Sounds of Liberation

Last updated
Sounds of Liberation
Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres Jazz
Years active1970s
LabelsDogtown, Brewerytown Beats

Sounds of Liberation was an American jazz collective formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the early 1970s. [1] They got their start in the progressive neighborhood of Germantown, Philadelphia. The band had close ties to the Black Arts Movement of the time, using their music to help spark social activism, with tremendous impact on the African American and jazz community in Philadelphia. [2]

The band had seven members: Byard Lancaster, Monnette Sudler, Rashid Salim, Omar Hill, Khan Jamal, Bill Mills, and Dwight James. Their studio album, New Horizons , was released in 1972. Although it received critical acclaim, the album was only moderately successful commercially. The band also recorded a live session at Columbia University in 1973 which was only recently recovered. Sounds of Liberation saxophonist and flute player Byard Lancaster died in 2012. [3]

Sounds of Liberation played a sound that mixed jazz, funk, free jazz and spiritual jazz. [4] They owe much of their inspiration to jazz legends such as Pharoah Sanders, and funk artists like Curtis Mayfield. The band once performed alongside Kool & The Gang at the 1974 Miss Black America pageant. [5]

A limited release of their 1973 Live Recording was remastered and made available by Dogtown Records in 2019. [6] The LP features cover art from the original group artist Leroy Butler, who also made cover art for experimental Jazz artist / Afrofuturist Sun Ra. [7] [8] Similar to Sixto Rodriguez, the band's fame and cult following grew long after they played together.

Discography

TitleYearLabel
New Horizons 1972 Dogtown
Unreleased (Columbia University 1973) (Live)1973Brewerytown Beats

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<i>New Horizons</i> (Sounds of Liberation album) 1972 studio album by Sounds of Liberation

New Horizons is the debut album by the Philadelphia-based jazz collective Sounds of Liberation. It was recorded during March 1972 at Impact Sound in Philadelphia, and was released on vinyl later that year by Dogtown Records. In 2010, it was reissued in remastered form on both vinyl and CD by Porter Records with the title Sounds of Liberation, and in 2019, it was reissued on vinyl, with liner notes by writer Francis Davis, by Dogtown. The album features vibraphonist and band leader Khan Jamal, saxophonist Byard Lancaster, guitarist Monnette Sudler, electric bassist Billy Mills, drummer Dwight James, conga player Rashid Salim, and percussionist Omar Hill.

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Unreleased is a live album by the Philadelphia-based jazz collective Sounds of Liberation. It was recorded during 1973 at Columbia University in New York City, and was initially released in 2018 in very limited quantities by Dogtown Records in conjunction with the Brewerytown Beats record store, after which it was made available with broader distribution the following year by both Dogtown and the Corbett vs. Dempsey label. The recording, which was thought to have been lost, features vibraphonist and band leader Khan Jamal, saxophonist Byard Lancaster, guitarist Monnette Sudler, electric bassist Billy Mills, drummer Dwight James, conga player Rashid Salim, and percussionist Omar Hill.

References

  1. Wilmer, Valerie. As serious as your life: John Coltrane and beyond. London. ISBN   978-1-78816-071-1. OCLC   1045051555.
  2. "A lost recording by Philly jazz collective Sounds of Liberation is getting a vinyl release". The Key. May 14, 2019.
  3. Ratliff, Ben (September 1, 2012). "Byard Lancaster, Jazz Alto Saxophonist, Dies at 70" via NYTimes.com.
  4. Neff, Joseph (July 10, 2019). "Graded on a Curve: Sounds of Liberation, Unreleased (Columbia University 1973)". The Vinyl District. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  5. "Byard Lancaster: Sounds of Liberation: New Horizons". All About Jazz.
  6. "Dogtown Records release 1973 studio session by Sounds Of Liberation". The Wire. April 26, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  7. Whiteis, David. "Sounds of Liberation: Unreleased (Columbia University 1973) (Dogtown)". JazzTimes. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  8. Amarosi, A.D. (June 13, 2019). "Germantown's Finest: Take a Trip Down Philly Jazz's Memory Lane With Renowned Artist Leroy Butler". Philadelphia Weekly.