Art Ensemble of Chicago - Appreciations and Recommendations

[thos]

Just an amazing and magical group!! Nice to see that some folks here know of them (and to have been there for the Bap-tizum show at Ann Arbor -- wow!!)

Their music really rewards you the more you get into it -- so many brilliant compositions sprinkled into their live improvisational shows.. probably my single favorite group if I had to pick one. Got all their records and lots of live shows, its quite a treasure to listen to their career via live recordings over the years. Fascinating to hear how they re-interpret and deconstruct their own (and occasionally others') music. All the members have distinct musical personalities that one comes to appreciate. and as a unit they are telepathic with one another, and often introduced other artistic elements such as poetry and theater into their concerts. Just mind blowing and beautiful.

I first heard them here at the Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz in 1987. The show was put on by the Odwalla juice company (which started here). The company was named after the Art Ensemble's song title. The founders were fans of the band. Though I don't think there was any legal agreement about the name, one of the founders told me that they befriended them after the fact and Roscoe Mitchell said something like "well... has the name been good to you?". The company ended up producing a few tours with the band, and even set them up to go to the Caribbean and record the "Coming Home Jamaica" record later on (this was all before Odwalla was purchased by Coca Cola)

I've seen them a number of times since and they never disappoint (although it's unfortunate that two of the original members are now gone).
The full group of Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors and Famoudou Don Moye endured together for many years and was a magical combination.

Nice to see that Roscoe, Don and Joseph are doing something together currently! That was news to me.

I got all their recordings I can, and it's hard to pick favorites, but (as others have noted) Urban Bushmen (on ECM) and Bap-tizum (Atlantic) are great live records that I'd be inclined to point out to introduce someone to them.

Of their studio stuff:
"A Jackson in Your House" is essential in their catalogue, kind of their first complete statement, with a lot of humor and depth.
"People in Sorrow" is a singular beautiful composition/improvisation based on a haunting theme, in some ways unlike anything else in their catalogue.
"Les Stances a Sophie" is a touch more accessible and composed, opening with the funky "Theme De Yoyo" with Fontella Bass on vocals.
"Phase One" has the sidelong "Ohnedaruth" which was one of their most enduring compositions, nicely recorded, opening with some beautiful gongs/ bells /percussion.
"Fanfare For the Warriors" (Atlantic) showcases a wide variety of their compositions.. hard hitting , out-there stuff.
"Nice Guys", "Full Force" & "Third Decade" (all on ECM) also showcase a lot of variety, and are beautifully recorded and a touch more accessible.

There is so much more, but these are the ones I would probably start with to introduce someone to them.

[Dana5140]

The actual LP has full Odwalla on it, I believe, though I sold my record collection a few months ago. BTW, that is John Sinclair announcing them at the end of the song.

Showcase Jazz at Michigan State put on a series of shows with them, with all their "little instruments." I got to hang with the members. FWIW, this is what I remember: Roscoe was quiet and reserved and somewhat scholarly; Don Moye outgoing and friendly; Joseph Jarman was like an imp, funny and cryptic; Lester Bowie was all fire and did not suffer fools gladly; and Malachi Favors was just a wonderful and warm human. We stood in awe of them- and I was just 19 when I saw them in Ann Arbor, was 21 when we put the shows on. When Roscoe and Anthony Braxton put their shows on, I got to sit with them while they wrote out music for the show- and then threw the sheet music into the air to shuffle the arrangements.

Ohnedaruth is also my fave AEC composition.

[Dana5140]

Mogrooves- where did you grow up if you were at the A Squared B&J Festival? I am from Oak Park. '71 grad.

[jeffo621]

@thos -

Your post was awesome - the enthusiasm you have for these guys makes me want to get more of their stuff before I properly digest the ones that I just bought. I need to practice patience!

@Dana -

The same goes for you. That must've been awesome to hang with them and see them in their youthful days. This performance here of them doing Ohnedaruth is quite intense - it brings to mind Coltrane's legendary 1965 Seattle performances (and what I wouldn't give to listen to complete unedited recordings of those).

[mogrooves]

The actual LP has full Odwalla on it, I believe

It does. I still have mine.

Mogrooves- where did you grow up if you were at the A Squared B&J Festival?

I was at school at Princeton when my father's job took him to Monroe, in southeast MI. I visited my folks there briefly that summer and my oldest friend came out from New Jersey to go to the festival. We did the same the following year.

So, I'm not from Michigan; I only visited the folks there from time to time. I used to record shop in Ann Arbor at Schoolkid's and Wazoo Records and catch the blues cats at the Blind Pig . Roscoe Mitchell lived in Kalamazoo then, iirc.

[Trane]

I've seen that on other threads. Why do some topics get relegated to PM whereas others stay? I would think that one such as this topic in which we are discussing a band and looking for recommendations and maybe hoping to spread the word a bit would stay in the forums. Just curious....

Naaah, it's a PE2.0-related joke, where if there was a topic that was probably going to be censored or thought to be relatively improper to stay visible on the front pages, it was send to the Private Message, but if you wanted to participate once it "disappeared", you had to be quick on the ball, because only the first 25 posters got in (max capacity of a PM thread)

I am thinking Hugues was making a joke (but you never know with this guy... ).

PEv3 doesn't have "PM Land". Threads may get moved to the proper forum for discussion and we do have a "groups" section which is not quite as robust. But we don't take public threads and make them private.

Yeah, it's my way to bookmark the thread

I suppose I could do it without actually posting on the thread, but I'm lazy (and not funny )

[Dana5140]

mogrooves, Roscoe actually lived in Bath, not KZoo. That's his house on one of his albums. He was working with a band at the time that had Gary Schunk on piano and Spencer Barefield on guitar, among others. True story- we put on a show with that band, and it was all kinds of crazy, at MSU. A few months later I got married and we hired a band to play the wedding. Pianist? Gary Schunk.

Evcent hough I was at MSU, I used to go to Schoolkids all the time. It only recently closed!

[NogbadTheBad]

bookmarked for future reading

[jeffo621]

Ian - give what (admittedly, not a heckuva lot) I know about your musical tastes, you would definitely dig them. Their free moments bring to mind Henry Cow's lengthy improvs and they really don't seem to be pigeonhole-able into a specific style They must've been really impressive to see live in their heyday, given that three of the members had tables full of percussion and wind instruments.