxophonist Frode Gjerstad and drummer John Stevens with Kent Cart taking the role of double bass, is heard in this studio recording from 1990 at NRK-studio in Stavanger, Norway, a superb example of the nearly telepathic freedom four years of playing together afforded them, as heard in two extended, energetic improvisations.
Gray, Devin / Ralph Alessi / Angelica Sanchez
Melt all the Guns
(Rataplan Records)
Recorded in the fall of 2019 as a statement to help expand awareness and work for a future free from gun violence, composed in response to several gun violence incidents, performed at Douglass Recording in Brooklyn with the trio of Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Angelica Sanchez on piano, and Devin Gray on drums and providing the compositions, each title expressing his concern.
Mitchell, Roscoe / Sandy Ewen / Damon Smith / Weasel Walter
A Railroad Spike Forms The Voice
(ugEXPLODE)
The first meeting between Art Ensemble of Chicago saxophone legend Roscoe Mitchell and the long running improvisational trio of Sandy Ewen (guitar), Damon Smith (double bass) and Weasel Walter (drums), in an epic 72-minute recording captured live at Duende in Oakland, CA in 2014, an amazing display contrasting control & chaos, form and deconstruction; exemplary!
Shyu, Jen & Jade Tongue
Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses
(Pi Recordings)
An articulate and important collection of songs devoted to the marginalized voices of women around the world from NY vocalist Jen Shyu, performed in a masterful quintet with Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, Mat Maneri on viola, Thomas Morgan on bass, Dan Weiss on drums, Shyu singing and performing on percussion, piano, Taiwanese moon lute, and Japanese biwa.
Kunz, Christopher / Florian Fischer
Die Unwucht
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
The Die Unwucht (The Imbalance) duo of saxophonist Christopher Kunz and drummer Florian Fische was formed to explore jazz tradition while looking for ways to break down restrictive boundaries and create their own forms of expression, achieving a great balance and equality in Kunz' lyrical playing with a Getz/Desmond sound against Fische's active interactions.
Koch, Hans / Paul Lovens
Nephlokokkygia 1992
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
1992 live performances demonstrating masterful freedom in improvisation, recorded while on their first tour as a duo after working together in larger ensembles, from Hans Koch on clarinet, bass clarinet and tenor & soprano saxophones, and Paul Lovens on drums, cymbals, gongs & musical saw, in four live improvisations from Bulgaria presented in the order recorded.
Drake, Bob
Planets & Animals
(Recommended Records)
Bob Drake continues to tug on the heart-strings of prog in short but smart songs that reference the best of the last few decades of prog/psych/avant rock forms, Drake as always handling all parts in a great balance of guitar, electronic & acoustic instruments, including some newly invented instruments; includes a fold-out poster in Bob Drake style from Joe Mruk.
Squid
Bright Green Field
(Warp Records)
Blurring the boundaries of popular rock, composed and electro/experimental/ea forms, with hints of The Ex, Gang of Four, Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and their own happily quirky sound, Squid was formed in Brigton by Ollie Judge (Drums & Lead Vocals), Louis Borlase (Guitars), Arthur Leadbetter (Keys, Strings & Percussion), Laurie Nankivell (Bass & Brass) and Anton Pearson (Guitars).
O'Rourke, Jim / Apartment House
Best That You Do This For Me
(Another Timbre)
The UK ensemble Apartment House commissioned this work from composer & experimenter Jim O'Rourke based on their performance of other O'Rourke works, here interpreting a new graphic score designed like a sonic mobile, creating a minimal yet episodic piece of flexible interpretation as the performers whistle, hum and quietly sing in combination with bowed harmonics.
Cundy, Chris
Mountains
(Aural Terrains)
Bass clarinetist Chris Cundy, uses the studio as a performance tool for accompaniment along with pre-recorded tapes, as he contrasts two different composers--Cornelius Cardew & Ton de Leeuw and their compositions titled "Mountains", alongside a Cardew graphic score piece, and 2 work for 5 bass clarinets, from Thanos Chrysakis and John Cage, the latter from his Numbers series.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC