| Smoke | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Recorded | October 6, 1989 | |||
| Studio | FMP-Studios, Berlin | |||
| Genre | Free jazz | |||
| Length | 1:10:39 | |||
| Label | FMP CD 23 | |||
| Producer | Jost Gebers | |||
| Alexander von Schlippenbach chronology | ||||
| ||||
Smoke is an album by pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer Sunny Murray. It was recorded on October 6, 1989, at FMP-Studios in Berlin, and was released in 1990 by FMP/Free Music Production. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [6] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ [7] |
In a review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek stated that the album "reveals with startling clarity the inherent musical courage it takes to play freely with another musician you have never encountered... von Schlippenbach abdicates his normal responsibilities as a leader and becomes a collaborator. Murray, never really anybody's sideman, takes the reins and turns his rhythmic chops on in such a way that the pianist cannot help but to respond in a like manner... when it's over, in the silence, the listener will most assuredly sit for a while in disbelief at what just transpired." [1]
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded the album a full 4 stars, calling it "an intriguing collaboration, in which both men hang up their 'free music' armour and get down to what sounds like a set of phantom standards." [6]
Author Todd S. Jenkins called the recording session a "dream opportunity" with "appealing" results, and commented: "Murray's deliberate tuning of his drums plays a vital role in settings like this, permitting him to function as melodically as Schlippenbach's forceful piano approach casts him in a [Cecil] Tayloresque percussive role." [8]
The authors of Jazz: The Rough Guide remarked: "After the furor of 1960s free jazz, we now have Smoke drifting over the scene. Schlippenbach and Murray have mellowed and there is a beguiling thoughtfulness and lyricism in this music." [9]
Speak No Evil is the sixth album by Wayne Shorter. It was released in June 1966 by Blue Note Records. The music combines elements of hard bop and modal jazz, and features Shorter on tenor saxophone, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Elvin Jones. The cover photo is of Shorter's first wife, Teruko (Irene) Nakagami, whom he met in 1961.
Alexander von Schlippenbach is a German jazz pianist and composer. He came to prominence in the 1960s playing free jazz in a trio with saxophonist Evan Parker and drummer Paul Lovens, and as a member of the Globe Unity Orchestra. Since the 1980s, Von Schlippenbach has explored the work of more traditional jazz composers such as Jelly Roll Morton or Thelonious Monk.
Always a Pleasure is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded during the Workshop Freie Musik at the Akademie der Kunste, Berlin on April 8, 1993, and released in 1996 on the FMP label. The album features a concert performance by Taylor with Longineu Parsons, Harri Sjöström, Charles Gayle, Tristan Honsinger, Sirone and Rashid Bakr.
The Tree of Life is a live album of a solo piano concert by Cecil Taylor recorded at the Berlin Opera House on March 19, 1991, and released on the FMP label.
Regalia is a live album by Cecil Taylor and Paul Lovens recorded in Berlin on June 26, 1988 as part of month-long series of concerts by Taylor and released on the FMP label.
Pakistani Pomade is an album by German free jazz pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach's Trio, featuring saxophonist Evan Parker and percussionist Paul Lovens, recorded in Germany in 1972 for the FMP label.
Swinging the Bim is a live album by German free jazz pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach's Trio with saxophonist Evan Parker and percussionist Paul Lovens recorded in Amsterdam in 1998 for the FMP label.
Before the World is an album by jazz pianist Matthew Shipp which was recorded live in 1995 and released on the FMP label. This was his first recorded solo album, although Symbol Systems was released before.
Piano Duets: Live in Berlin 93/94 is an album by Aki Takase and Alexander von Schlippenbach.
An Even Break (Never Give a Sucker) is an album by American free jazz drummer Sunny Murray. It was recorded in Paris in November 1969, and released on the BYG Actuel label in 1970. On the album, Murray is joined by saxophonists Byard Lancaster and Kenneth Terroade, and bassist Malachi Favors.
Die Like a Dog: Fragments of Music, Life and Death of Albert Ayler is a live album by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo, bassist William Parker, and drummer Hamid Drake. It was recorded in August 1993 at Townhall Charlottenburg in Berlin, and was released in 1994 by FMP. The group, which would go on to tour and make multiple recordings, became known as the Die Like a Dog Quartet.
The Morlocks and Other Pieces is an album by Alexander von Schlippenbach and the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. It was recorded in July 1993 at RIAS Studio 10 in Berlin, and was released in 1994 by FMP. It features six compositions by Schlippenbach with dates ranging from 1983 to 1993.
Live in Japan '96 is a live album by the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. One track was recorded in July 1996 at Nakano Public Hall in Tokyo, while the remaining tracks were recorded in August 1996 at Shin-Kobe Oriental Theatre in Kobe. The album was released in 1997 by DIW. The music was conducted by Alexander von Schlippenbach and Aki Takase.
Alarm is a live album by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. It was recorded on November 12, 1981, at NDR Studio 10 in Hamburg, Germany, during the 164th NDR-Jazzworkshop, and was released in 1983 by FMP/Free Music Production. On the album, Brötzmann is joined by saxophonists Willem Breuker and Frank Wright, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo, trombonists Hannes Bauer and Alan Tomlinson, pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, bassist Harry Miller, and drummer Louis Moholo. In 2006, the album was reissued on CD by Atavistic Records as part of their Unheard Music Series.
The Bishop's Move is a live album that combines two trios, one led by saxophonist Evan Parker, and the other led by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. It was recorded on May 19, 2003, at the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville in Quebec, Canada, and was released in 2004 by Les Disques Victo. Parker is accompanied by pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer Paul Lytton, while Brötzmann is joined by bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake.
Songlines is an album by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, bassist Fred Hopkins, and drummer Rashied Ali. It was recorded on October 30 and 31, 1991, in Berlin, and was released in 1994 by FMP.
Irène Schweizer & Louis Moholo is a live album by pianist Irène Schweizer and drummer Louis Moholo. It was recorded on November 8, 1986, at the International Jazz Festival in Zürich, Switzerland, and was released in 1987 by Intakt Records.
3 Points and a Mountain is a live album by saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, pianist Misha Mengelberg, and percussionist Han Bennink. It was recorded on February 26, 1979, at the Akademie der Kunste in Berlin, and was initially released on vinyl later that year by the FMP label. In 2000, FMP reissued the album on CD, with previously unreleased tracks, under the title 3 Points and a Mountain... Plus, and, in 2022, it was reissued on vinyl by the Cien Fuegos imprint of Trost Records.
Digger's Harvest is a live album by pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and drummer Tony Oxley. It was recorded on November 5 and 7, 1998, at the Podewil in Berlin, and was released in 1999 by FMP/Free Music Production.
Tangens is a live album by saxophonist and flutist Sam Rivers and pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach. It was recorded on November 8, 1997, at the Total Music Meeting held at the Podewil in Berlin, and was released in 1998 by the FMP label. In 2015, it was reissued as a digital download by Rivers's RivBea Music.
