Unreleased (Columbia University 1973)

Last updated
Unreleased (Columbia University 1973)
Sounds of Liberation Unreleased.jpg
Live album by
Sounds of Liberation
Released2018
Recorded1973
VenueColumbia University, New York City
Genre Free jazz, funk, spiritual jazz
Length30:58
Label Dogtown Records
DGTWN-002
Sounds of Liberation chronology
New Horizons
(1972)		Unreleased (Columbia University 1973)
(2018)

Unreleased (Columbia University 1973) 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. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Unreleased was the group's second album, issued 46 years after the 1972 release of New Horizons . [5] On June 13, 2019, the surviving members of Sounds of Liberation reunited for a concert/release party at Philadelphia's Union Transfer, sharing the bill with the Sun Ra Arkestra. [2] [6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Vinyl DistrictA− [7]
Tom Hull – on the Web B+ [8]

In a review for JazzTimes , David Whiteis wrote: "The overall mood here is of youthful idealism and optimism, tempered by a startlingly mature aesthetic vision and well-honed musical acumen—all too poignantly reminiscent of a time when this kind of project might be considered almost 'mainstream,' and the future looked bright with promise." [9]

The New York City Jazz Record's Pierre Crépon noted that "the group's approach here is firmly centered on the groove," and is marked by "dense rhythmic layers." He commented: "Unreleased finds the Sounds of Liberation at their most compact and provides a much welcome occasion to look back at the group." [10]

Ed Hazell of Point of Departure called the album "a real gem, full of fire and funk, and uncompromising in both its commitment to the groove and to jazz soloing," and stated: "This is a music that delivers its consciousness-raising message through the pleasure of the groove and the power of improvisation." [11]

Writing for NPR , Tom Moon included the album in his list of "Best Reissues and Archival Albums of 2019," and remarked: "Seek out Sounds of Liberation when you need a high-speed portal back to the early '70s and the moment when jazz musicians went headfirst into groove music with a spiritual dimension and/or 'message'... The thick, hypnotic grooves maintained strong ties to West African and Afro-Cuban music, and atop that sturdy framework, the improvisers pursued spirited, sometimes fitful and always conversational interplay." [12]

In an article for Stereogum , Phil Freeman wrote: "The music combines jazz, funk, and soul in a very progressive early '70s way; Jamal's vibes are a shimmering cloud, but when the band digs into a groove, they can get into a zone somewhere between the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the earliest Earth, Wind & Fire recordings." [13]

The Vinyl District's Joseph Neff described the album as "an enlightening pleasure for the ears," and stated: "the group tapped into what was being played on household stereos and by radio stations during this period... and then integrated it into an approach that remained undisguisedly descended from the '60s jazz avant-garde... it all works much better than expected, partly because it always registers as natural rather than as a strained attempt at commercial viability stemming from frustration and/or desperation." [7]

Bruce Lee Gallanter of the Downtown Music Gallery commented: "Music like this makes me feel good to be alive!" [14]

Track listing

  1. "Thoughts" (Monnette Sudler) – 4:01
  2. "Keno" (Byard Lancaster) – 3:50
  3. "Sweet Evil Mist (Rib Crib)" (Byard Lancaster) – 7:08
  4. "Badi" (Khan Jamal) – 5:17
  5. "New Horizon (Back Streets of Heaven)" (Khan Jamal) – 10:43

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<i>Wake of the Flood</i> 1973 album by the Grateful Dead

Wake of the Flood is the sixth studio album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. Released on October 15, 1973, it was the first album on the band's own Grateful Dead Records label. Their first studio album in nearly three years, it was also the first without founding member Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, who had recently died. His absence and keyboardist Keith Godchaux's penchants for bebop and modal jazz contributed to the band's musical evolution. Godchaux's wife, vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux, also joined the group and appears on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Upchurch</span> American jazz and blues guitarist

Philip Upchurch is an American jazz and blues guitarist and bassist.

Palm Records was a French jazz record label founded by Jef Gilson in the early 1970s.

Philly Jazz was a small jazz record label in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Byard Lancaster was an avant-garde jazz saxophonist and flutist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odean Pope</span> American jazz saxophonist

Odean Pope is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Freeman (guitarist)</span> American jazz guitarist from Chicago

George Freeman is an American jazz guitarist and recording artist. He is known for his sophisticated technique, collaborations with high-profile performers, and notable presence in the jazz scene of Chicago, Illinois. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Von Freeman and drummer Eldridge "Bruz" Freeman, and the uncle of tenor saxophonist and trumpeter Chico Freeman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard Riley (musician)</span> Musical artist

John Howard Riley is an English pianist and composer, who worked in jazz and experimental music idioms.

<i>Musique du Bois</i> 1974 studio album by Phil Woods

Musique du Bois is a 1974 studio album by jazz musician Phil Woods. It was released by Muse Records and reissued by 32 Jazz and Pony Canyon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. R. Mitchell</span> American drummer

James Roland "J. R." Mitchell was an American jazz drummer and educator who sought to promote awareness of the African American music experience. In the early 1980s, jazz journalist and Washington Post music critic W. Royal Stokes wrote, "J. R. Mitchell is the renaissance man of jazz."

