ARCHIE SHEPP — Archie Shepp Meets Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio ‎: Conversations (review)

ARCHIE SHEPP — Archie Shepp Meets Kahil El'Zabar's Ritual Trio ‎: Conversations album cover

Album · 1999 · Avant-Garde Jazz

4/5 · 2015-04-23
snobb

Percussionist Kahil El'Zabar born in Chicago and studied music in University of Ghana.He was chairman of the AACM up to 1975 leading his early band Ethnic Heritage Ensemble.

From eighties Kahil runs his another project - Ritual(or Ritual Trio). More concept than stable line-up team, in different time in contained many known Chicagoan musicians,including Lester Bowie,Malachi Favors,Billy Bang and Pharoah Sanders among others.Ritual Trio released all series of albums starting from mid 80's, as rule on almost every album they have new guest musician presented.

Here on "Conversations" Ritual Trio are El'Zabar plus Art Ensemble Of Chicago's bassist Malachi Favors and sax player/pianist Ari Brown. The guest is tenor Archie Shepp (who occasionally plays piano here as well). Being one in a series of many for the Trio, this album is really significant recording for Shepp. Being a free jazz icon from mid 60s to early 70s,he never left the scene, but from late seventies for two decades his music was a sporadic collection of hard bop tunes released on tiny labels. It let Shepp to survive as active musician but not much left from his younger angry avantgardist image.

"Conversations" with Ritual Trio is Shepp's first album on major American label for more than two decades and ,what is more important,is first try to return back playing more adventurous music.Formally this recording is a tribute to bassist Fred Hopklns and AACM member who died in January of 1999.Recorded in Chicago's Riverside studio, this album contains all AACM was and is well known by: African ritual meditative rhythms,tuneful free improvisations,colorful arrangements and most important - that unique free jazz spirit. Being a tribute to passed away friend, music here is melancholic,even sad in moments,lyrical,but never sentimental or dark. In a tradition of Art Ensemble of Chicago quartet plays hymn to life first of all, with respect and commemoration to those who passed away. Percussionist-led band surprisingly didn't record very percussive or rhythmic music though - here is place for everyone,from lot of piano soloing(even if no musician on this album plays piano as first instrument)to liquid sax with some dissonance (as in Shepp's early years). There are even gospel-like vocals on "Brother Malcolm"(title,returning listener back to Shepp's late 60s again).

Music on "Conversations" doesn't open any new horizons - it just recalls and refreshes sound and atmosphere of free jazz great years and it's great to confirm it doesn't sound any retro-like or nostalgic.Released on the edge of the centuries,this album came a little too early to become noticed since wider wave of interest to free jazz (old and new)will come some years later. But for Shepp it became quite symbolic release anyway - starting from here he step by step will return to more adventurous jazz leaving decades of straight playing for being able to pay his bills in the past.