Khan Jamal, born Warren Robert Cheeseboro, was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He founded the band Sounds of Liberation in 1970. He was described by Ron Wynn as "a proficient soloist when playing free material, jazz-rock and fusion, hard bop, or bluesy fare."

Monnette Sudler was an American jazz guitarist from Philadelphia.

<i>Intents and Purposes</i> 1967 studio album by Bill Dixon

Intents and Purposes is an album by American jazz trumpeter Bill Dixon, which was released in 1967 on RCA Victor. Despite critical acclaim at the time, it was soon out of print except for appearances in 1972 on Japanese RCA and later in 1976 on French RCA. The album was reissued on CD by International Phonograph in 2011. The album's title is an example of a Siamese twins idiomatic expression.

<i>Its Not Up to Us</i> 1968 studio album by Byard Lancaster

It's Not Up to Us is the debut album by saxophonist/flautist Byard Lancaster released in 1968 on the Vortex label, an Atlantic subsidiary.

<i>Live at Macalester College</i> 1972 live album by The J. R. Mitchell Byard Lancaster Experience

Live at Macalester College is a live album by saxophonist/flautist Byard Lancaster and drummer J. R. Mitchell originally released in 1972 on the Dogtown label and rereleased in 2008 on CD by Porter Records.

Sounds of Liberation was an American jazz collective formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the early 1970s. 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.

<i>Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions</i> 1977 live album by Various

Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions is a series of five albums recorded May 14–23, 1976 at Studio Rivbea, a loft jazz space in New York City, run by Sam Rivers and his wife Bea. The albums include performances by groups led by musicians such as Hamiet Bluiett, Anthony Braxton, Marion Brown, Dave Burrell, Andrew Cyrille, Oliver Lake, Jimmy Lyons, Ken McIntyre, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Roscoe Mitchell, David Murray, Sunny Murray, Sam Rivers, Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, and Randy Weston. The recordings were originally released in 1977 on the Douglas and Casablanca labels as five separate LPs, and were reissued in 1999 by Knit Classics as a 3-CD set.

<i>Homework</i> (Sunny Murray, Bob Dickie, and Robert Andreano album) 1997 live album by Sunny Murray, Bob Dickie, and Robert Andreano

Homework is a live album by drummer Sunny Murray, bassist Bob Dickie, and guitarist Robert Andreano. It was recorded in May 1994 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was released in 1997 by Super Secret Sound. The album was remastered and reissued in 2019 by NoBusiness Records.

<i>Drum Dance to the Motherland</i> 1973 live album by Khan Jamal Creative Art Ensemble

Drum Dance to the Motherland is a live album by jazz vibraphonist and marimba player Khan Jamal, his debut as a leader. It was recorded on October 7, 1972, at the Catacombs Club in Philadelphia, and was initially released on LP by Dogtown Records in 1973. It was reissued on CD in remastered form by Eremite Records in 2006, and on LP in 2017. On the album, Jamal is joined by members of his Creative Art Ensemble: guitarist Monnette Sudler, bassist Billy Mills, percussionists Dwight James and Alex Ellison, and electronic musician Mario Falgna.

<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.

References

  1. ↑ "Sounds of Liberation - Unreleased". Jazz Music Archives. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Vettese, John (May 14, 2019). "A lost recording by Philly jazz collective Sounds of Liberation is getting a vinyl release". XPN. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  3. ↑ Micucci, Matt (July 12, 2019). "Flying Lotus, Crosscurrents Trio, Victor Gould: The Week in Jazz". Jazziz. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ Helfet, Gabriela (May 3, 2019). "Philly jazz and activist collective Sounds Of Liberation's 1973 session released for the first time". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Dogtown Records release 1973 studio session by Sounds Of Liberation". The Wire. April 26, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ Cohen, Aaron (June 12, 2019). "A soulful album 46 years in the making". Broad Street Review. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Neff, Joseph (July 10, 2009). "Graded on a Curve: Sounds of Liberation, Unreleased (Columbia University 1973)". The Vinyl District. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ Hull, Tom. "The Best Jazz Albums of 2019". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  9. ↑ Whiteis, David (August 9, 2019). "Sounds of Liberation: Unreleased (Columbia University 1973) (Dogtown)". JazzTimes. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  10. ↑ Crépon, Pierre (August 2019). "Reviews" (PDF). The New York City Jazz Record. p. 24.
  11. ↑ Hazell, Ed. "Moment's Notice: Reviews of Recent Recordings". Point of Departure. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  12. ↑ Moon, Tom (December 11, 2019). "The Best Reissues and Archival Albums of 2019". NPR Music. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  13. ↑ Freeman, Phil (July 19, 2019). "Ugly Beauty: The Month In Jazz". Stereogum. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  14. ↑ Gallanter, Bruce Lee (June 7, 2019). "DMG Newsletter". Downtown Music Gallery. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.